Inside Out
Once a staple of the living room, fireplaces are moving outside to create a hot trend in backyard entertaining
Every Minnesotan is well aware of the sad fact that the sun-soaked months of summer are fleeting, as are the even shorter stint of crisp, colorful fall. As such, we in the Northland savor every single temperate moment Mother Nature bestows upon us, relishing our barbecues, bocce ball games, mojitos, and margaritas. We’re always looking for new ways to enjoy our backyard havens. The most ambitious among us overlook the simple bonfire pit in favor of full-fledged fireplaces, accented by gourmet-style kitchens and living room-worthy furnishings—all outdoors. Pass the pinot.
Reinventing Napa
Steven Streeter and Robin Wettengel visit Napa Valley every autumn, and many times they add a springtime trip as well. What draws them back year after year is this sense that outdoors and indoors are not so far apart, and that life is to be lived with your feet up, a glass of wine in your hand, and the songs of crickets in your ears. “It’s this magical place with great, dry, warm air, and these lovely courtyards where people just while away the hours,” says Wettengel.
Streeter and Wettengel brought these memories to the forefront as they planned their own Napa-style courtyard, hidden behind their Asian-contemporary home in Deephaven. Designed by Kurt Baum, principal of KBA Architects in Minneapolis, and built by Streeter & Associates in Wayzata, the centerpiece of the courtyard is a wood-burning fireplace that soars far above the home’s gabled roofline. With a New York bluestone surround and hearth and a custom plaster finish with soft green undertones, the fireplace adds a warm, reflected glow to the nearby lap pool. Three seating areas—one clustered around the hearth, one for sit-down dining, and one at the far end of the pool with chaise lounges—offers different vantages from which to enjoy the space. “I call the one by the hearth ‘nighttime cabernet’ and the other is ‘morning coffee,’” says Wettengel.
Avid entertainers, the Streeters host guests several times a month during the summer and fall to enjoy the courtyard. Four sets of fir wood doors are kept open during parties so guests can circulate from inside to out. “It’s delightful, because we can start with appetizers by the pool, move to the table for dinner, and then finish with dark chocolate and red wine by the fire,” says Wettengel.
On the Green
One of the main reasons Les and Carla Knoke moved to their Credit River Township home seven years ago was because of the stunning view of the 13th hole of Legends Golf Course. There was just one problem: The deck faced due west, so if the intense heat didn’t drive the Knokes inside, the blinding sunlight in their eyes would finish the deal. “We hardly spent anytime out there at all the first years because we couldn’t stand it,” says Les.
To fix the problem, the couple devised a plan to convert their unusable deck space into a three-season porch, complete with ample seating areas and a wood-burning fireplace built by Vujovich Builders of Minneapolis. Throughout the porch, they incorporated architectural elements of the existing home to tie the areas together, including crown molding, white columns, and a barrel-vaulted beadboard ceiling.
A corner fireplace, built with Bucks County fieldstone and Piedmont Old Country cultured stone, coupled with recessed lighting in the ceiling and hidden rope lighting behind the crown molding, provide the perfect atmosphere. Custom-built 42-inch panels with slats can be hung strategically from different points on the ceiling to shield porch-dwellers from the sun, while still allowing air flow. “Now, it’s a natural place where everyone gravitates,” says Les. “We can build a big fire, and just enjoy the view and each other’s company.”
Suzy Feine is an elko-based freelance writer.
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