Inside Amy Matthews’ Scandinavian Modern Barnhouse in Minnesota

Licensed contractor and former HGTV host Amy Matthews set out to build more than a house on her verdant farmstead 20 minutes from downtown St. Paul, Minnesota. The result is a 3,700 square foot Scandinavian-style modern barnhouse that blends minimalist aesthetics with high-performance construction. Working with builder Chad Maack of Hartman Homes and architect Colin Oglesbay of D/O Architecture, Matthews created a home that reflects her construction expertise while embracing the warmth and simplicity of Nordic design. Every material and system was chosen with intention, from the structural insulated panels forming the building envelope to the custom white oak cabinetry defining the interiors.

Scandinavian Design Philosophy and Material Choices

Scandinavian design is about more than clean lines and neutral tones. It is a philosophy that prioritizes function, natural materials, and a connection to the landscape. Matthews embraced this ethos fully, choosing a palette of cedar, cement, stone, and metal accented by expansive walls of glass that invite the surrounding St. Croix River Valley indoors. The exterior features Western Red Cedar vertical siding pre-finished in a driftwood gray bleaching stain that accelerates even-toned weathering. Black-stained cedar accents appear both inside and out, creating a continuous visual thread throughout the property.

For the interior, Matthews selected quartz countertops in subtle white and gray shades that complement the polished concrete floors on the ground level. She notes that countertops are a major commitment and advises homeowners to choose classic looks that will not go out of style. Natural materials extend to the ceiling, where salvaged metal roofing from the old outbuilding was repurposed to sheath the workshop ceilings and gable ends. For a deeper look at how Matthews approached product selection and decorative choices, review the Design Decor Tips From Amy Matthews 2021 Modern Barnhouse feature, which covers lighting and hardware finishes throughout the build.

Bringing the Outdoors Inside with Glass and Light

Glass defines the Modern Barnhouse, blurring the boundary between interior and exterior. Wall-to-wall windows in the living room, dining room, and sunroom provide 180-degree views of the wooded property. Matthews describes the dining room as feeling like sitting in a snow globe, surrounded by weather on all sides. Solar-powered VELUX skylights were installed in strategic locations to carry sightlines up to the treetops. These remote-controlled units contribute to both airflow and temperature regulation. The glass bridge connecting the main house to the owner’s suite uses two 9-foot-tall windows to create a light-filled walkway for pausing and taking in the landscape.

Lighting and Hardware as Design Statements

Matthews approached lighting and hardware as the jewelry of each room. Matte black pendant lights with gold interiors cast a warm, candlelit glow throughout the hallways. In the owner’s suite, LED strips illuminate the bed while wall-hung nightstands and pendants create a spa atmosphere. Hardware was chosen for tactile quality, with mostly black levers accented by two-toned options and soft gold barn door pulls. The result is a home where every touchpoint feels considered but never overdone.

High-Performance Building Envelope with Structural Insulated Panels

Rather than conventional stick framing, Matthews chose structural insulated panels (SIPs) for the building envelope. SIPs combine a core of insulating foam with skins of structural oriented strand board, providing the same strength as traditional framing with dramatically better thermal performance. The insulation is uninterrupted by heat-conducting wood studs or rafters. The factory-built panels for the Modern Barnhouse took approximately two days to manufacture, including detailed cuts required to fit the entire panel package precisely to the house layout.

Key Benefits of SIP Construction

• Large spans that eliminate the need for expensive truss systems
• Insulation values reaching up to R-51 for superior thermal resistance
• Ability to support heavy Minnesota snow loads without compromise
• Rapid on-site installation that accelerates the construction timeline
• Tighter building envelope yielding up to 58 percent savings on heating and cooling costs
• Healthier indoor air quality by resisting mold and reducing dust and pollen infiltration
• Factory-engineered precision that eliminates jobsite material waste

Matthews sums up the decision simply: using structural insulated panels built in a controlled environment reduces waste, increases efficiency, and means the building shell goes up quickly.

Weatherproofing and Winter Construction Challenges

With frost covering the ground and temperatures dropping into single digits, the build team raced to seal the roof deck before winter set in fully. Plastic sheathing held warmth from propane heaters while windows and doors were installed. The flat roofs over the dining room and sunroom were sealed watertight with EPDM synthetic rubber, pitched slightly toward metal scuppers that channel water away. The main roof uses standing seam metal panels with two-inch snap seams for rapid coverage.

The windows throughout are dual-glazed with three layers of low-e coating to save energy during Minnesota’s frigid winters. In the owner’s suite bathroom, a solar-powered skylight features a rain sensor that automatically closes the unit if bad weather arises while the homeowner is away. These layered strategies make the dramatic glass-heavy architecture feasible even in a cold climate.

