Forty years in the making: An Eden Prairie house’s subtle age-in-place renovations

David and Bev Lohs have a top-five list of features in their newly renovated Eden Prairie house.

Truth be told, it’s more than five.

“The views, the open stairwell, the floors, the stone and the powder room,” David Lohs said. “And the fireplace and the firewood storage, too.”

They’re understandably enthusiastic about the house they’ve owned since 1981 — a home that, for the first 43 years, was mostly unchanged from the day they moved into it.

The Lohses considered renovating 20 years ago, but the architect they hired returned with elaborate plans that would’ve altered the front of the house. It didn’t feel right, so they held off. Soon after that, Bev Lohs’ elderly mom moved in, and the couple focused on caring for her until she transitioned to a long-term care facility a few years ago.

This time around, the Lohses looked closer to home for architectural help — a kid from the neighborhood and the grandson of the man who built their house, architect Christopher Strom.

“My grandfather built our house and the Lohses’,” Strom said. “I remember visiting the construction site with my dad when I was 7. It was a big deal.”

Strom understood the neighborhood’s character and respected the home’s original design: a 1,200-square-foot walkout ranch with a few midcentury-modern touches. This was important to the Lohses. They didn’t want to try and make the house something it wasn’t, and ​they weren’t.

​“We wanted it to feel like us,” Bev Lohs said.​

The couple asked Strom to help them rethink their home with age-in-place features, a more open layout and bigger views of the backyard pond. Above all, they wanted to free the kitchen from its dark, landlocked location off the garage, cut off from the rest of the house.

“It [had] just a small window over the sink with a much more limited view,” Bev Lohs said.

Strom bumped out the east side of the house by 14 feet. It was just enough space for a more open kitchen with sightlines to the front door, living room and backyard, plus a mudroom/laundry, pantry and small office. These three important new rooms mean the Lohses no longer need to go downstairs for housekeeping and desk work.

Inside, four new 5- by 6-foot living room windows frame dramatic views of the pond, woods and a weeping willow tree the Lohses planted 25 years ago. The scenery is all the decoration the space needs.

Other bursts of natural light come from a 12-foot-long counter-height window/backsplash on the north side of the kitchen and a skylight in the windowless pantry.

“Oh, yeah,” Dave Lohs said. “That skylight is also a top-five!”

Another favorite is the large, stand-alone wood-burning fireplace that separates the living room and entryway. Strom restored the existing feature with a limestone pinwheel pattern, inserting a vertical column of built-in wood storage along the kitchen-facing side.

White oak cabinetry and window trim unify the interior, but Strom didn’t overdo it, opting to paint some upper kitchen cabinets white to maintain an open feeling.

“We put in our order early and held it before construction,” Strom said. “The wood has a vertical grain, like rift cut, and is the nicest floor I’ve ever done.”

Age-in-place features are everywhere but not obvious: wide passageways, bathroom grab bars that match the other fixtures, easy-grip cabinet pulls, slide-out cabinet shelves, full-extension soft-close drawers and spring-loaded lifts for heavy appliances like mixers and food processors make daily life easier now and in the future.

The Lohses also cite the wide variety of task and ambient lighting, as well as the new modern appliances, including a built-in microwave/air fryer that frees up counter space and an induction cooktop.

“Induction is amazing,” Bev Lohs said. “It cooks quicker, is very easy to clean and is environmentally friendly.”

The renovation has invigorated the Lohses. The couple entertain frequently but, more importantly, feel grounded and uplifted every day by their surroundings.

Designing firm: Christopher Strom Architects.

Project team: Christopher Strom, AIA; John Bergford, AIA; Brett Biwer, Assoc. AIA

Project partners: Crown Construction Co., Ruth Johnson Interiors, A.M. Structural Engineering, Marvin Windows, Thomas Adair Cabinets, Ingrained Wood Studio (front door), ZK Carpentry, DMF Lighting, Western Systems, Loftus Ornamental Iron

Photographer: Scott Amundson

Laurie Fontaine Junker is a Twin Cities-based writer specializing in home design and architecture. Instagram: @fojunk