1. A S S E E N I N
From Earth to Rebirth
Building a green home on the site oF a Former BrownField
gives owner opportunity to travel more lightly
By Janet Raasch | photography By Doug eDmunDs
When Julilly Kohler curls up in a comfortable chair near her fireplace reading from her grandfather’s cherished book collection on the
shelves beside her, it’s more than a Rockwellian moment.
It’s the result of a decade of planning for a sustainable urban house, hours and hours of idea sessions with her architect, Russell
LaFrombois III, and a ruthless editing of a lifetime of possessions she has collected in her travels. “One of the biggest things I learned in this
move is how burdensome possessions are. It’s easier to live with less,” Kohler says. “It’s an ongoing lesson.”
Anyone who has built a house will say the building process is a learning experience. Not only did Kohler educate herself on straw bale
construction, green roofs and solar chimneys, she also gave serious thought how the design of her house should reflect what’s important
to her. “One of the things I learned is that you really want to pick what you want to do with your time and make it so it’s easy to do that. You
need to make sure you work with an architect who is willing to understand where you are going with that concept,” she says. “When you
move in, suddenly you can live your life in a different way.”
The books, for instance, were always special to her, but in her old house she passed by them for years without having any interaction
with them. Now the classics from the Limited Editions Club that date back to the 1920s and hold illustrations from the likes of Pablo Picasso
and Grant Wood, are within arm’s reach. “I found myself deep into the autobiography of Ben Franklin the other day. It was such a delight,”
she says.
The main living space is designed to be multifunctional, architect Russell LaFrombois III says. “It had to be
very comfortable, very warm and inviting where you could sit and read a book or throw a party. It had to be everything.”
Homeowner Julilly Kohler has integrated art, books and objects from her many travels into the room. An oil painting of Kohler and her mother hangs
above a cozy niche in the main living space.
100 M | May 2012 Reprinted with permission
2. LaFrombois and Kohler have known
each other for two decades and have
worked on numerous projects together
in the city, including the Kane Commons
development in which Kohler built her
house. The houses are alike in that they are
built to the highest level of sustainability,
though the architectural style of Kohler’s
house differs from the modern style of
the other homes. “It’s very Julilly-centric,”
LaFrombois says. “There really is no stylis-
tic word for it.”
Though it’s located in an urban environ-
ment, LaFrombois says he can envision the
house being in the country as easily as in
the city. “Julilly grew up in the formality of
the Kohler family,” he says. “Kohler homes
were anything but domestic. But she fell in
love with her family’s cottage and always
felt comfortable there.”
The starting point was Kohler’s desire to
build a straw bale house, which lent itself to
the home’s curvy, organic shape. “I’ve always
loved curves,” Kohler says. “I think they are
more natural. The only straight lines in nature
are the rays that come from the sun.”
LaFrombois says the house feels as
if it has emerged from the earth. “My
architect did a wonderful job in growing
my house out of this hill so the overlook is
totally natural over this wonderful, living
river. The swooping, living roof has also
become a part of nature as it welcomes
creatures from above,” Kohler says.
She moved in during the winter months,
so Kohler didn’t immediately realize the
impact of having the Milwaukee River as
a neighbor. “Even when I’m not watching
it, the flow of the river casts a moving light
past the windows. I don’t think I’ve ever
been happier than living on this river.”
Like the river, Kohler cherishes her eclec-
tic, East Side locale. “I feel more alive in
this neighborhood,” she says. “It’s really
livable, which helps create a vibrant and
interesting neighborhood. I love being
near my beloved Brady Street, which
is doing nothing but deepening and grow-
ing.”
Surrounded by only her most prized
possessions in her earth-friendly confines,
entertaining friends and family, and inter-
acting with nature and the city, Kohler is
happy. “There really isn’t any other reason “I think a small space is more welcoming than a big space,” Kohler says.
“I don’t like large foyers and grand halls.”
to build a house than to somehow enhance
and support the rest of your life,” she says. LaFrombois describes the house as being “of the earth,” as does Kohler.
“It’s a lot of pain, so it better be worth it. “It’s all natural materials — cedar siding and stucco — so I see it as being
an extension of the earth that I’m planted in here,” Kohler says.
This is the payoff — the life you live inside
that house.” M A living roof is one of the green features of Kohler’s house.
The antique French country table has been A dramatic staircase made of reclaimed materials is a focal point in the
with Kohler for years and fit into the new open concept house. LaFrombois uses the staircase to bring light into
space. the middle of the house all the way down to the basement level. A solar
chimney allows air to flow through the house and keeps it cool with the
In an age of spacious master suites, Kohler’s assistance of fans and operable windows.
bedroom is intentionally small, due, in part,
to her love of train compartments. The bed is Accessibility is key in the galley style kitchen. Kohler prefers draws to
made of cherry and was her grandmother’s. cabinets as the objects inside are easier to reach.
102 M | May 2012 Reprinted with permission
