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Houses come in many shapes, from basic boxes to domes to intricate geometric forms. For Russ and Mary Horsch, the just-right shape for their new home’s floor plan turned out to be the letter H. click here, click here

Each wing of the “Lake>City>House” is one room wide, offering panoramic views of the lake and its bustling parkway. Connecting the two wings is “the bridge,” a glassy, light-drenched center structure that contains the entry, dining room and central walkway. click here, click here

“A lot of the buildings around the lake are very formal; their presence doesn’t speak of welcoming,” Wagner said, while the Horsches’ home’s very structure “welcomes the landscape into the building, like two arms outstretched.” click here, click here

“In the summer time, the porch is wonderful!” Mary enthused. “We have more interaction with neighbors.” click here, click here

They’d lived near Lake of the Isles for more than 30 years, in one of those formal, traditional homes - “a typical south Minneapolis foursquare,” said Mary. “We raised our daughter there, and it was a wonderful house.” Now empty nesters, the couple decided that it was time to move to one-level living because of health issues. But they didn’t want to leave their beloved neighborhood. click here, click here

So they found a midcentury split-level rambler, just a block away from their foursquare. In addition to its prime location facing the lake, it had a magnolia tree in the front yard that Mary had been noticing for years. “It’s the first tree to bloom in spring, with magnificent white flowers,” she said. click here, click here

That opened up the possibilities of truly making the most of the site and creating a home that expressed the Horsches’ taste and lifestyle. They wanted a house that was modern in style, with clean lines and square edges - but without the wide-open floor plan common in many of today’s contemporary homes. click here, click here

When Wagner proposed the wedged-apart floor plan with the connecting bridge, the Horsches were all in. “We liked it immediately,” Mary said. click here, click here