For a lake residence on a small lot in rural Iowa we designed a house as a series of spatial frames which offer a focused and private experience on a densely populated shore.  The clients asked for a house that foregrounded the lake and the oak trees, setting it apart from the expanse of farmland beyond. The house acts as a 3-dimensional set of blinders, obscuring the neighbors while opening to the lake beyond. Passing through the house, one moves from areas of density to areas of a diaphanous quality, articulated through intensity of color, material, and texture as one moves from open to intimate spaces.