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FeedTimeless Harmony
Traditional melody enriches modernist glass and stone
by J. Trout Lowen
Photo by Earl Kendall
The couple, who had previously lived in London flats and old family homes in Chicago, realized they loved the connectivity of city life. “Especially in London, it was so divine being able to walk to the grocery store and the bank and the post office,” says the wife. She also longed for the water views she recalled from growing up on the shores of Lake Jarvis in Little Canada. “Ever since childhood I’ve been drawn to water. I missed that terribly,” she says.
Photo by Earl Kendall
One small problem: These owners were not modernists. They wanted the feel of an older home, without the headache of upkeep—they were thinking elegant pre-war apartment in New York or Chicago, not contemporary loft. No Ligne Roset, no hard metallic edges, no granny apple green. “Definitely no glass-tile backsplashes,” says the wife. “Nothing that’s going to scream 2007.”
And, by the time the couple moved into their 3,400-square-foot loft one year ago, the vanilla shell had become home. “They got it exactly right,” says the wife, with obvious glee.
Dropped ceilings with extra-deep crown moldings lend a regal feel to a multi-chambered entryway that leads visitors through a series of increasingly larger spaces—including a book-lined music room with a polished grand piano—that open to an airy living and dining room with a breathtaking, floor-to-ceiling, sunset view of Lake Calhoun.
Working with the homeowners and builder Streeter & Associates of Wayzata, the architects began with a floor plan of spacious, multi-room chambers connected by a central foyer, wrapped in elaborate wallpaper that resembles aged limestone stenciled in a damask pattern. The flooring is limestone, bordered with dark brown marble. The open living room, dining room, and kitchen, have a warmer feel, thanks to extra deep moldings, interior archways, 10-inch baseboards, and walnut-stained, rift-sawn white oak floors.
Photo by Earl Kendall
One of the first spaces designed was the library/music room. The husband, a jazz pianist, wanted a room for both practice and entertaining. Such a space demanded careful planning: the piano had to be protected from sunlight, and the room had to be acoustically sound, as well as soundproof, so his practicing wouldn’t disturb anyone else in the condo or in neighboring units.
Custom floor-to-ceiling cherry bookcases and acoustic ceiling panels upholstered in gold brocade with burgundy accents wrap the space in functional luxury. Leaded-glass French doors and transom windows at both ends of the room can be closed to keep the sound in or left open so that music fills the home.
“The music room has such a wonderful, inviting spirit,” Hagen says. “It’s a nice little spot to curl up with a book or take in some jazz.”
Photo by Earl Kendall
The hidden TV is just one of the home’s less-than-obvious charms. Throughout the house, secret spaces hide additional modern conveniences. The bathroom’s freestanding linen cabinet holds a coffee bar, complete with a small fridge for cream or perhaps a bottle of chilled Champagne. Just off the entryway, a grass cloth-covered media room doubles as a guest room: the wrap-around sofas pull out into beds and cabinets open to reveal closets, as well as a plethora of equipment.
In the all-white kitchen, the locking pocket doors of an unassuming cupboard fold back to reveal a home office workstation with space for a computer, printer, and file cabinets. Behind a frosted-glass door is a pantry with a coffee station, wine fridge, and sink—a great place to hide the prep and disorder from guests. Beyond the pantry, a second frosted-glass door leads to a mud room, second bedroom, and a second entrance.
In the library, hidden doors pull out from the bookshelves to close off access to the owners’ suite. “When you see it closed, it looks like a wall of cabinets. You’d never know the bedroom is behind there,” Keller says. “It’s always fun to have some little personalized piece of magic or folly.”
But at the heart of the space, the constant presence in the home, is the water and the expanse of blue above it. “The other night, we stayed up for hours watching the lightning play up in the clouds, and the rain came across the lake in this wide sheet,” says the wife. “In all my life, I don’t think I’ve seen so much of the sky.”
J. Trout Lowen is a Minneapolis freelance writer. Additional reporting by Alyssa Ford.
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11 ISSUES (1 YEAR)
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