Open-Plan Ground Floor Designed for Gathering

The ground floor is organized around connection, with a fluid open plan linking the entry, kitchen, living room, dining room, and sunroom. Two sets of double glass doors at the covered entry draw visitors in with a sight line extending through to the backyard. Inside, a small bench provides a place to remove shoes before stepping onto polished concrete floors warmed by a hydronic radiant heating system that keeps heat at foot level rather than at the ceiling.

The Floating Staircase and Entry Impact

Adjacent to the entry, the home’s most dramatic architectural feature rises through the two-story vaulted stairwell. The floating staircase appears to hover above the concrete floor, supported only by a center steel beam and two posts. Thick oak treads match the hardwood flooring on the second story, while half-inch tempered glass railings add lightness and allow unobstructed views through to the outdoors. Matthews wanted visitors to be wowed the moment they entered, and this stairway delivers that impact.

Kitchen and Beverage Bar

The kitchen is a working cook’s space anchored by a 4-by-12-foot island with bar seating. Custom white oak cabinets in a European overlay design were matched by vertical grain for a seamless look. Every drawer was tailored to the specific sizes of cookware, spices, and tools. The undermount island sink features integrated cutting boards for prep and cleanup, while a pull-down faucet in matte black and chrome handles double duty as a washing and straining station.

A hidden pantry accessed via a touch-latch door keeps small appliances and bulk storage out of sight, allowing main countertops to remain clear. Around the corner, a built-in beverage bar includes a four-zone wine fridge with a drawer for ice and another for beer, plus a bar sink and paneled dishwasher. White quartz countertops and an antique mirror backsplash brighten the space, while LED under-cabinet lighting creates a warm glow throughout the kitchen and bar areas.

Living Room, Dining Room, and Sunroom

The 20-foot-wide living room features wall-to-wall windows, a gas fireplace supplying 24,000 BTUs of warmth, and hydronic in-floor heating. Solid-core birch and oak barn doors with custom milled grooves provide privacy for the television area. The dining room is a flat-roofed glass extension with 180-degree seasonal views. The south-facing sunroom is designed for curling up with a book or playing board games, with two doors leading to the future patio and wooded yard.

Second Floor Spaces, Owner’s Suite, and Workshop Mission

The second floor balances private living spaces with practical utility. Overlooking the living room below, a custom desk built by local craftsmen gives Matthews a home office with a view of arriving guests. The laundry room is tucked behind a handsome barn door and includes a utility sink, reclaimed barnboard shelving, a folding shelf, and a hanging rod above front-loading appliances. A light-filled fitness studio with a vaulted ceiling and tall windows doubles as a potential future bedroom, with a hidden closet built into the black-stained cedar chimney chase.

Kid-Focused and Guest Bedrooms

Matthews ten-year-old son Eli has a multipurpose room with sleepover-friendly bunk beds, a desk nook for school projects, and a loft with a rolling ladder taking advantage of the vaulted height. A solar-powered skylight provides natural light, while the gray accent wall behind the desk reduces screen glare. The guest bedroom keeps things simple and spare, reflecting Scandinavian design with a dark olive green accent wall, visible roof beam, and supportive post that adds warmth and texture.

Owner’s Suite and Spa Bath

The owner’s suite sits in a wing over the garage, accessed by a glass-enclosed bridge with character-grade oak flooring. The spa-like bedroom features a king-size bed lit by LED strips and flanked by wall-hung nightstands and pendants. A small deck looks onto the backyard and hillside, with a custom cabinet holding an undercounter fridge for coffee and wine service. The ensuite bath overlooks the wooded hillside through a wall of windows and a solar-powered skylight, with in-floor electric heat mats warming tile floors during Minnesota winters. The shower is curbless and doorless with a sleek linear drain, and the freestanding soaking tub is positioned to frame property views.

Workshop Renovation and Community Mission

Beyond the main house, Matthews renovated the existing outbuilding into a workshop that will eventually serve as a training facility for women in the trades and survivors of domestic violence. Custom carriage doors from RealCraft define the space and can be opened to the outdoors in warm weather. The workshop features salvaged metal roofing on the ceiling, smooth plywood wall linings common in Nordic homes, and VELUX skylights for natural light. Matthews called on friends and family to help with staining black cedar accents and rebuilding the workshop from the ground up, emphasizing that involving loved ones in major projects creates shared pride and connection. For maintaining a functional workshop environment, the Precision Matthews Mill Venting resource covers important considerations for keeping workshop equipment running safely.

Key Materials and Products Used in the Modern Barnhouse

The 2021 Modern Barnhouse demonstrates that a high-performance home can be a warm, welcoming space rooted in design traditions that value simplicity and craftsmanship. From the SIP-built envelope keeping Minnesota winters at bay to the hand-selected hardware making every door feel substantial, Amy Matthews created a home where every detail serves both beauty and function.