Sarah Nettleton Architects

MARCH 2012

sarah — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 21:04:13 +0000

AIA Minnesota and MidWest Home announce that Sarah Nettleton is the 2012 recipient of the annual Architect of Distiction Award. “Overall, the jury found her work to be very strong, expressive, and organic. Her projects are a great portfolio of the exploration of sustainability. The River Bluff House, for example, is a wonderful example of a modern take on a self-sufficient farmhouse. The jury admired the attention spent on site orientation, natural light, and building form.

Architect of Distinction Award 2012

Where does a Simple Home begin? A story: chapter 1

sarah — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:17:59 +0000

It all began with a phone call from Mary after she read my book, “The Simple Home: The luxury of Enough” and noticed on the inside cover that I was close at hand. Mary and Jack wanted to build a new house on their river bluff property near St Peter that would be a modern take on a self-sustaining farm house. Our first meeting confirmed that their goals and my design skills were a good match. Your house says who you are; be it a large house with a fabulous front entry hall stair or a loft like space with many uses despite a basic furniture arrangement. This brings up my first design strategy- can we rearrange your furniture and solve your functional or aesthetic dreams? It’s always good to start here. But where to begin with a new site?

JANUARY 2012

sarah — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 21:08:27 +0000

Sarah Nettleton was a Jury member for the Custom Home Magazine 2012 Design Awards recognizing design excellence across the country, held in Washington DC, January 2012. Winners have not been announced yet.

JANUARY 2012

sarah — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 20:27:52 +0000

Sarah Nettleton’s design for the Spear House is showcased in “Passive is Progressive: Minnesota architects design with sunlight, wind and climate”. It’s called passive design and it’s coming to forward-looking cities, neighborhoods, and campuses near you. Appeared in Architecture Minnesota Magazine.

Edible Landscapes – early fall delights

admin — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 16:16:54 +0000

It is September, and there is still time to enjoy end of summer flowers, as well as savor the bounty of ripening edibles. Serving dinner on the terrace in my garden where the tomatoes and Basil grew is a pleasure in many ways. My favorite is a salad of tomatoes, Goat Cheese, Basil with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

In my own garden and in gardens I design for clients, I create the opportunity to inhabit and savor the garden. We love to visit Italy and enjoy meals al fresco – finding beauty in practical simple ways.

An edible garden design is a not so new, but not often done way of thinking about how your house and garden can delight you. And why not?

SEPTEMBER 2011

sarah — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 21:10:18 +0000

Sarah Nettleton is quoted in the in Residential Architect Magazine practice: “Loan Rangers: how architects are navigating today’s precipitous lending landscape” by Cheryl Weber, LEED AP.

SEPTEMBER 2011

sarah — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 20:31:38 +0000

Sarah Nettleton Architects’ design for the Spear House is featured in the Residential Architect green piece: Real simple: low-tech solutions help a Minnesota home achieve LEED Gold”

My Values

admin — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 21:34:45 +0000

I am an Architect and author, a teacher and a pioneer in sustainable design. My passion for my work began growing up in New England with a father who straightened nails in order to reuse them as a matter of principle. Also from my childhood, I remember such simple pleasures as a summer screen porch and fresh vegetables from the garden. As a designer, I create spaces and places that optimize the joys of daily life.

I use the phrase “Green design” to mean several things: green as in gardens and landscape, green as in sustainable buildings and green as in native landscape restorations. These three “Green” approaches are aspects of many of my designs.

For me, architecture extends beyond buildings to gardens, woodlands and the land that feeds us. Good design connects the senses of smell, touch, sound and the processes of nature. My quest is to create architecture that is elegant in its simplicity and rich in its reflection of the people who use it. This balance simplicity and pleasure is what I like to call, “the Luxury of Enough.”

July 2011

admin — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 15:46:10 +0000

Sarah Nettleton Architects’ design for The Spear House is featured in the July 9, 2011 Minneapolis Star Tribune Sunday Home section, “Home stays Naturally Cool” . From the article:

“…Mary Spear doesn’t hold back when she talks about her new house. She describes working with an architect as “a dream come true” and calls her house a “gift,” one that makes her feel “supremely grateful.”…”

April 2011

admin — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 15:47:44 +0000

Sarah Nettleton Architects won a Building Excellence Award for The Spear House , a modern take on a self- sufficient farmhouse in St. Peter Minnesota. Awarded by SIPA The Structural Insulated Panel Association , the house is Overall Competition Runner Up. Visit www. sips.org for more information.