David Heide

Design Studio

New entrance tower, all glass on the second floor, and garage area. The exterior of this large house is white stucco with brown wood trim and a terra cotta tiled roof. The garage has arched doors and it's courtyard is paved to match the roof colors.

Lake Harriet Villa

As with many large houses built in the first part of the last century, the separation of family and servant spaces poses common problems for modern families. This 1928 dwelling, which was placed on the National Register as an outstanding example of the Mediterranean Villa Style, suffered such maladies. The kitchen was dark and inhospitable, while other first floor rooms were very formal. Accessing the unused servants’ quarters required a trek through the garage. We remodeled the house and designed an addition to link the disconnected areas, all inspired by the Art Deco interior of the building.

Instead of merely linking the existing spaces, we designed a new entrance tower, which serves as the hidden seam between old and new while improving access to the house from the garage area. The copper tower roof stands in contrast to the complicated tile roof of the main structure, yet is a material found elsewhere on the building. Within the tower, a new curved staircase echoes the shape of a staircase in the original house and adds a level of grandeur, sweeping guests up to the main living areas.

The new entrance tower's sweeping staircase rises above a stone floor with a compass rose medallion. The entranceway has white walls and reddish-brown toned woodwork. The staircase's brushed silver railing contrasts with the brass hardware used elsewhere.
Looking up through the sweeping staircase's circle, we see the tower's circular trayed ceiling and wall of windows.

In the area that was once an open terrace, is a new family room that is both elegant and intimate, with Art Deco-inspired wenge and mahogany woodwork and cabinetry. A wide arched entry leads from the family room to the kosher kitchen, with separate cabinets, preparation areas, and dishwashers for meat and dairy. All the expected modern appliances are here, too, including wine storage, a warming drawer, and a built-in mixer. The overall effect of the upgraded materials and improved layout is that the kitchen is now the true center of the house, ready to serve a key role in entertaining.

The family room has white walls and a vaulted ceiling with elegantly carved beams. The rounded corner fireplace is of cream stone, and the white stone floor (which continues into the kitchen) is softened by an oriental rug in browns, reds, and golds.
Featured here are the large square arched opening between the family room and kitchen, the family rooms sizable arched casement windows, and the large oval island with black granite top and eating area at the end, which dominates the kitchen.
The kitchen's other dominating feature is the ceiling, trayed in rectangles near the perimeter, with ovals near the center, surrounding a glowing central oval, lit by can lights. The cabinetry is light toned woods with a number of glass display cabinets.
The breakfast room features seafoam walls, an arched French door, a cross-beamed ceiling, a smoked glass-topped table, and white leather chairs. The unusual built-in china cabinet starts at waist height and its closed cabinetry and open glass shelves fit into a nook carved in the wall above a stone shelf.

Location

Minneapolis, MN

Builder

Choice Wood Company

Photographer

Alex Steinberg

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