A Young Family, a 100-Year-Old Home and Some “Welcoming Vibes”

published Mar 19, 2016
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Project by: Victoria Sass and Sarah Swanson
Location: Kingfield — Minneapolis, Minnesota

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This stunning Kingfield neighborhood home will be celebrating its 100th birthday this year. It wowed us with unique arts and crafts details like stained glass, wood ceiling beams, and a bronze banister statue. The homeowners, Ben and Emily (they’ll let you call them Bemily, because they are adorable like that!) impressed us with their great taste and welcoming vibes. It was such a treat to see the transformation of this home.

We tackled a lot, with a focus on lighting and large furniture purchases, but trying to touch at least something in every room on the main floor. Craftsman homes can often be dark places, with heavily mullioned windows, lots of wood details, and minimal lighting fixtures. We introduced several lighting solutions throughout the main floor including pendants, wall mounted sconces, floor and table lamps to help brighten the space.

It was a challenge to blend the home’s existing traditional style with the young family’s modern tastes, but transitional fixtures like the Rachel Simon designed drum shade fixture from Lights Up (courtesy of a fave Minneapolis design resource, Rypen) with gold lining, helped bridge the gap and tie the room together.

Other details, like the watercolor banana-leaf pillows from Society6 (a steal!) worked to introduce classic elements with a youthful approach. Keeping the palette tightly focused on natural elements, linens, and blue-green accents created a calm and sophisticated sanctuary for this family of four.

The homeowners considered painting the century-old trim, but in the end opted to keep the existing molding in it’s original state. We carefully selected a cool grey paint color that complemented the warm red tones of the wood finish, which also helped to brighten the space.

The Jones family is known to open their home to neighbors, friends, and tribes of roaming children. The end result of our redesign is a cheerful and comfortable space for kids and adults alike, with plenty of space for entertaining and relaxing.

Thanks, Victoria and Sarah of Prospect & Refuge!

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