There’s more to this quiet rural cabin in Decorah, Iowa, than meets the eye, beginning with the land itself—25 acres that found a champion in its new owners, ecologists Jason and Amy Husveth. The property is adjacent to Amy’s parents’ beef cattle farm; Amy and Jason purchased it in 2015 to create a retreat for themselves and heal the land Amy felt connected to. “It had been intensely farmed with row crops for many years, and the soils were eroded and depleted,” she explains. The couple planted pasture grasses and nitrogen-fixing legumes so Amy’s parents could use the land in their rotational grazing system. This year, they’ll begin restoring native prairie to the bluff lands and surrounding area. This patient approach also applied to the cabin, which was designed by Imprint Architecture and Design in 2019 but not built until 2023—a pandemic-induced pause. Imprint principal Sara Imhoff, AIA, recalls her first site visit and the opportunity presented by the open landscape. “We walked the land to figure out where a small cabin belonged in all this beautiful, vast space,” she says. They oriented the 800-square-foot building footprint, one-bedroom, one-bath residence to maximize solar gain via large corner windows. Those windows provide immersive views and lighten the visual weight of the cabin in the landscape. Imprint also accommodated Amy’s one special request: an arched door made from walnut her father harvested from the family farm. The door is complemented by a curved portico lined in metal fabricated by Amy’s brother—a welcoming shelter in a healing ecosystem. “We wanted something a bit agrarian to fit with the rural character of the area, but also modern and clean, with lots of windows in order to bring the outside in and the inside out while providing passive solar during the winter months.” Homeowner, Amy Husveth “We’re still figuring out what role this property plays in our life—we just know we want to be there. We’ve noticed that if we’re patient, the roles reveal themselves naturally, and we go with it. Anytime we’ve tried to hurry or force something, it just doesn’t work.” Homeowner, Amy Husveth “Having time on your side is a gift. When we have the ability to create a design, set it down, and then come back to it later, we often see things more clearly. Life’s needs are constantly evolving. Having time to consider how a space will serve these needs ultimately results in a perfect long-term solution.” Design Principal, Sara Imhoff, AIA Written by Laurie Junker for Enter Annual Print Magazine, 2024