Divine Details

a room overlooking a poolMichelle Baltus is a St. Paul freelance writer and editor.
Photos by Jim Kruger, Landmark Photography

Builder crafts a personal Old World sanctuary, merging faith, family, and fun.

Boasting interior stone walls, a personal chapel, and a home theater with a personalized marquee, this Lake Elmo residence is the epitome of a custom home—which is what you would expect when a builder creates his own dream living space. David Frosch’s 6,000-square-foot home represents the extreme, he agrees, but says his house is an example of the personal details that can permeate any home.

“People fail to think they can put detail in every room—even simple details that they and their family will appreciate,” says Frosch, who co-owns Kootenia Homes with Cary Becker. “This home is built for me and my family. It’s also built for entertaining because we love to have family gatherings.”

Nine-foot arched double doors hand carved from African alder provide a grand entrance for guests. The decorative ironwork that frames the doors’ arched glass insets is echoed on romantic railings, chandeliers, and hardware inside. Wide, walnut floorboards, hand scraped for an aged look, ground the home’s Old World interiors. Wall arches, massive doors, and vaulted ceilings dramatize its large scale. “I love height,” Frosch says. “You can’t make spaces tall enough for me.”

The home’s central great room—with its stunning 19-foot cathedral ceiling—should suffice. Two towering stone walls, each nearly 2-feet thick, contain the window-lined space. Frosch had the walls overly grouted for an especially rustic appearance. Reclaimed wood trusses and beams cap expansive views of the adjoining Lake Elmo Park Reserve.

It’s no coincidence the room looks like an old European church with its stained glass transoms depicting the 12 Apostles. “My wife and I have a strong faith,” says Frosch, who built shelves, wall niches, and gallery spaces for the family’s religious statues, tapestries, and artwork.

The basement chapel, which centers on a gilded antique altar, gives her a place for quiet devotion. A built-in knotty alder desk and bookshelves make the serene room as practical as it is prayerful. In more ways than one, inspiration will come from above. “We’re going to paint some fresco-type angels on the ceiling,” Frosch says.

Similar attention to detail went into the kitchen, which links the castle-like great room to an airy breakfast room and screen porch. A giant carved island with two dishwashers and a warming drawer anchors the space in functional beauty. Its intricate grapevine motif carries over to the 10-foot-high knotty alder cabinetry and a limestone stove hood reinforced with steel. A second island puts storage and counter space in between the kitchen and a 12-foot-long dining table designed to seat the five-member Frosch family and then some.

Entertainment takes center stage in the downstairs recreation room, where a high-tech home theater is the featured attraction. The well-insulated space sits beneath the garage so sound from a movie or the karaoke stage won’t disturb the rest of the house. A full kitchen with a soda fountain and commercial popcorn maker fuels all-ages activity, which includes billiards, pinball, and video games.

“I want people to have a whole lot of fun when they’re over,” Frosch says.

The homeowners also enjoy some private luxuries, including an elegant suite with a spectacular coffered ceiling, charming glass pulls and doorknobs, and a view of the backyard English gardens and fountain. There’s also a plasma television in the water closet and a dual shower with a marble-inlaid surround.

Equally secluded, Frosch’s home office is located between the kitchen and the garage, along a multi-functional hallway merging laundry room, mudroom, and message center. Stained glass reclaimed from the church in which the couple was married brings color and meaning to the office. From here, Frosch can view the outdoor hot tub, expansive patios, fireplace, bar, pergola, and 54-foot-long pool.

The outdoor living spaces and interior amenities of the four-bedroom, four-bathroom house unfold unexpectedly. “The front elevation is very unassuming, which is what we wanted,” Frosch says. “The inside is where it’s at.”

BUILDER
Kootenia Homes, Inc.

HOME LOCATION
Lake Elmo

SUPPLIERS
Guyer’s Builder Supply
Hedberg Masonry &
Landscape Supplies
James Hardie
LaCosta Architectural Imports
Molin Concrete Products Company
Muska Lighting
Peters Billiards
Roth Distributing Company
Rubble Tile

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