Instant Classic

an elegant dining roomMichelle Baltus is a freelance writer and editor from St. Paul.
Photos by Jim Kruger, Landmark Photography

This elegant home showcases antiques and heirlooms.

Dan and Patti O’Leary turned to American Classic Homes to realize their dream of a finely detailed estate built for gracious living and stylish entertaining. The company name turned out to be apt, epitomizing the stately residence in Sunfish Lake the couple says they imagined—and received.

“Both of us are traditional in nature and we wanted a traditional home with European influences and design elements that could incorporate some architectural antiques and heirloom pieces we own,” says Patti. “American Classic Homes accomplished that.”

American Classic owner Don Nelson crafted a floor plan ideally suited to the homeowners’ lifestyle. Prominent columns, frequent coves, and coffered ceilings set the home’s elegant tone. The main floor is richly appointed with enameled cabinetry and woodwork, gorgeous oak floors, and ample Colonial-style moldings.

Classic touches dignify the lower-level recreation room and vintage-style bar area. Custom, knotty alder built-ins, baseboards, and trim complement a reclaimed hand-carved fireplace mantel and surround and corresponding antique cabinet and door casings, all from the couple’s collection. Traditional charm is reflected in glass knobs, gilded hardware, and gleaming stone surfaces as well.

“We weren’t interested in a huge home; we were interested in a finely detailed home,” Patti says.

Still, the home’s 5,150-square feet provide space for a lavish main-floor owners’ suite, a cheery breakfast area, a large sauna and exercise room, and a handsome private office. Open and comfortable gathering spaces also were a high priority for the couple.

“A successful evening for us involves good food and conversation,” says Patti, who owns an executive search firm. Dan, a trial attorney, especially enjoys lively discourse among guests. “We want the opportunity to connect with people when we entertain,” Patti adds. To that end, Nelson wove both open and intimate spaces into a setting that is formal yet fluid, stunning yet serene. There’s even a cushioned bench and display niches built into the staircase landing. “It’s amazing to me how practical the home is, as well as beautiful,” Patti says. “Don was spot-on in realizing our vision.”

He kept the outdoors in sight too, orienting the five-bedroom hilltop home toward the tree-lined backyard and using large mullion windows throughout. “The outside is part of the drama here,” Nelson says.

Just inside the double front doors, the soaring great room serves as the ultimate window seat on the world. Decorative arches and columns near the entry frame mirror counterparts on the back wall, where three sets of arched French doors lead to a sweeping veranda.

A powder room, guest bedroom, and the master suite flank one side of the living room, while the eat-in kitchen, formal dining space, and home office occupy the other. A built-in buffet with glass cabinets separates the tray-vaulted dining room from the hallway that backs the enclosed gourmet kitchen. Highlights here include distressed cabinetry, a rustic stone back-splash with painted vignette insets, and hand-carved corbels on the custom stove hood and center island. There’s also a gas fireplace and shuttered interior window shared by the adjacent office, which is draped in cherry woodwork.

It’s not “all work, no play” in the O’Leary household, however, thanks to an Irish-themed basement pub featuring a tin ceiling and rustic stone bar with metal foot rail. French doors in the recreation room access the covered patio and backyard gardens, as does a convenient walkout potting room. The home’s pitched rooflines, copper awnings, and romantic stone, stucco, and shake bring a classic tone to the exterior.

Says Nelson, “This home is just something you don’t see every day.”

BUILDER
American Classic Homes, LLC

HOME LOCATION
Sunfish Lake

SUPPLIERS
The Brass Handle
Guyer’s Builder Supply
Harmony Melamine Creations
    by Scherer Bros. Lumber Co.
James Hardie
Kinetico / Aquarius Water Conditioning

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