“Grilling is their preferred style of cooking any time of year,” says Mark Larson about the owners of this newly built Minneapolis home. Since it gets chilly in the winter, Larson designed the outdoor cooking area to be well protected and closely attached to the kitchen. The resulting porch extends from the narrow end of the house to preserve views and light, and is adjacent to the kitchen so it’s usable on a daily basis. Casement windows on either side of the gas grill keep lines of communication open and act as a pass-through. The windows let daylight flow from porch to kitchen and artificial light from kitchen to porch. Cabinets are made of teak outside and cherry inside, but door style and hardware remain the same in both spaces for visual continuity. Slate counters mimic the kitchen version except these curve away from the grill so that prep areas have a more ergonomic depth.
Builder: Dovetail Construction, Minneapolis; Architect: Rehkamp Larson Architects, Minneapolis; Photographer: Ken Gutmaker.
