Photo by Spacecrafting
Storybook Cottage
The story of downsizing is hardly new. But when the couple is years from emptying their nest amid raising two active sons, the narrative gets a little more curious. Meet Trudi Parker, wife to Rob and mother of Colin and Dylan. After years of living in a newly constructed house in Wayzata, Trudi realized some rooms upstairs were never used, and the finished basement was often empty. Also, she adds, “There were five bathrooms to clean!”
As a pastime from her work as a physician, Trudi’s passion for home and design often inspires her to take neighborhood drives to admire older houses and the architectural character her new-build lacked. One day, she spotted a 1920s cottage not far from her home that reminded her of ones she’d loved in Carmel, California. “It was a quaint English cottage behind a picket fence, and you can never go wrong with a picket fence,” she says.
We use every room in this house. it is manageable and simple.
—Trudi Parker
The home, though lovingly cared for by its previous owner, needed a facelift. And while its smaller footprint was appealing (it was not even half the size of her current home), Trudi knew her family would need to add some recreational space. Trudi called interior designers from The Sitting Room, Natalie Talley and Kate Regan, and landscape designer Heather Sweeney of Mom’s Design Build to help with the refresh.
1 of 15
Photo by Alyssa Lee
Room with a View
Across from the sofa in the living room, the built-in bench seating is a quiet perch to take in a book while overlooking the backyard. Here and throughout, a mix of open shelves and cabinets offer additional storage.
2 of 15
Photo by Alyssa Lee
Modern Cottage
An inky-blue velvet sofa and the painting above it, by Minneapolis artist Emily Ruth, anchor the main living room, which is a mix of modern and traditional furniture. An antique drop-leaf round table gives visual weight to the space, and the pair of blue-and-white slipcovered chairs invites casual comfort.
3 of 15
Photo by Alyssa Lee
Walk This Way
Inspired by the front entry’s original brick-lined arch, landscape designer Heather Sweeney echoed the shape when creating the pergola archway outside to frame the walkway leading to the front door. New window boxes and window shutters add to the cottage charm.
4 of 15
Photo by Alyssa Lee
Fireside Chat
Designer Natalie Talley replaced the beaded board that faced the living room fireplace with blue and white rustic handmade tiles from England, sourced through Rubble Tile. Abby, the family dog, is flanked by upholstered Bernhardt chairs with a vintage rug underneath.
5 of 15
Photo by Alyssa Lee
Bayside Dining
The home’s original bay bump-out provides architectural interest in the dining room, which is just beyond the main living area. The designers outfitted the space casually, mixing a chunky antique wooden table with upholstered chairs (which were repurposed from Trudi’s former house) and a pair of bamboo arm chairs.
6 of 15
Photo by Alyssa Lee
Water Colors
A hand-painted mural by Emily Ruth wraps the dining room walls and connects the indoors with the backyard seen beyond the bay of windows. The vintage chest holds extra linens and serveware.
7 of 15
Photo by Alyssa Lee
Rob and Trudi Parker with their sons Colin and Dylan
Rob and Trudi Parker with their sons Colin and Dylan.
8 of 15
Photo by Spacecrafting
The Grass is Greener
The backyard is covered in synthetic turf, a more practical surface than grass for a shady space that gets plenty of activity from the teenagers’ lacrosse practice and the family’s pooch. The kitchen’s back door steps out to the outdoor dining area that overlooks the backyard.
9 of 15
Photo by Alyssa Lee
Surprise Inside
A kitchen closet near the back door, was converted into a more useful mudroom space outfitted with shelves, cubbies, hooks, and plenty of storage for coats, jackets, shoes, and the boys’ lacrosse gear.
10 of 15
Photo by Alyssa Lee
Smooth Moves
Throughout the kitchen, existing cabinets were refaced as inset doors. White subway tile and honed Calacatta marble countertops create the classic vintage look Trudi likes. “I love how a gaggle of boys and a muddy dog can march through the kitchen and everything is able to be cleaned—it’s beautiful and liveable,” Trudi says.
11 of 15
Photos by Spacecrafting
Curb Appeal
Heather Sweeney matched and added to the original red clay brick pavers laid in a herringbone pattern to form the walkway. She designed diamond pavers with tumbled blue stone. A small fountain, operable by remote, is made of reclaimed stone and granite sand. Sweeney also added the window boxes and shutters. The shutters are painted in Coventry Gray by Benjamin Moore.
12 of 15
photo by Landmark Photography
Lofty Goals
The footprint of the original house didn’t change, but the family added a detatched two-car garage with a sport court and a family room with a lofted bunk bed above it. A bridge connects the existing house to the new space. “I love how the sport court and loft were masterfully added and camouflaged so the cottage didn’t lose its charm,” Trudi says.
13 of 15
photo by Landmark Photography
Powder Room Prep
The design team used one of Trudi’s old nightstands as a sink for the loft’s powder room. It handsomely mixes with brick ceramic tile and the mirror and door painted in Benjamin Moore’s Hale Navy.
14 of 15
Photo by Alyssa Lee
Kitchen with white cabinets and marble countertop
15 of 15
Photo by Spacecrafting
White home with wildflowers in front
Painting the exterior white and infusing a coastal blue-and-white palette inside provided a fresh foundation for character-adding updates, such as the new wainscotting on the walls in the living room and hand-glazed English tiles used to reface the fireplace. Vintage oil paintings and antique furniture add personality. “We wanted the look to be collected but not over-collected, so we worked in some cleaner lines, like the blue sofa and coffee table, and used a mix of new and old pieces.” Natalie says.
Architectural details that look original were crucial.
—Natalie Talley
In the garden, Heather balanced Trudi’s love of cottage-style plantings with her need for a low-maintenance landscape. Boxwood hedges tuck along the house foundation while coneflowers, hydrangea, sedum, grasses, and lamb’s ear follow the meandering paver-covered paths. Out back, synthetic turf mimics the look of grass, which was hard to grow in the shaded yard. The turf also stands up to the boys’ lacrosse practices.
A new two-car garage, with a lofted entertaining space above it now, provides more elbow room. The addition connects to the original house by way of a second-story bridge and cleverly masks a sport court, which Trudi says the boys use every day.
“We use every room in the house now,” she says. “It is manageable and more simple, and the additions were made without having to sacrifice the cottage’s charm.” The story of the family and their just-right house ends like a fairytale.
Interior design: Natalie Talley and Kate Regan, The Sitting Room, 380 2nd St., Excelsior, thesittingroomstudio.com // landscape design: Heather Sweeney, Mom’s Design Build, 12276 Johnson Memorial Dr., Shakopee, 952-277-6667, momsdesignbuild.com // residential design: Kieran Liebel, Royal Oaks Design, 3459 Lake Elmo Ave., Lake Elmo, 651-765-4751, royaloaksdesign.com // contractor: Pillar Homes,1700 Niagra Ln., Plymouth, 763-475-1700, pillarhomes.com
