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Photo by Steve Mchugh
It’s a survival tactic I’ve perfected during a lifetime of living this close to the Arctic Circle. Maybe, just maybe, this year the leaves will stay put and the clear September skies will continue and the temperatures will remain at a perfect 70 degrees. I know. I’m denying the beautiful parade of seasons, the cycle of life and death they encompass, and the threat of global warning—I know. Allow me a moment of fantasy before the snow flies.
Change, after all, doesn’t come easy. And when it requires rethinking a long-held idea of hearth and home, the adjustment is enormous. Yet several of the homeowners we visit in this issue have done it successfully, embracing the changes involved in entering that life stage known as “empty nester.” Recognizing their need for a new kind of space, these folks chose to look and to leap.
First meet Bruce and Terry Knutson. When they decided to move from the 5,000-square-foot home where they raised their children, they envisioned—and found—the perfect house. Less than half the size, with a Prairie aesthetic, a corner lot that accommodated a swimming pool for visiting grandchildren… well, you’ll see why it’s truly a “Fairy Tale Home” (page 44).
Other empty nesters opt to make even more dramatic changes. Moving from a traditional Kenwood home to a riverfront loft fulfilled Karen Sternal’s desire for something completely different, as you’ll see in “Reinvented Life” (page 52). The story of her transition to a new space will move you, and the spare, striking loft she now calls home will impress you with its elegant blend of old and new. Then meet a now-single dad who replaced the circa-1920 adobe where he raised his family with a soaring contemporary that opens nearly every room to the panorama of Minnehaha Creek. Catch the dramatic views from his “In-town Retreat” (page 58).
It’s stories like these that demonstrate why one hopeful synonym for change is “new beginning.” I’ll try to keep that in mind come January.
Chris Lee
clee@midwesthomemag.com
11 ISSUES (1 YEAR)
