Wanting to create a family home that represents both their personal and professional philosophies, a forward-thinking Indianapolis couple sought a simple, modern solution that balances contemporary minimalist styling with the warmth of a sustainable, natural material palette. While modern, the outcome generates a design which respects the context of its more traditional suburban neighbors and thoughtfully relates to the scale of adjacent one and two-story single-family homes.

The design parti employs a simple “L” shaped building, articulated by solid massing and defined voids, and clear expression of materials. Cantilevered roof elements establish defined covered patios while a delicate ribbon of stucco accentuates the home’s overall form and roof lines. A feature element and defining piece of the design is an interior, board-formed concrete planter, which houses a linear planting of live bamboo that runs parallel to the open stair.

As founders of an organic body products company that incorporate 100% pure and natural ingredients, the inclusion of sustainable materials and strategies was paramount to the design. One of the most evident sustainable features is the use of a vegetated roof system on the first-floor roof areas, not only providing improved rainwater retention and reduction in heat island effect, but also serving as a butterfly “Papillon” habitat while providing visual respite from the second floor living spaces.