Before and After: Pretty Meets Vintage
Want to know one of the most fun things in design work? Looking back at the “Before” photos at the end of the project. The design process take time and builds gradually; by the time we install, the final design feels somewhat inevitable, but those before photos have a way of reminding us just how much transformation we have wrangled. This project, Pretty Meets Vintage, a gorgeous, stately home on Lake of the Isles in Minneapolis, is no different. The 7,000sf house, built in 1917, had gorgeous bones. It also had some renovations and additions—maybe in the 90s?—that needed some reconnection to the original house. As always, we assessed the house, determined what was working (and what was not), and created a design that spoke to our clients’ aesthetic, worked for their lifestyle, and made the most of the house they bought.
Shall we?
Dining Room
In the formal dining room, which opens off the large foyer, we kept the layout and found a wonderful patterned grasscloth that transformed the room without requiring a new paint color on the extensive millwork. The clients’ furniture from their previous home was too small and casual for the grand nature of this house; we brought in a new table to seat 12 and a suite of midcentury-inspired chairs in a stain-resistant velvet to up the glam factor, without the stress.
Kitchen
We believe the kitchen was part of the 90s renovation, and it was well done and high quality. A round table in the breakfast nook creates easy pathways, and updating the lighting and hardware had a major impact. Before, there were a lot of stems on the light fixtures cutting up the space; now, we have a better balance of volume and shape, with increased impact.
Kitchen
A shorter light over the sink paired with a pretty roman shade and window-sill herb garden has an outsized impact. Updating the faucets and hardware to more traditional lines and unlacquered brass brings a more traditional side to this space.
Living Room
As often happens when clients move into a larger home, their old furniture was just too small! (We moved most of these pieces to the family room off the kitchen.) We right-sized the central furniture arrangement and leaned into zones—there is a grand piano to the left and a desk and settee behind the couch, grouped with the secretary you can see in the back corner. We also used tonal wallpaper on the fireplace bump-out to increase the sense of scale and importance.
Craft Room
This little room was really just a passthrough previously, but now it is a craft nook for their daughter. The craft area can get messy, so we used a busy pattern on the wall to draw the eye away from any craft clutter! We topped it off with a vintage bamboo chandelier and a pretty sheer shade on the window.
Office
Our client says that this paint color is one of the most-commented on items from friends and family when they get the grand house tour. I love how it ups the drama, but also the cozy factor, and how painting a windowed room a deep color can actually put your focus on the view!
Office
Though there are few furniture pieces in here, the floor plan still had a major impact. Despite two walls of huge windows, our client was looking at a blank wall! We placed his new (vintage) desk in the middle of the room where he can now look out to the lake, and see anyone coming to his door. In the era of zoom backgrounds, we transformed the existing closet doors with a herringbone wallpaper to make a handsome, but not distracting, backdrop.
Powder Room
This teeny tiny space got a huge upgrade! The old design was very contemporary and felt at odds to the architecture. A teensy pedestal sink and traditional fittings did the trick, while another pretty wallpaper and vintage accessories layered on the charm.
Entry
In a house with kids and all the stuff that comes with them, it is so nice to have at least one surface for beautiful display! I’m a fan of the wash of soft greens and the mix of all-vintage finds.
Entry
A nice sightline to end on, giving you a better sense of how some of these spaces are connected. This is also another testament to the power of paint and art!