See How This Timber Home Was Customized for One Family's Lifestyle

Photos courtesy of Clydesdale Frames Co.

“I’m not a big believer in trying to design within a ‘style,’ but instead to design within a family itself,” says John Van Bruggen, owner at Clydesdale Frames Co. in Hutchison, Kansas. “How does a family live? Are they studious book readers? Are they outdoor fisherman or hunter types? Are they a hybrid of all of these things? Answers to these questions should result in a design suited for the lifestyle of the homeowners.” And those are exactly the questions he asked (and got answers to) when he created this 3,600-square-foot home, built as a primary residence for a young family in northwest Missouri. 

Although the house is tucked away into a beautiful blend of woods and fields (“You’d never know if was there unless you stumbled upon it,” says Van Bruggen), its design is warm and welcoming, and tailored to the needs of the family that dwells there. In a style that Van Bruggen refers to as “communal,” the four-bedroom, three-bathroom house is made from a structural Douglas fir frame.

To accommodate the family’s active lifestyle, the owners and design team blended old and new into the open plan that offers plenty of natural light and multiple indoor/outdoor spaces. “The owner’s use of reclaimed treasures have a familial heirloom essence, blended with modern conveniences,” says Van Bruggen. “This creates an environment that honors the past, yet looks toward the future.

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