The Family Story Behind This Cabin’s Arched Front Door

A modern cabin in rural Iowa features twin gabled roofs, vertical wood siding, a recessed arched walnut front door, and black-framed windows overlooking the grassy landscape.

At Driftless Bluff Cabin in Decorah, Iowa, an arched walnut front door adds an unexpected detail to an otherwise angular modern home. Designed by Imprint Architecture and Design for ecologists Amy and Jason Husveth, the cabin sits on 25 acres of rural land that the couple has been working to restore. The entrance has a special connection to that land, with wood harvested from the family farm and metalwork created by a family member.

An Arched Entrance With a Family Connection

The walnut front door was Amy’s one special request during the design process. Her father harvested the wood from the family’s farm, while her brother fabricated the metal lining of the curved entrance that shelters the doorway.

Close-up of an arched walnut front door with a small circular window, curved wood frame, and contrasting pale vertical siding. A black metal-lined recess and modern exterior wall light complete the entrance.

What makes the entrance particularly interesting is how the curve extends beyond the door itself. The overhang starts with a straight horizontal edge before sweeping downward around the doorway, creating a sheltered porch. The dark metal lining emphasizes the curve, while the warm walnut and small circular window give the door its own distinct character.

An arched wood front door sits beneath a curved, recessed porch on a modern white house. The sweeping dark metal overhang contrasts with the angular rooflines, vertical siding, and rectangular window.

An open arched walnut front door reveals the entrance to a contemporary cabin, with a curved wood frame, pale exterior siding, dark metal porch lining, and a tall window illuminating the hallway.

A Modern Interpretation of a Rural Cabin

The rest of the architecture follows a much simpler geometry. Two adjoining gabled forms, pale vertical siding, and dark roofs give the house an appearance that references familiar rural buildings, while the windows and minimal detailing introduce a more contemporary character.

A modern rural cabin with white vertical wood siding, black metal gabled roofs, and a recessed arched front door. The covered entrance sits between two sections of the house, with large windows overlooking the countryside.

The curved entrance is especially noticeable against these straight rooflines and rectangular windows. Its position beneath the projecting wall also gives the front of the house a recognizable feature without changing the overall shape of the building.

A small modern cabin photographed at dusk, featuring overlapping gabled roofs, pale wood siding, and an arched front door beneath a curved porch. Warm interior lighting glows through large black-framed windows.

Large Windows Open the Interiors to the Landscape

The cabin has an approximately 800-square-foot building footprint, with one bedroom and one bathroom. The architects positioned the house to take advantage of sunlight, using large corner windows to bring natural light indoors and support passive solar heating during the colder months.

A contemporary two-story house with white vertical siding, a black metal roof, and large corner windows extending across both levels. The simple gabled architecture overlooks a grassy rural landscape surrounded by trees.

Inside, the pale walls and wood floors provide a simple backdrop for the surrounding countryside. Windows that meet at the corners allow views in two directions, making the landscape visible across a wider portion of the rooms.

A bright modern sitting area with two light wood and woven cane chairs positioned beside floor-to-ceiling corner windows. Pale wood floors, white walls, and a small wood stump table create a simple space overlooking the trees.

A black leather and chrome lounge chair sits beside a large floor-to-ceiling window in a minimalist modern interior. Pale wood flooring, white walls, and a decorative blanket ladder complement the view of the surrounding countryside.

The generous windows are also an important part of the exterior design. Their dark frames contrast with the pale siding, while the large glass openings break up the solid walls and make the cabin appear lighter within its open rural location.

A modern pale wood cabin with steep gabled roofs and large black-framed windows arranged across two stories. Vertical wood siding and dark architectural trim contrast with the tall grass and trees surrounding the house.

A Cabin on Land Being Restored

The house occupies a small portion of a 25-acre property that Amy and Jason purchased in 2015, next to Amy’s parents’ cattle farm.

Years of intensive row-crop farming had left the soil eroded and depleted. To help restore the land, the couple planted pasture grasses and nitrogen-fixing legumes so Amy’s parents could incorporate it into their rotational cattle-grazing system. Their plans also include restoring native prairie on the bluffs and surrounding land.

A modern cabin with steep gabled roofs and large black-framed windows arranged across two stories. Vertical wood siding and dark architectural trim contrast with the tall grass and trees surrounding the house.

A contemporary rural cabin with white wood siding, overlapping gabled roofs, and expansive black-framed windows across two levels. Tall meadow grasses surround the house, with woodland and gentle hills in the distance.

The finished cabin brings together two parts of the owners’ lives, their interest in restoring the land and their connection to the family farm. The arched walnut door is the most visible expression of that relationship, incorporating materials and craftsmanship from the people who helped shape the property long before the house was built.

Photographer: Round Three Photography | Architecture and Interior Design: Imprint Architecture and Design, llc | Contractor: Ark Seiler | Windows: Marvin Windows | Steel: Herman Welding