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FeedNext Generation
Two architectural updates respect an original gem
By Bette Hammel
Photo by Susan Gilmore
The family soon discovered that the house was indeed small—just 1,900 square feet, with two bedrooms, in contrast to four in their previous home. But they were charmed by its style; the cozy intimate living room; a modern, naturally lit kitchen and dining area; plus a wealth of hidden storage space—a Susanka signature.
The location, a flag-shaped lot leading down a bluff to the big lake, was a bonus. “We did not want a cabin up north. We wanted to have our family enjoy a lake life-style right near the cities,” Lindy explains.
They were sold.
The Hensleys were struck by the unique character of the stucco house topped by an Asian-style roof with upswept eaves and buff-colored metal ridge caps and finials. Through neighbors, they learned that their new home had been the original carriage house for the Robbins estate, which faces the lake behind them. In 1910, Harry and Helena Robbins went to Japan on their honeymoon and became enchanted with Japanese architecture. Result? They built a large vacation home, boathouse, and carriage house in Asian Arts and Crafts style, complete with upturned rooflines and teal trim.
Years later, a photographer turned craftsman bought the carriage house and began redoing the interior in 1993, with Susanka as architect. She retained much of his fine handiwork, while modernizing the kitchen, living room, and bath, and adding an L-shaped dining area and numerous windows for natural light. She hewed to the original Asian Arts and Crafts aesthetic, with up-to-date functionality.
“It’s fun to work with people who appreciate the historical character of a structure but recognize that it’s possible to update the home, keep most of its character, and make it live better at the same time,” Susanka observes. “It’s a happy medium between valuing the past and tailoring for today.”
After settling in fall of 2002, the Hensleys set to work making the house fit their growing family of three kids and a dog. A laundry room was moved from the lower level to a former closet upstairs, making room for a small bedroom and bath for their sons. Their daughter moved into one of the upstairs bedrooms. Once all was accomplished, they felt the “not so big house” really worked. For a couple of years.
By 2004, the Hensleys needed more room to hang out and play together as a family. They called on architect Eric Odor of SALA, who had worked with Susanka at the firm, to design a versatile room that would tie in with the original structure’s character. He envisioned a rectangular addition linked to the original living room, keeping it deliberately simple, much like Japanese architecture.
Photo by Susan Gilmore
“I design a very detailed framework, and the client gets to play with it,” explains Odor. “I like the authorship of people who can put their own stamp on things.”
The architect designed each area of the room for a purpose. A window seat, covered in a multicolored cotton stripe, sits below a circular moon-gate window looking out toward the lake. It quickly became a favorite reading spot. In the northwest corner, sliding shoji screens create a private dressing room where guests can change before hopping into the outdoor hot tub. An elongated counter runs along the hallway between old and new spaces and extends into a peninsula topped with blue granite—a popular spot for studying, homework, and buffets.
New York bluestone covers the floor and extends to the patio outside. Since the Hensleys enjoy entertaining year-round, they designed a large patio themselves, using the back-to-back fireplace as the center, installing a hot tub, plus plenty of seating for outdoor dining. “We were striving for a space for all seasons, an indoor/outdoor room,” Robert explains.
Two slatted wooden beds hang from a Japanese-style pergola, which Robert calls a fujidana, “shelf for hanging flowers” in Japanese. A dry creek bed functions as rain runoff when water from the gutters flows down through a rain chain, known as a kusari doi. Although the Hensleys had no previous knowledge of Japanese design, they wanted to be true to Susanka’s design and its incorporation of the estate’s original Arts and Crafts style. The result is a cohesive home that respects its past and lives for today.
BETTE HAMMEL FREQUENTLY WRITES ABOUT ARCHITECTURE FROM HER WAYZATA HOME.
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