Lofty Idyll

a modern kitchenJames Walsh is an educational reporter at the star tribune.
Photos by Jon Huelskamp & Jim Kruger, Landmark Photography

Urban style meets natural beauty near Cedar Lake.

Is it possible to stand with feet firmly on the floor and feel as if you’re floating? It is if you are standing in this light-as-air home designed by architect Charles Stinson and located just a block from Cedar Lake.

With its modern design and open floor plan the two-level home, built by Streeter & Associates, is deceptively simple. “It’s like a 44-foot box,” Stinson says.

But the execution dazzles. Large sliding glass doors run from floor to 10-foot ceilings along the east and west walls of the second level and along the east of the ground floor, allowing soft breezes to waft uninterrupted throughout the home. Sliding frosted-glass pocket doors that can be closed to create a private study or music space evoke the lightness of a Japanese dojo. Cast limestone tile, an open stairway with oak treads and steel cable balustrades, and rich, white oak flooring on the second level provide a contemporary urban feel.

“The idea is to evoke the feeling of a free-standing loft,” Stinson says. “We use the limestone and steel to capture that feeling.”

A wall of quarried limestone block surrounds the front entry and flows visually to the interior limestone tile floors. In-floor heat radiates throughout the first level, even in the garage. A massive fireplace provides a focal point in the entertainment area, where glass doors open to private gardens facing the lake. The adjacent owner’s suite also opens to a private terrace overlooking the gardens and the nearby lake.

Upstairs, the European kitchen features high gloss cream Italian cabinets above and dark brown stained units below, separated by a line of windows that runs the length of the home. Luminescent Venetian plaster walls and cast limestone wall tiles add interesting texture. Deep wood tones in a facing buffet and wood-paneled appliances give the kitchen a timeless feel. The space flows seamlessly to a large living area with another hefty fireplace.

Ironwood decks along the entire width of the east and west walls provide overlooks to the lake and to the street. The views from the elevated St. Louis Park lot are alternately urban and natural, depending on where you look.

“I think this home is for someone who loves being downtown and yet loves architecture and landscaping and nature,” Stinson says.
The master bedroom and bath revel in natural light. Two of Stinson’s favorite touches are the soaking tub and the walk-in shower with a hidden floor drain—water drains inconspicuously between some of the tiles. The massive walk-in closet will surely win raves as well.

Two additional upper bedrooms, which share a bath, could be converted to offices, if the need arises. A guest suite on the lower level could instead become a favorite spot “for the grandkids.” A pantry was designed to become an elevator shaft, if the home’s future owners desire it, Stinson says.

“The whole idea is to be flexible and multifunctional.”
.
BUILDER
Streeter & Associates, Inc.
with Charles R. Stinson Architects

HOME LOCATION
St. Louis Park

SUPPLIERS
Anchor Block Company
Cambria® Natural Quartz Surfaces
Guyer’s Builder Supply
Hedberg Masonry &
Landscape Supplies
Industrial Door Company, Inc.
Minneapolis Glass Company
Sunray Custom Cabinets & Furniture
Valcucine


11 ISSUES (1 YEAR)

Only $9.95!
  • Less than $1 an issue.
  • 77% off newsstand price.
  • Includes annual HomeBook.


Everything Home. Everything Local.

You can also add Minnesota Monthly
(12 issues a year) for just $13 more.