What's your vision of the perfect home? A new house, all sleek and modern? A vintage house that's been refreshed for modern living? Or maybe a simple cottage or cabin on a lake or in the woods?

You'll find all of the above and more among this year's Home of the Month winners. Twelve winning designs by AIA Minnesota architects were chosen by a panel from 40 submissions this year.

Starting in June, you'll get an inside look at these dozen homes on the first Sunday of every month in the Homes section and at startribune.com. The features will include interviews with the homeowners and architects, as well as plenty of photos to inspire your own home-building or remodeling dreams and plans.

Here's a sneak preview of this year's 12 winning homes:

1. Deephaven Colonial

A Colonial-style house with an unseen entry and poorly defined spaces on the main floor was reinvented via a two-story addition that honored the original home's traditional architecture.

Design team: Todd P. Hansen and Ian A. McLellan, Albertsson Hansen Architecture

This Colonial in Deephaven, designed by Albertsson Hansen Architecture, is one of the Home of the Month winners.

2. Project Dom

Dom means "home" in Slovakian. This new house was designed to reflect the owners' love of family and of the Mississippi River. Subtle personal touches throughout the house honor the family's Eastern European heritage.

Design team: Andrea Peschel Swan, Constance Chen and Tom Lindemeier, Swan Architecture

3. Sheridan Residence

This new modern home in an established urban neighborhood respects the scale of existing houses while creating functional spaces for a young growing family.

Design team: Lars Peterssen, Andrew Edwins and Gabriel Keller, Peterssen/Keller Architecture

4. Inside the Box

This main-floor renovation completely transformed the kitchen, mudroom and other living spaces of a home within its original footprint, without adding a foot of additional space.

Design team: Jean Rehkamp Larson and Angela Taffe, Rehkamp Larson Architects

5. Ripple Island Cabin

A family with a longtime connection to their land in northern Minnesota wanted a simple structure in the woods that captured sunlight and views, resulting in this rustic one-room cabin.

Design team: Architect Ken Stone

6. Porch Cabin II

Four generations have enjoyed this lake setting, which include a camp and a granary. Now a new cabin with a large screen porch will ensure fresh air and leisure enjoyment for generations to come.

Design team: Dale Mulfinger and Jared Banks, SALA Architects

7. Park Point Prospect

His-and-her working spaces designed for an architect and an artist are connected by common spaces for them to share, on a spectacular site on Duluth's Park Point.

Design team: Tom Ellison, TEA2 Architects

8. Island Retreat

A new cottage on Lake Minnetonka's Crane Island seamlessly evokes the 100-year-old cottages already there, while providing a modern family with a place to enjoy the old summer tradition of escaping to the lake.

Design team: Mark Nelson, David Heide and Kyle Veldhouse, David Heide Design Studio

9. Cottagewood Residence

Traditional shingle-style elements, combined with a modern open floor plan, create a new interpretation of a lake home in an established lake community.

Design team: Lars Peterssen, Gabriel Keller, Laura Cayere-King and Brent Nelson, Peterssen/Keller Architecture

10. Vatten Liv

Near the Swedish town of Lindstrom, Minn., a new house on a pre-existing foundation combines Scandinavian-influenced architecture with open living spaces that offer a connection to a lake.

Design team: Meghan Kell Cornell and Dan Wallace, Kell Architects

11. East Coast Meets Midwest

A traditional two-story on a previously unbuilt site in north Minneapolis includes solar technology and an aesthetic that blends the tastes of its two owners, one a Minnesota carpenter, the other the daughter of a Massachusetts lobster fisherman.

Design team: Eric J. Hansen and James Kuipers, EJ Hansen

12. Basswood Ranch

Opening up the interior layout and reviving the exterior brought fresh life to a 1950s rambler.

Design team: Lars Peterssen, Gabriel Keller, Tommy Everson, Molly Reichert, Jason Briles, Peterssen/Keller Architecture

Kim Palmer 612-673-4784 @stribkimpalmer