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Houzz Tour: Fun and Color for a New Bungalow

A new house goes traditional on the outside to match the neighborhood but light, bright and contemporary inside

Camille LeFevre March 5, 2017

Houzz Contributor. Arts journalist specializing in design and architecture. Former editor of Architecture Minnesota, editor of Innovative Design Quarterly, contributor to Midwest Home and HomeDish blog, contributor to Architect's Newspaper and author of the monograph Charles R. Stinson: Compositions in Nature. Have also written for Architect, ICON and Architectural Record. On my bucket list: Modernism Week in Palm Springs; happy to have done Modernism Week in Phoenix in 2017!! More at camillelefevre.org

Houzz Contributor. Arts journalist specializing in design and architecture. Former... More

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“This couple has a split personality,” interior designer Lucy Penfield says. “In their professional lives they motivate, inspire and lead. Yet their old house was very traditional, with lots of beige. So it was our goal to shed the safe and predictable in this new house and find the fun.” Penfield says that for this home, newly built in an established St. Paul, Minnesota, neighborhood, she used a bold color palette for the furnishings and accessories. At their first meeting, one of the homeowners lit up. “She was giddy! ‘You mean I can have that?’ she asked,” Penfield says. “Like a kid in a candy shop. She couldn’t believe it could be so much fun.”

Lucy Interior Design

Photos by Spacecrafting

Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A professional couple, empty nesters, with kids and grandkids living down the street
Location: St. Paul, Minnesota
Size: 2,500 square feet (232.3 square meters)
Designers: Lucy Interior Design and Kell Architects

On the outside, the home has a traditional bungalow exterior. Architect Meghan Kell Cornell and the homeowners wanted the bungalow to fit into the neighborhood. But the interior is another story. One would never expect that such an open, contemporary space existed on the other side of the front door.

“We were determined to have fun,” Penfield says, “starting with the vestibule.” The furniture and accessory color palette of turquoise, pink and orange is balanced by shades of gray on the walls. In the entryway, a Cole & Son wallpaper in a pale lilac and silver allows the pink floral light fixture and turquoise mirror to pop.

Lucy Interior Design

Adjacent to the entry is the “front porch” the homeowners requested, designed to be used in all four seasons. The enclosed porch, which faces south, east and west, steps down from the living room to allow for tall windows and a greater connection to the neighborhood. The sunroom was also scaled so the main house is set back from the sidewalk — and appears smaller, Kell Cornell says. Black trim “adds a layer of punch on the inside,” she adds. The window sash order in the sunroom is reversed from traditional — clear glass is on top and divided glass is on the bottom — to bring light into the home’s upper level.

Lucy Interior Design

While the main level has an open floor plan, rooms are delineated with casework “so the spaces don’t feel out of proportion with a traditional bungalow,” Kell Cornell says. Bungalow-style built-ins provide plentiful storage in the living area, while windows above keep the room feeling spacious. The hearth for the gas fireplace is from Cambria. The surround is marble similar to that used in the kitchen. A staircase to the second level has nooks and landings protected by a “chunky, crafted railing that’s a more modern take on a traditional bungalow-style stair rail,” Kell Cornell says.

Lucy Interior Design

The kitchen is at the back corner, which is lined with windows “to expand the feeling of the house and stretch the eye to the outside,” Kell Cornell says. The upper cabinets are white, like the walls, so they disappear, while the lower gray painted cabinets ground the kitchen. All of the countertops are from Cambria. The Wolf range hood matches the metal chimney over the gas fireplace in the living room. Black walnut floors were installed throughout the house in honor of the father of one of the homeowners. “He loved that particular wood,” the architect says.

Lucy Interior Design

The informal bathroom on the main level also functions as a guest bath and powder room. The purple wood frame around the mirror “exaggerates the length to play up the scale,” Penfield says.

Lucy Interior Design

The downstairs bedroom continues the purple palette. This bedroom and the adjacent bath were designed to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as the homeowners wish to age in place here. While they currently sleep upstairs, they will eventually move downstairs for ease of accessibility. The headboard is from Cost Plus World Market, and the room also has West Elm bedside tables, dragon lamps painted turquoise and modern white linen shades.

Lucy Interior Design

In the upstairs bedroom, a headboard was built into the low end of the gable to pull the bed away from the sloping ceiling. It was constructed at a comfortable angle for reading in bed. The built-in side tables have small windows above to bring in light.

Lucy Interior Design

In the upstairs bedroom, two closets are tucked into the eaves on either side of a built-in dresser.

Lucy Interior Design

In the master bath upstairs, the vanity is separate from the bathing and toilet areas, which can be closed off with pocket doors.The milk glass tile in the shower is one of several nods to vintage home goods, in this case dishes, Penfield says. “The homeowner told us she wanted references throughout the house to something found at a vintage shop, not heavy and dated but fresh.” The hexagonal shape is repeated throughout the house in various rug patterns.

Lucy Interior Design

Penfield livened up the laundry room with birds-on-a-wire decals. “They’re perfect for utility spaces,” she says. The Dash & Albert rug adds a splash of color.

Lucy Interior Design

Throughout the lower level’s casual spaces and office areas, Penfield inserted bright colors, as in this hexagonal-patterned rug. “We used playful patterns throughout the house and materials that are durable and easily cleaned,” she says. “They’re a dog family and have grandkids down the street that frequently come for sleepovers. And no one takes off their shoes. So the house is not only family-friendly but bright and cheerful. The house is full of real life and energy.”

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Nina Robinson: if you click on the "Comments" at the top of the section, you'll see Kell Architects answered your question twice! In fact, the last one is just 6 comments above yours. :)

1 Like April 5, 2017 at 2:11PM

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paularhodes

Happy, fun house.I could move in!!

1 Like April 28, 2017 at 7:52AM

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honeyfieldsgraincompany

I really like the wallpaper in the entry. I may have to get some of that.

I absolutely LOVE color, but over the years, trying to find colors that suit me and that I don't get tired of quickly has led me to the decision to go with creamy white walls. This house is the perfect answer to my dilemma. Having white walls and colorful decor and touches of whimsy completely fits my personality.

VERY well done!

Like November 4, 2018 at 7:08AM