Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Light, Color and Playfulness Under the Dome
A fun-loving Minnesota family transforms its midcentury dome house with new materials and a contemporary layout
Photo from Sarah Kallal
It’s the perfect reflection of those who live there, says designer Adam Rasmussen. Here, you can see the whole family together during the remodel.
With his own inclination toward spirited, unconventional architecture, Rasmussen knew right away that his collaboration with the Kallals would be a great fit.
It’s the perfect reflection of those who live there, says designer Adam Rasmussen. Here, you can see the whole family together during the remodel.
With his own inclination toward spirited, unconventional architecture, Rasmussen knew right away that his collaboration with the Kallals would be a great fit.
Photo from Adam Rasmussen
Great Room
Before. When the Kallals purchased the home in 2013, much of its look stemmed from its original midcentury modern style designed in 1977. Tongue-and-groove wood covered the walls, giving the interior a dark, rustic feel. And the large stone fireplace in the living room consumed much of the dome’s volume.
Great Room
Before. When the Kallals purchased the home in 2013, much of its look stemmed from its original midcentury modern style designed in 1977. Tongue-and-groove wood covered the walls, giving the interior a dark, rustic feel. And the large stone fireplace in the living room consumed much of the dome’s volume.
After. Through introducing new materials and knocking out several walls, Rasmussen helped the Kallals achieve a more spacious, modern layout that better served their family’s day-to-day life. “The whole idea and concept of a great room was so brilliant,” says homeowner Sarah Kallal. “It completely opened things up, and for me, I wanted so badly to be cooking dinner in the kitchen and be able to look across the room and see my kids playing.” The improved, airy design not only provided that opportunity but also made it an ample space for entertaining.
Renovation success came through accepting and embracing the challenges of the dome shape, Rasmussen says. For example, the shape is good for natural ventilation, so Rasmussen had operable windows installed on the top and base of the dome. This decreased the need for cooling the home with forced air.
Renovation success came through accepting and embracing the challenges of the dome shape, Rasmussen says. For example, the shape is good for natural ventilation, so Rasmussen had operable windows installed on the top and base of the dome. This decreased the need for cooling the home with forced air.
During the remodel, they replaced each triangular window and exchanged the former tongue-and-groove wood for American Clay, an earth plaster material. In addition to giving the space a much lighter feel, Rasmussen says it complements the organic nature of the dome and provides much-needed durability for a family with four active, young children.
For the same reasons, he selected eucalyptus wood flooring. It’s harder than oak, making it a very durable option, Rasmussen says.
For the same reasons, he selected eucalyptus wood flooring. It’s harder than oak, making it a very durable option, Rasmussen says.
Dining Room
The new layout also involved swapping out the large stone fireplace for a more geometric, three-sided one. With Minnesota’s bitter cold winters, the Kallals made finding the right fireplace a priority. They eventually located a wood-burning fireplace at Twin City Fireplace & Stone that would meet their needs. “We use it all the time in the winter,” Sarah says. To tie the fireplace in to the room, they covered it with American Clay in a rusty blue.
The primary color palette accents are continued in the red couch and yellow dining room table chairs, which the Kallals owned prior to the renovation. “A lot of [the redesign] was making spaces that work for what they already had and how they like to use them,” Rasmussen says.
Chandelier: Khalima Lights
The new layout also involved swapping out the large stone fireplace for a more geometric, three-sided one. With Minnesota’s bitter cold winters, the Kallals made finding the right fireplace a priority. They eventually located a wood-burning fireplace at Twin City Fireplace & Stone that would meet their needs. “We use it all the time in the winter,” Sarah says. To tie the fireplace in to the room, they covered it with American Clay in a rusty blue.
The primary color palette accents are continued in the red couch and yellow dining room table chairs, which the Kallals owned prior to the renovation. “A lot of [the redesign] was making spaces that work for what they already had and how they like to use them,” Rasmussen says.
Chandelier: Khalima Lights
Although the remodel transformed the dome into a more modern space, several elements offer subtle nods to the home’s rustic past. Among the highlights are the barn wood railings, which were assembled from reclaimed materials that the Kallals found at Rustic Revival Barnwood in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.
Below that, on the lower level, a sliding barn door provides access to the pantry. The door, inspired by a chalkboard idea Sarah found, includes her original drawings and “foodisms” about ice-cream cones and other family favorites.
Browse barn doors
Below that, on the lower level, a sliding barn door provides access to the pantry. The door, inspired by a chalkboard idea Sarah found, includes her original drawings and “foodisms” about ice-cream cones and other family favorites.
Browse barn doors
Opening up the floor plan also involved removing a kitchen wall and lowering the height of the round stairway walls. The new, unobstructed views help create what Rasmussen calls “an awe factor” from any vantage point in the great room.
Kitchen
Rasmussen and the Kallals emphasized a clean, functional layout in the kitchen with several intriguing rustic pieces, including Mason jar pendant lights from Lappin Lighting and a custom-made round table.
Find lighting for your kitchen
Rasmussen and the Kallals emphasized a clean, functional layout in the kitchen with several intriguing rustic pieces, including Mason jar pendant lights from Lappin Lighting and a custom-made round table.
Find lighting for your kitchen
The kitchen is decidedly built for adult living but includes several kid-friendly touches. “We definitely love our cork wall to display all of the kids’ artwork,” Sarah says.
Play Spaces
Below the main level, the playful environment continues with a golfer’s dream: a hallway that doubles as a putting green. “It’s icing on the cake,” Sarah says. “We have family putting contests, and we get a certain amount of strokes. [My husband] has to make it in one, but we get three strokes.”
Below the main level, the playful environment continues with a golfer’s dream: a hallway that doubles as a putting green. “It’s icing on the cake,” Sarah says. “We have family putting contests, and we get a certain amount of strokes. [My husband] has to make it in one, but we get three strokes.”
An additional highlight of the home is the loft area connecting each of the four kids’ bedrooms. Here, the Kallals removed the previous tongue-and-groove wood and installed new white railings. They also created openings in the walls for the children to crawl in between the bedrooms. “You can go in a full circle,” Sarah says.
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House at a Glance
Who lives here: Sarah and Simon Kallal and their four children
Location: Eden Prairie, Minnesota
Size: 6,850 square feet (636 square meters)
Designer: Adam Rasmussen of TMBRZ Residential Design
From the minute you set foot inside the Kallal family’s double-dome dwelling, you know you’ve entered a fun, quirky and playful environment.