Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Swiss Style for a Dream Home in Minnesota
White walls and open spaces give way to stunning views of a nature preserve
For years, the wish to design and build a home from scratch topped this couple’s bucket list. So when they moved back to Minnesota after a three-year stint in Switzerland, they dusted off their dream, hired a design team, built their hoped-for home and filled it with a Swiss aesthetic they had grown to love.
The house is in a development on a former private estate with 70 acres on the shores of Lake Minnetonka. The neighborhood includes woods, wetlands, lakefront and a lagoon. The home faces a large pond and undeveloped area in the back, so “all the windows are giant, embracing that view,” Penfield says.
The architecture and furniture are “about form,” she says, with an emphasis on natural lighting, natural materials and occasional accents of color. Oak casing frames the view of the living room beyond. The pouf can be pulled into the living room for extra seating. Green plants in the entry hall add to the mix of natural materials. A custom-made white lacquer Parsons table echoes the custom cocktail table in the living room.
The architecture and furniture are “about form,” she says, with an emphasis on natural lighting, natural materials and occasional accents of color. Oak casing frames the view of the living room beyond. The pouf can be pulled into the living room for extra seating. Green plants in the entry hall add to the mix of natural materials. A custom-made white lacquer Parsons table echoes the custom cocktail table in the living room.
“We decided to implement Swiss design principles in the interior design as well as the architecture,” Penfield says. “The views and framing of the landscape outside, natural colors, organic materials — it’s all about nature, clean lines, and unfussy simple forms and geometries.”
In the living room, Penfield wanted the casings, ceilings and walls to recede for a “gallery-like effect,” so she painted them in Benjamin Moore’s Simply White.
The wool area rug is neutral to “ground it, so it doesn’t compete with the wood floors,” she says. Moroccan velvet pillows and a cobalt-blue garden stool provide additional accent colors (and the stool can be moved around as needed).
The custom cocktail table finished in Benjamin Moore’s Super White satin lacquer is oversized to function well for entertaining. “I like the cubist form, but it’s also floating,” Penfield says.
Barcelona chairs: Knoll
In the living room, Penfield wanted the casings, ceilings and walls to recede for a “gallery-like effect,” so she painted them in Benjamin Moore’s Simply White.
The wool area rug is neutral to “ground it, so it doesn’t compete with the wood floors,” she says. Moroccan velvet pillows and a cobalt-blue garden stool provide additional accent colors (and the stool can be moved around as needed).
The custom cocktail table finished in Benjamin Moore’s Super White satin lacquer is oversized to function well for entertaining. “I like the cubist form, but it’s also floating,” Penfield says.
Barcelona chairs: Knoll
Because the combination living room and dining room is so long, Penfield wanted to break it up visually. The sofa, long dining table and kitchen island — all parallel to one another — provide counterpoints to the narrow layout.
The client originally wanted eight white Panton chairs for the dining room, but Penfield encouraged her to “scramble it up” with the two red chairs. “It makes it imperfect, so it feels a little more random and relaxed, and that pop of red is a fun surprise,” Penfield says. The sinuous curve of the chairs balances out the chunky legs of the table.
Sofa: Room & Board
The client originally wanted eight white Panton chairs for the dining room, but Penfield encouraged her to “scramble it up” with the two red chairs. “It makes it imperfect, so it feels a little more random and relaxed, and that pop of red is a fun surprise,” Penfield says. The sinuous curve of the chairs balances out the chunky legs of the table.
Sofa: Room & Board
“This kitchen is one of my favorite layouts ever,” Penfield says. The corner window captures a view of the surrounding nature preserve. “It brings the family toward the outside.”
The corner banquette and bench seat offer plenty of space for kids and homework and meals. The banquette and bar stools are covered in all-weather performance fabric to absorb wear and tear and spills. The charcoal-gray base of the island gives the kitchen a little weight and color, and the light fixtures and rattan and wicker seating “break up the pristine perfection” of the white tile, countertops and cupboards, Penfield says.
The corner banquette and bench seat offer plenty of space for kids and homework and meals. The banquette and bar stools are covered in all-weather performance fabric to absorb wear and tear and spills. The charcoal-gray base of the island gives the kitchen a little weight and color, and the light fixtures and rattan and wicker seating “break up the pristine perfection” of the white tile, countertops and cupboards, Penfield says.
Doors to the left and right of the fireplace lead to the porch and the den, respectively. The dandelion-shaped chandelier is open enough to see through, providing a clean line of sight from the kitchen to the fireplace and vice versa.
Built-in cabinetry, in the same charcoal gray as the kitchen island, anchors the den. Natural grass shades lower via remote control, cutting glare on the television.
Shades: Conrad Imports
Shades: Conrad Imports
The faux hide-covered ottoman is another nod to Swiss design. The color combination of gray, black and white is also “classically Swiss,” Penfield says. The wool rug with geometric shapes, another Swiss touch, is made with undyed, heathered yarn. A leather Eames chair and a sectional provide plenty of space for everyone to put up their feet and snuggle in.
Sectional: Room & Board; Tulip table: Knoll
Sectional: Room & Board; Tulip table: Knoll
The outdoor area is a summer gathering space that flows from the winter gathering space inside the house.
The large, long master bedroom with an angled ceiling offered a design challenge. Penfield installed lap siding on the long wall behind the headboard to make it stand out from the steep pitch of the ceiling. Grass shades bring the outside in. An organic natural wool rug provides a quiet complement to the natural oak floors. The Moroccan table is a flea market find; Penfield coated it with bright grass-green paint. More Moroccan velvet pillows decorate the bed.
Bed: West Elm; wicker chair: Selamat Designs; light fixture: Robert Abbey
Bed: West Elm; wicker chair: Selamat Designs; light fixture: Robert Abbey
Walnut cabinetry in the master bath offers a contrast to the light oak used throughout the rest of the house, and it echoes the walnut accent tables in the master bedroom. Natural grass shades frame the view over the nature preserve. Lap siding along the tub and window wall duplicate the siding in the bedroom.
The oldest daughter’s bedroom is “Marimekko-inspired,” Penfield says, referring to the pattern-happy home furnishings, textile and fashion company. It echoes the light airiness of the rest of the house, with some hot brights to “give it a little more teenage spunk without being so serious.”
This bathroom is shared by the family’s three daughters and accessed through bedrooms on either side. Penfield chose sea glass-colored penny tile to echo the lake outside the house, and kept the walls and vanity white to make up for the room’s relative lack of natural light.
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Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their three teenage daughters
Location: Locust Hills, Minnetonka, Minnesota
Designers: Andrea Swan of Swan Architecture; Kurt Baum of Kurt Baum & Associates; Elevation Homes, a design-build firm; and Lucy Penfield of Lucy Interior Design
The entry hall sets the tone for the design principles that guide the entire house. The oak floor has a natural finish with a low sheen. Interior designer Lucy Penfield added a carpeted runner on the stairs because “with three teenage girls, there’s lots of running up and down, and they have a puppy,” she says. Dashes of color — like the abstract painting above the Parsons table — add “fun and whimsy and surprise” throughout the house without distracting from the architecture, Penfield says.