Houzz Tour: A Fresh Look for a Classic Minnesota Home
An architectural designer updates an urban farmhouse, mixing vintage details with an open layout made for modern living
Architectural designer David Strand had just sold his St. Paul, Minnesota, home to relocate to New York when a budding romance motivated him to stay. But that meant he needed a new home. He came across a single-family urban farmhouse in St. Paul’s Summit Hill neighborhood that had had the same owner since the 1930s. Strand set out to give the historic structure new life with modern updates while respecting its storied architecture.
AFTER: Strand removed the enclosed front porch and added an open porch with three columns that hold up the extended white roof. “It’s nice to be able to sit on an open porch and have that neighborhood feel,” Strand says. “This returns the house to the original concept, which was important.”
He also eliminated the fake brick asphalt shingles. A trim band breaks up the house, creating a two-tone look with warm white on top and a gray with green tones on bottom. “I love dark houses,” Strand says. “It was nice to have a white urban farmhouse but also have a bit of a modern feel.”
A new fence and landscaping provide privacy along the busy street.
Exterior paint: Alabaster SW 7008 and Rock Bottom SW 7062, both by Sherwin-Williams
He also eliminated the fake brick asphalt shingles. A trim band breaks up the house, creating a two-tone look with warm white on top and a gray with green tones on bottom. “I love dark houses,” Strand says. “It was nice to have a white urban farmhouse but also have a bit of a modern feel.”
A new fence and landscaping provide privacy along the busy street.
Exterior paint: Alabaster SW 7008 and Rock Bottom SW 7062, both by Sherwin-Williams
The new open great room includes the kitchen, dining room and living room. “The living room is rather small, so removing walls allowed me to massage the spaces and make them more appropriately scaled and make that visual connection,” Strand says.
He refinished the original oak floors and replaced linoleum in the kitchen with black ash in a satin finish. Narrow-planked maple covers the upstairs floors.
The small walnut and leather chair in the far corner of the living room is an original vintage Plycraft chair.
Dining and living room wall paint: Stamped Concrete SW 7655, Sherwin-Williams
He refinished the original oak floors and replaced linoleum in the kitchen with black ash in a satin finish. Narrow-planked maple covers the upstairs floors.
The small walnut and leather chair in the far corner of the living room is an original vintage Plycraft chair.
Dining and living room wall paint: Stamped Concrete SW 7655, Sherwin-Williams
BEFORE: The existing dining room had a wall at the left that cut the space off from the kitchen.
AFTER: By removing the wall, Strand created better flow between the spaces. He also removed the imposing built-ins to open things up.
Strand’s mother, Jerilyn, lovingly cleaned and refinished the original burlap-like fabric on the vintage dining chairs, which surround a 1960s expandable walnut table.
New French doors replaced two small windows, allowing more natural light and access to an added patio. “When you’re standing in the kitchen at the island, you have a nice visual connection to the outside patio,” the designer says.
French doors: Jeld-Wen Windows & Doors; folding window: original; pendant over dining table: Ikea; artwork: Gregory Euclide, left, and Mary Barrett, right
Strand’s mother, Jerilyn, lovingly cleaned and refinished the original burlap-like fabric on the vintage dining chairs, which surround a 1960s expandable walnut table.
New French doors replaced two small windows, allowing more natural light and access to an added patio. “When you’re standing in the kitchen at the island, you have a nice visual connection to the outside patio,” the designer says.
French doors: Jeld-Wen Windows & Doors; folding window: original; pendant over dining table: Ikea; artwork: Gregory Euclide, left, and Mary Barrett, right
Seating at the new kitchen peninsula provides a place for casual meals and allows guests to visit with the cook. Strand also added a window seat and two tall built-in cabinets.
Island stools: Room & Board
Island stools: Room & Board
BEFORE: The existing kitchen not only was closed off from the surrounding spaces, but it had dated cabinets and counters and a worn linoleum floor.
AFTER: Seen from the same angle, the updated 150-square-foot kitchen also includes rich marble counters, new white appliances and white painted solid maple cabinets with matte white hardware. The open layout motivated Strand to switch the location of the refrigerator and range, so the cook can visit with guests sitting at the island peninsula or at the dining table.
Strand’s mother painted the three small oil paintings seen to the left of the refrigerator.
Kitchen walls and trim paint: Pure White SW 7005, Sherwin-Williams; dishwasher and refrigerator: Samsung; box cabinets: Menards; slide-in range: Jenn-Air; counters: Bardiglio Marble, Stone Source
Strand’s mother painted the three small oil paintings seen to the left of the refrigerator.
