Every few years we seem to find ourselves in a sweet spot where we get the opportunity to collaborate with a respected builder and receptive clients.
The Glen Oaks home depicted below, was about fourteen years old and in great need of an update. It was too formal for the homeowner’s lifestyle, and felt stodgy and over decorated. Our team had worked with the family on three previous projects. Now it was time to tackle the big one; their primary residence.
This go round, they hired Mark Main of Main Built. It was a personal goal of mine to collaborate with him and his team on a sizable project. Some other key players were Minnesota Cabinets, The Stone Shop, and Catherine Thomas, architect. The clients trusted our team, by now, and gave us a lot of latitude to flex our creative muscles.
Together, we brainstormed over inspiration images and settled on a general direction for each floor. The house was gutted and put back together in a fresh new way.
BEFORE
The vision for this project was to create a modern home that still features traditional architecture. This home had the bones of a classic residence that you might see south of Grand, but we felt that the details and finishes – flooring, trim work, and ceiling treatments – needed to be refined. The goal was to make it feel like it had been built one-hundred years ago instead of only twenty. In order to achieve this, we used a widely neutral palette with a variety of rich textures such as wool, grasscloth, mohair, and linen. We then added in mixed metallics, like oil-rubbed bronze, antiqued brass, and polished nickel, for a more eclectic feel. To give the home a modern side, lighting fixtures were selected with traditional shapes, but included unexpected materials and finishes. Color was used selectively in each space to lend a vibrance and warmth, while keeping the architectural envelope primarily neutral.
DETAILS
Our clients love to travel and have stayed in many luxury hotels over the years. We wanted to provide them with a spa-like master suite that is at the level of the beautiful places in which they’ve stayed. In the bedroom, we focused on the architectural features of the space, by emphasizing the geometry of the room with a patterned wool carpet and a faux zinc ceiling treatment in the vault. This allowed us to select a mix of modern and classic furniture pieces which make the space feel both elegant and calming. By mixing textures and patterns like the dynamic marble tile in the shower and a muted, classic marble tile on the bathroom floor, we were able to create a focal point in an otherwise quiet, relaxing space.
AFTER
Throughout the 18 month process, we faced changes and challenges with a “make it work” attitude. It was fun trying new ceiling treatments and having the Quartzite countertops lit from below. Marble was stacked and the skylights raised. The fireplaces and lighting were even synced together with the latest technology and there was in-floor heat added to the Walnut floors. A wooden slat drop ceiling was installed in the lower level to make all of the cables easily accessible. Iron and glass doors appeared, as did enormous wine fridges. Over the course of the project, the scope grew and the budget increased, making both the ideas and outcomes better and better.
Mark Main of Main Built put it this way, “For a successful construction project, the client, contractor and designer all need to have a passion for the art of the detail. Working with Rebecca and her team throughout this project, showed her mastery of detail and allowed all involved to showcase their talents.”
Perusing the “before and afters”, leads me to appreciate those unique opportunities that come around once in awhile, to create something special with a special group of people.
Instead of tiling the shower surround, we used large slabs of white quartz with dramatic veining in shades of warm gray. The ship lap walls and ceiling add texture and dimension to the rest of the space. We added the ship lap during a meeting onsite with the client and contractors, and we feel like they unify the entire space. The hexagonal floor tile is a nod to tradition but the soft gray color and larger size are decidedly modern.
We love mixing metals, and this bathroom was no exception. Polished nickel fixtures are complemented by warm brass sconces and accessories. The large recessed medicine cabinets are good looking and extremely functional, being wired for electrical and lit on the interior. No more electric toothbrushes and razors charging on the countertop.
Every room needs art, including the bathroom. We love how these acrylic framed nest prints work in the space. The gold hooks are from Pottery Barn.
We hope you enjoyed this makeover. The remodeled bathroom is so much more functional and looks fabulous too. You can see more photos from this home in our portfolio under 
In this photo, you can see the entry from the garage and the chalkboard that hangs over the bench.
Here you can see the desk and built-ins to the right of the door.
In the view below, we’re standing at the desk and looking towards the laundry. You can see the smaller closet as well as the opening into the kitchen.
The laundry room was dated with oak cabinetry and white vinyl floor tile.
This is the third closet and the other side of the laundry room. You can see that large space wasn’t being utilized as well as it could have been.
We proposed eliminating two of the three closets to create a larger laundry room and to make space for custom cabinetry. We selected a palette of soft whites to keep the space feeling light, bright and clean and a new black slate floor to replace the vinyl.
Below is our “after” plan. You can see how removing the two closets on the laundry room side helped to open up the space. On one side, we designed a row of built-in semi-custom cabinetry to function both as a butler’s pantry/pantry and as a mini-office. On the other side, we were able to add a broom closet cabinet and add some additional countertop space at the sink. By demo-ing the desk, we were able to create a mudroom with a locker area for each family member.
This elevation depicts the laundry area in the newly enlarged space. We selected a simple Shaker style cabinet with a two-part crown and had it custom colored a soft off-white by Sherwin Williams.
On the butler’s pantry side, we incorporated deep drawers in all of the base cabinets for maximum storage. The bottom drawer on the far right is a custom configured filing cabinet while the drawer above features a hidden drawer for corralling small items like pens and paper clips. We originally specified a pocket door for the wall cabinet above so that there would be easy access to the printer but switched it out for a lift-up model. We specified a magnetic, linen look wallpaper for the backsplash so that our client could pin up important papers, photos, and other items.
In the mudroom, we designed simple lockers with open storage below for shoes. The bench tops are white quartz to match the countertops in the laundry room. The space above the hanging storage was intended for large baskets to hold things like hats, scarves, and mittens.
We specified the lockers, which were mostly built on-site, to be painted the same color as the cabinetry in the laundry room. The backs of the lockers are beadboard, which adds a little texture and dimension.
For the finishes, we paired a white quartz that resembles Carrara marble with the custom painted cabinetry. We recommended painting the walls an off-white that was slightly lighter than the cabinetry but deeper than the white trim in order to create a soft and calming look.The black slate floor creates a dramatic contrast with the lighter cabinetry. The natural fiber runner and woven baskets add texture and depth to the mudroom. Polished nickel hardware on the laundry cabinets acts as the jewelry of the room.
When the family enters from the garage, these two rooms are the first thing that they see. Before the remodel, both the laundry room and mudroom were not only outdated and underwhelming but they didn’t function well for their lives. Now, they are greeted by a cheerful, pleasant and well-organized space.