A richly appointed, beautifully landscaped estate home with an expansive green lawn, a swimming pool, and a tennis court. A custom-built log cabin for weekends at the lake. Herb Pilhofer and RoseMary Januschka had it all-- but they weren't sure they wanted it anymore. Herb and RoseMary were starting to feel possessed by their possessions. Their time was being used up caring for their two houses, their belongings, and that enormous green lawn, when what they really wanted was to relax and enjoy life with their young children. When a pristine 20-acre parcel covered with dense pine forest became available, they grabbed it, ready to create a cozy family home under the trees. It was the perfect spot to simplify their lives and raise their family.

The Pilhofers asked architect Katherine Cartrette to design a home that would fit into the forest setting by incorporating a log-timber frame, a broad, sheltering roof, and lots of natural materials. The home was to have a Northwoods elegance, but with no formal rooms, no wasted space. There was to be work space for Herb, a professional musician and composer. Television, video, and computers were to be set away from the family's primary living area. The parents wanted the children close by while they were still young, but the home needed to provide the kids with adequate space and privacy when they became teenagers.

The new Pilhofer family home sits on a sunny knoll amid the fragrant pine forest. Essentially, it's a Craftsman-style lodge, but the materials used in its construction set it apart. The post-and-beam construction is of natural logs, which were stripped of their bark and then varnished. The design blends elements of traditional Asian and Bavarian architecture with the building materials of the American frontier.

Home: Work and Play

Families today typically ask architects to include some kind of home-office space in their new homes. Depending on the homeowners' needs, the office might be anything from a small desk alcove to professional office space in a completely separate structure. Herb had very specific needs for his home work space. In addition to requesting desk space for the fax and computer, he required room to work at his grand piano and a small recording studio.

The home's lower (basement) level turned out to be the perfect location for a music studio. Floors and walls are of poured concrete, which provides excellent sound isolation. Careful planning and additional, well-chosen insulation materials in the interior walls and ceiling help ensure that the noise of family life on the main floor does not intrude into the studio below.

The Pilhofers asked Katherine to make a place for the television that was separate from the primary family living space. The media room is on the lower level adjacent to Herb's studio. When Herb is working during the day, the media room is off-limits to the kids, but in the evenings and on the weekends, the lower level becomes a spacious family room that is used and enjoyed by everyone. Comfortable furniture, windows that look out over the woods, a massive rock fireplace, and top-of-the-line audio and video equipment make this a great entertainment center.

The Pilhofers like the way this multi-use space functions, and the restrictions that Herb's work time puts on the kids' television time actually improves the quality of everyone's daily activities. In addition, the same acoustic isolation that keeps things quiet down in the music studio prevents the noise of television and stereo equipment from filtering into the living room and master bedroom above.

A Casual Elegance

The main living space is open and informal, a great room that contains living, dining, and cooking space. Herb and RoseMary don't miss having formal rooms for entertaining. "We put out our beautiful china and crystal from Germany," explains RoseMary. "You can take a casual setting and make it very elegant."

The most striking features in the great room are the natural forms of the post-and-beam construction and the massive rock fireplace. Uprights with natural crooks support beams with natural arches. The rocks that face the fireplace are a cool contrast to the warmth of the wood. According to Katherine, old photos of a lodge at Yellowstone were the inspiration for the fireplace. The low pitch of the ceiling gives the large room a real coziness. "There was a lot of discussion about roof pitch," recalls Herb. "We definitely didn't want a high soaring ceiling. We wanted something with the proportions and charm of a European-style lodge."

Home Is Where the Hearth Is

This is a home of fireplaces, all of which share the soaring rock chimney. In addition to the main hearth in the great room and the fireplace in the media room downstairs, a third hearth is just outside on the patio. The Pilhofers use the outdoor hearth year-round, and the patio and deck that surround it are significant living spaces in the life of the family.  In the summer, an outdoor fire lights up parties on the deck, and during the winter months, family and friends like to gather round the blazing outdoor hearth after a day of cross-country skiing and sledding. Outdoor living spaces that are as carefully planned as the Pilhofers' outdoor hearth can have a huge impact on a family and the way they spend their time.

Small Rooms Are Room Enough

RoseMary and Herb gave much thought to the size and placement of the family bedrooms. All the bedrooms are relatively small, a strategy that gets family members out of their rooms and into the shared living space. The master bedroom is on the main floor and has a private deck that looks out over the woods. RoseMary and Herb like the sense of privacy they have in their room. The children's bedrooms are located directly above the master bedroom, just up a short flight of stairs. Although the children's bedrooms are decidedly compact, built-in desks, bookshelves, and trundle beds make the rooms attractive, efficient, and pleasant.

Their new home continues to please and delight the Pilhofers, and they love the easy-going way of life they have found here. It's a home that honors family heritage while supporting a modern American lifestyle.