On first glance you might see a ranch house or even a lodge, but the overall design really grew out of the home's interior floor plan. The logs are a powerful element in design so a simple gable roof built to withstand heavy snow loads works well. Inside and out, the logs are hand rubbed with acrylic latex stains for a silvery, weathered look.

Overhead in the living room, modified hammer beam trusses are both structural and visually appealing. Built of fir, they do not have the pickled finish of pine interiors. While the owners were specifically trying to avoid the yellow look of aging logs on their walls, these handcrafted trusses non-conform with eye-catching appeal.

The cross gables of the log portico incorporate miniature versions of the same timber-frame trusses inside.

According to the architect, this is not a contemporary house as such. The owners are from Chicago, and the husband is a modernist, Yet, while they didn't want to lose that sense of log and history, neither were they slavishly tied to the past. The interiors combine the family's Italian sofas with iron, glass and granite-top tables. The furniture, while eclectic, is made of natural materials that blend with the wood.

(Photos by Tim Murphy)