Along 54th and Leavenworth Streets in Elmwood Park, a new housing development is turning heads with its sleek, angular design. The Rowhaus Townhomes, built in 2023, were developed by Noddle Companies in collaboration with BVH Architecture.
“We used principles of Scandinavian modern design,” said Lisa Miller, president of Noddle Architecture. “We felt like their principles really aligned with how we feel people want to live—simplicity, clean lines, and incorporation of natural materials and natural light.”
Perhaps the most eye-catching aspect of these new homes is the unusual shape of the roofing, which is pitched at asymmetrical angles. “Oftentimes with townhomes, they can feel kind of rigid and repetitive because you’re taking one unit and duplicating it lots of times next to each other,” Miller explained.
“So with the design of this, we thought, ‘What if we look at it as one cohesive building and let that roofline, kind of undulate, move across the whole building?’”
This idea led to the modern design we see in the Rowhaus homes. Not only is it aesthetically pleasing, there is functional purpose to the roofing as well.
“Each angle creates a unique vaulted primary bedroom space,” Miller said. “It’s already a pretty large primary bedroom, but [the roofing] makes it feel so expansive.”
Aside from the unique design of the townhomes, there are several elements that draw home buyers to these units. “[People] are surprised by the space,” said Todd Swirczek, vice president of Development at Noddle. “The ceilings are higher than your typical house. It’s very bright inside, lots of natural light, and it’s also incredibly quiet.”
Sustainability aspects factor in to the Rowhaus Townhomes as well, such as the use of induction ranges instead of gas stoves, and car chargers for the increasingly popular electric vehicles. “I think in general, the idea of a little simpler, maintenance-free living has been appealing to people,” Swirczek said.
At 2,000 square feet, each townhome features a second-floor balcony, a front porch, and a two-car garage (in addition to alley parking) for comfort and efficiency. There is also a dog park on the property for residents’ furry friends.
Though the homes are similar in design, there are options available to owners. These include multiple color palettes, wallpaper, fireplaces, and floor plans. “We have two different opportunities of floor plans that people can get,” Miller said. “One has the living room as kind of the center of the space on the main living floor. The second option is the kitchen in the middle of the space, so they can have that as kind of an entertaining space. So there’s variety within the units themselves.”
Aside from the preferable location, which was chosen intently for easy access to public transit and walking distance to city hubs like Aksarben Village, the spaces also include features like white oak detailing, wood slat walls in the kitchens, eye-catching light fixtures, and powder rooms (another Scandinavian inspiration). The Rowhaus Townhomes offer residents an ideal space for modern, sustainable living in Elmwood Park.
To learn more, visit noddlecompanies.com and bvh.com.
This article originally appeared in the October 2024 issue of Omaha Home Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
