The home’s two main living areas are connected by a glass corridor that allows the eye to sweep through the structure and out across the lake. A paver stone patio and a pergola crafted from reclaimed barn wood beams create a gracious al fresco dining and living space with soothing water views.

Walls of windows inside the home welcome the outdoors in. Rausch says that the family’s first few days in their new home felt a bit like living in a house of glass, so they added electric window shades from Carey’s Electronics in Spencer, Iowa to gain a little privacy without sacrificing the clean, pared-down look they loved.
“We took a trip to Napa Valley recently for my birthday and I was really inspired by some of the architecture and the elements there,” said Jeanie. “Some of the beams and the stonework and the woodwork are a direct reflection of that influence.”
Builder Lance Freking of Central Construction, Inc. in Nelson, Minnesota, helped the couple turn their vision into reality. He’d already built a home and barn for them in nearby Heron Lake, so they already knew they worked well as a team.
For the builders to be efficient, the Rasches needed to be decisive. They chose design elementsand finishes that evoke a feeling of solidarity, durability and history whenever possible. The result is a home that combines clean, modern lines and earthy textures and materials for a timeless, rugged appeal.

The home’s cement floors are complimented by matching rugs from Restoration Hardware. Blue Ox Timber in Alexandria sourced the exposed beams along the soaring great room ceiling from the same Minnesota barn that provided the wood for the outdoor pergola. They offer both an arresting focal point for the communal living area and a soothing sense of repletion throughout the home, both inside and out.
The home’s color scheme is muted, an intentionally neutral palette that echoes elements from the natural world. Jeanie focused her love of color into a few specific areas (a set of shelves here, throw pillows for a pop of holiday cheer there), a move that allowed her to take a break from decorating and let the distinctive design elements in the home speak for themselves.
But she let her imagination run wild when it was time to choose lighting elements. “I am a lighting freak,” she says with laugh. “I’m a fanatic. You can make such a big statement with lighting.” From a statement piece in a bedroom to the hand blown glass globes in a bathroom, each room features a unique showpiece or two that Jeanie carefully sourced from Arteriors, Hammers and Heels, Circa Lighting and Hudson Valley Lighting.

The timeless look Jeanie and Steve wanted for other elements in the home required an old-fashioned kind of bespoke craftsmanship. Whitewashed shiplap paneling combines the warmth and historical look of wood with a pale color that worked with the home’s neutral color scheme. Over grouted stonework by Al Jurgens of Jurgens Construction in Windom makes the home seem it’s been a fixture on Fish Lake for generations instead of just a few months.
Welder Nate Vortherms fabricated the distinctive fireplace, kitchen hood and the railing around the staircase. He did an amazing job of seeing my vision, Jeanie says. Nate and his father Dick Vortherms of Dick’s Welding in Windom collaborated on other projects, including hooks to attach optional privacy curtains on the outdoor entertaining area. “They did a lot of really necessary things, but also designed elements that are really beautiful to look at,” says Jeanie.