Windows and Wood Tie Modern Midwest Home to the Outdoors

An architecture firm designed a modern Indianapolis home with an abundance of glass and greenery to reflect the occupants’ biophilic interest.

Designed by Indianapolis-based architectural firm One 10 Studio, the home’s design strikes a bold pose with its strong linear elements and contrast to neighboring homes. But it works perfectly for the owners, Adam and Ambre Crockett, the husband and wife team behind Ambre Blends, a natural, organic body product company.

The Crocketts looked to One 10 Studio Principal and Founder Clete Kunce to design their ultra-modern, environmentally-friendly home. Provided with a woodsy lot surrounded by traditionally gabled and shingled homes—along with conflicting desires from the owners—it took three years to complete the home.

“To us, design is everything,” said Kunce. “We expect everything to wind up an award winner, which is what made this project so intriguing. Adam wanted a concrete box, while Ambre envisioned a green, comfortable living space designed with sustainable materials. The compromise resulted in an L-shaped four-bedroom, five-and-a-half-bath home that the Crocketts lovingly call ‘Papillion’ to highlight a caterpillar’s wondrous metamorphosis into a butterfly.”

Project Details

Designer: Clete Kunce, AIA, Principal Architect, One 10 Studio, Indianapolis, Ind.

Exterior Designer: Mike Broge, Senior Project Designer, Vive Exterior Design, Fishers, Ind.

Builder: Patrick Shirmeyer, Gradison Design/Build, Indianapolis, Ind.

Interior Designers: Amy Knerr and Heidi Woodman, Haus Love Interiors, Indianapolis, Ind.

The 5,600-square-foot home features different elements that refer to nature, such as an 18-foot-tall bamboo garden that reaches from the basement up to the home’s second floor and a vegetated roof system that improves rainwater retention and reduces the heat island effect. Intentional voids removed from the mass help sunlight stream into every nook and cranny.

Electric charging stations in the garage, chemical-free ECOS Paints, a soy-based spray foam insulation, a solar power and dual-capacity geothermal heating system, and TPO roofing add to the eco-friendly cred of the home.

Inside, the home features natural walnut slat ceilings in the kitchen and formal dining areas, defining the two areas among the free-flowing open plan. The dining room even features a custom-made poplar table created from a tree that was felled before the home’s construction. Concrete bricks break up the white walls and formaldehyde-free, FSC-certified Austrian white-oak flooring spans the entire main floor.

These elements are also found on the exterior of the home, further tying the overall design together. From the main level of the home, occupants can look up to a lofted second floor featuring wide glass interior windows that expand the home’s interior.

Featured inside and outside the home, these windows played a large role in the overall design. Kunce opted for Weather Shield windows and doors, as he had for several projects over the years. To ensure he chose the best performing windows, Kunce conducted numerous tests for the south-facing home.

“We performed several sun studies to determine the best placement and sizing of the home’s oversized casement windows and glass doors,” said Kunce. “The goal was to bathe the entire house with an abundance of natural light while creating great views of the property’s beautiful exterior from nearly any room or interior location.”

Weather Shield worked closely with Kunce to select more than 40 casement windows and multi-slide doors from the company’s Contemporary Collection. Kunce says the collection features thin, minimalistic frames that work best for modern settings. Additionally, the Contemporary Collection offers an Energy Star rated Zo-e-shield glazing, which keeps homes cool in the summer and warm in the winter, ideal for the Midwest climate. Thankfully for the Crocketts, no construction is permitted behind their home, which provides privacy and safety for their glass-covered home and built-in pool.

Awarded the Master of Design title in Pool & Spa News magazine, the backyard pool and nearby hot tub serve as a gathering place for the family. It’s surrounded by plenty of gathering spots, from a slightly elevated patio to a firepit.