Kitchen walls and trim paint: Pure White SW 7005, Sherwin-Williams; dishwasher and refrigerator: Samsung; box cabinets: Menards; slide-in range: Jenn-Air; counters: Bardiglio Marble, Stone Source
This photo taken from the far end of the living room shows the improved flow of the home. Strand dressed up the living room’s simple Ikea coffee table by replacing the top with a ¾-inch-thick marble slab.
Lounge chair and ottoman: The Hickory Chair Furniture Co.; console table: Room & Board
Lounge chair and ottoman: The Hickory Chair Furniture Co.; console table: Room & Board
A midcentury style L-shaped sofa makes the most of the compact space and maximizes seating for guests.
Sofa: Room & Board; ceiling light: vintage Poul Henningsen PH3 fixture; arc floor lamp: Macy’s
Sofa: Room & Board; ceiling light: vintage Poul Henningsen PH3 fixture; arc floor lamp: Macy’s
Strand closed off an existing hall that once connected the front of the house to the kitchen and added this much-needed half bath on the lower level. “I think it’s important when you have guests over to have something easily accessible from the main entertaining area,” he says.
Bathroom sink: Ikea; mirror: Restoration Hardware; powder room wall paint: Sedate Gray SW 6169, Sherwin-Williams
Bathroom sink: Ikea; mirror: Restoration Hardware; powder room wall paint: Sedate Gray SW 6169, Sherwin-Williams
The half bath is near the original oak staircase. “I just cleaned the staircase and did very little to it,” Strand says. “It’s a charming piece in the house.”
Entry wall paint: Techno Gray SW 6170, Sherwin-Williams
Entry wall paint: Techno Gray SW 6170, Sherwin-Williams
The updated master bedroom upstairs includes Strand’s queen bed and solid Burmese teak dressers by Peter Hvidt and Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen.
The olive-colored textured window treatments seen in this photo were made by Strand’s mother, but he recut them to fit this bedroom. They add warmth and provide a finished look.
Queen bed: Blu Dot
The olive-colored textured window treatments seen in this photo were made by Strand’s mother, but he recut them to fit this bedroom. They add warmth and provide a finished look.
Queen bed: Blu Dot
In the master bedroom closet, turn-of-the-century windows saved from a building in River Falls, Wisconsin, were used to form a wall of glass. The glass allows light to pass through the closet and into the upper-level hallway.
On the other side of the closet, light enters the hallway and makes the tight space brighter and airier. The stairs lead to the attic. “I didn’t want to cut that staircase out, so in the future someone could finish the attic off and have an awesome space up there,” Strand says.
A midcentury walnut drop-leaf desk sits in another bedroom, which Strand converted into his home office. “There was a radiator where that desk was, and I removed all the radiators from the upper level to allow for more usable space,” he says.
Desk: Drexel Heritage; white wire chair: Bertoia; wall paint: Attitude Gray SW 7060, Sherwin-Williams
Desk: Drexel Heritage; white wire chair: Bertoia; wall paint: Attitude Gray SW 7060, Sherwin-Williams
Strand salvaged the circa-1970s fireplace on the new outdoor patio from the interior of a previous project.
Outdoor dining table and chairs: Ikea
Outdoor dining table and chairs: Ikea
Strand also added a new three-car garage with a loft workshop. The garage was designed with vintage-style details to reflect the look of the original home. “There was only a one-car garage there before, and I have a mild obsession with garages,” says Strand, who owns two vintage cars and a work truck.
Barn-style lights flank French doors that lead to the main level of the garage.
Strand, who completed the renovation in 2015 after living in the house for almost three years during it, recently sold the property. Also, the romantic relationship didn’t work out, but the two remain friends. He feels proud of the changes he made to the classic home. “I was excited to add all these modern needs but return the original character to this house and the neighborhood,” he says.
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Strand, who completed the renovation in 2015 after living in the house for almost three years during it, recently sold the property. Also, the romantic relationship didn’t work out, but the two remain friends. He feels proud of the changes he made to the classic home. “I was excited to add all these modern needs but return the original character to this house and the neighborhood,” he says.
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
Houzz at a Glance
Location: St. Paul, Minnesota
Size: About 1,574 square feet (146.2 square meters); three bedrooms, 1½ bathrooms
Architectural designer: Strand Design
BEFORE: The home had a 22-by-7-foot enclosed porch across the front that created an uninviting entrance. Fake brick asphalt shingles covered one portion of the home. “Close up, the fake brick asphalt was pretty nasty,” Strand says. “The house was very true to what it was, but it was dirty and it went beyond what the owner was able to do with it.”
There also was no landscaping to speak of.