Land endures and, especially in today’s world, lures. Whether it’s the mental breathing room of wide open spaces or the sense of self-sufficiency from maintaining a garden, many homeowners are gravitating toward more pastoral settings. Count this empty-nester couple among them. After raising their children in a traditional suburban neighborhood, they were ready for something different — which appeared in the form of 13 acres set on a lake in Medina with woods and a spiral-shaped apple orchard inspired by the energy vortices of Sedona, Arizona. “When you stand in the middle, the rows of apple trees peel off from the center in a curved shape,” says the homeowner. “It’s really cool.”
Photography by Rob Grosse / Spacecrafting
They purchased the property, then waited two years to build — to see the land through the seasons, tend the apple trees and consider what style of house they might like to build. Touring a warm modern abode on Lake Minnetonka designed by Charlie & Co. sparked inspiration. “Our dream was to take advantage of the views on our property, and that one did it really well,” says the homeowner.
Other important considerations included a one-level layout to facilitate aging in place and efficient use of space, avoiding a “big just to be big” mindset. “We wanted the house to be just the right size for us and for every room to have a purpose,” the homeowner says.
Working with Principal Colby Mattson and Designer Jonathan Mason, they spent six months designing the house, playing with room placement, measurements and architectural details, eventually coming in at 5,000 square feet across the two-level home constructed by L. Cramer Builders. The lower level offers en-suite bedrooms for the couple’s college-age children, a family room featuring a bar, and an exercise room with an adjacent sauna.
Most of the time, the homeowners live on the main level, save for regular visits to the exercise room or sauna. And there’s no place they’d rather be. With idyllic views of the Japanese lilac trees in the front and the lake in back, the home is all about its splendid natural setting.
That’s why Charlie & Co. designed the kitchen in a place where views of both sides of the house are visible, perpendicular to the windows. Seating on either end of the nine-foot-long kitchen island was another purposeful move to facilitate nature gazing and face-to-face conversation. “Typically, you see an island with four or five chairs on one side facing the range hood with their back to the views,” says Mattson. “Instead, we created a casual seating area where you can just turn your head to enjoy the scenery.”
Banks of white oak cabinetry help define the kitchen — some with flat panel doors with a modern bevel edge, some with tambour fronts. A niche on one side of the kitchen features a painting by artist Anna Dvorak that the homeowners bought during an art crawl. Its presence pleasantly blurs the boundary between a hard-working kitchen and a casual yet elegant living space. An adjacent doorway leads to a pantry with dusky-blue cabinets that echo the painting’s colors and the lake outside. The pantry’s role is to conceal messes and accommodate baking projects, but it also serves as a transition space — on one side is the screen porch, and on the other, the laundry and mudroom.
Designer Stephanie Lalley of Liquidpink Interiors thought carefully about how to soften the home’s angles and create a sense of enclosure within the open space. A nature-inspired color palette, textured fabrics and plenty of curves were key. In the dining area, for example, fully upholstered bouclé chairs around the dining table add visual weight to the center of the room and create a cozy atmosphere during both family meals and dinner parties.
More curves appear in minimalist light fixtures and on the staircase railings and balusters; the staircase is aligned along a bank of west-facing windows to funnel natural light into the lower level. And in the primary bedroom, the curves are complementary — with a concave ceiling soffit and a convex fireplace wall. The room’s fireplace is tucked into a corner, reinforcing the primacy of the views. The bedroom windows overlook the apple trees, which are especially spectacular during spring bloom. “Our bedroom feels like part of the orchard,” says the homeowner.
Another space they appreciate is a small den off the living room. The room, which is lined with cork wallpaper to absorb sound, keeps the TV out of the main living space and provides a comfortable spot to watch shows. And just for fun, Mattson hid the door to the office in the den paneling. Inside, the office has windows framing the blissful orchard and tree vistas.
The homeowners have gotten an education in orchardry over the past three years: pruning, fertilizing, pest management, and, best of all, harvesting and figuring out what to do with all the Honey Crisp, Honey Gold and Sweet Tango apples. “We’re trying to go organic, but it’s a learning process,” the homeowner admits. They have also been busy planting perennial gardens and intend to create a vegetable garden in the near future.
For all this agricultural activity, Charlie & Co. designed a large storage room for garden supplies attached to the house (accessible only from outside). The door is wide enough for wheelbarrows or a small utility vehicle, should the couple decide to buy one down the road. With a heated floor, the space is kept at about 40 degrees, which works well for overwintering dahlia bulbs.
As much as the couple enjoys the land, they’re relishing the house in equal measure. “For the first month, it felt like we were renting an amazing vacation home,” says the owner. “Our old house was dark, and this one is so open and bright. And it doesn’t feel big inside. It’s the perfect size for us.”
Project Partners
Designer: Charlie & Co. Design
Interior designer: Liquidpink Interiors
Builder: L. Cramer Builders
Landscape architect: Yardscapes
