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diggThe Dolce Vita
What’s a small corner of Tuscany doing outside this Twin Cities home?
By Alecia Stevens
Photo by Alex Steinberg
In 2003, Dan and Jo spent time in Italy at the Arrigoni vineyards. When they returned to Minnesota, what they most remembered were the days and evenings spent eating and drinking outdoors, gathered with friends and family, under the proverbial Tuscan sun. True, the fields surrounding them were filled with grapes and olive and cypress trees, and that was not going to happen here. But Jo didn’t care. She was determined to make outdoor living a priority in their new Minnesota home. Now, the couple seems to excel at enjoying this imported lifestyle.
The Arrigonis were planning a new home with Keith Waters & Associates, Inc. at the time, downsizing from a larger family residence after their children had left the nest. While Waters built the home with references to the Mediterranean style, Jo worked with landscape architect Scott Ritter of The Nature Group to plan her little plot of Italy in the back. “We knew a few things going in,” she says. “We wanted a water feature, a fireplace, and an outdoor living and dining area, and we didn’t want it to look new and perfect.” Since Jo had lost one too many plants in the past while away for extended trips, she also wanted a self-watering system for her new landscape.
Ritter, known for working in a diversity of styles, welcomed the project. “With the style of this home, we wanted the space to be more architectural than organic. The wooded area behind the home could have been a bit wild and dark. The walls give it some organization,” Ritter explains.
Alex Steinberg
The materials complement or repeat those used in the house, which includes five varieties of stone. Ritter’s masons used an old style mortar joint that is both functional and rough. And even though the design itself would never be described as organic, his design process might be. “We just sort of figured out the design of the masonry as we went along,” Ritter recalls. “I would show up, grab a brick, and show them how far I wanted it to stick out.” For the mosaic niches near the back gate, which originally were to be tile or colored stones, Ritter was, one day, inspired to smash a brick and use that instead. He then repeated this element between the stoop and the house.
With the unique masonry completed, Jo joyfully took on the task of furnishing the spaces. Nothing makes her happier than finding a “good look for less.” The dark brown outdoor wicker seating set was a Costco bargain. The scale couldn’t be better for the open space. The table in the dining area? Vintage Pier One pine. She added the mirrors in the dining area to reflect the green of the trees and to make it feel more like a room. Creamy canvas curtains can be drawn for a more intimate experience.
Plantings are still evolving. The summer of 2006 was the Arrigonis’ first in the home, and Jo was pleased just to get pots filled. This year she plans to devote more attention to perennials and wants to add color, more inspiration from her travels along the Mediterranean coast. All will be sufficiently watered with the self-watering system that Ritter designed.
Jo is only slightly smug now that she has spent a full year in the home. “People laugh and say, ‘Well, it’s not the same climate.’ With the outdoor heaters, we used it until November last fall. In the warm months, especially, we eat 99 percent of our meals out there. We couldn’t feel more at home.” And who would argue? It is the perfect place to uncork a bottle of Arrigoni wine, sit by the fire, and enjoy a small piece of Italy and la dolce vita.
Alecia Stevens is a Minneapolis interior designer and frequent contributor to Midwest Home.
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