Photos by Chad Holder
Living Room
The turquoise fireplace immediately brings a bright, friendly face to the living room. “The whole fireplace needed to be one color because that room in particular does not get very much light,” interior designer Lisa Peck says. A new tile surround (Celestial Starry Blue by Artistic Tile through Fantasia) conveys some modern edge, as do the custom rug and graphic floral print in the draperies through KDR. Art on the mantel is from H.I. Gallery and the framed bunny piece is through Francis King Ltd.
For many people, the idea of painting period woodwork is unthinkable. But for Heidi Kraus Kaplan and Michael Kaplan—who were moving from a cozy cottage finished with exuberant colors—a dark interior with expansive wood finishes was the only downside in the house they were considering for their growing family. From a renovated kitchen to a backyard big enough for a pool, the Prairie-style home near Lake of the Isles in Minneapolis addressed nearly every wish on the couple’s list. “The layout was perfect for their lifestyle,” interior designer Lisa Peck says. “So I said, ‘We could make this into the same happy home you’re leaving.’”
Their approach would need to be thoughtful. “There was this hesitancy to paint all the woodwork, and part of me wondered if maybe that’s not the right move,” Peck says. “So we thought very carefully about where we used color.” Turquoise used strategically, she and fellow designer Christina Rymer figured, could be the color that tied the house together—and would complement the original handmade blue-green tile that already covered several key surfaces. “This turquoise wasn’t as deep, but it worked well with the tile,” Peck says. “So we landed on that to give the home a cohesive feel.” A paint formula with a high-gloss finish “has reflective properties that bring in lightness and brightness,” Rymer says. From there, they layered on other colors, mostly through furnishings, with brilliant effect.
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Fun and Games
The blush Kravet sectional is a bright counterpoint to the mostly dark wood-paneled family room. Turquoise paint brightens the space—both on the lower half of the fireplace surround and on the built-ins’ doors, which creates the playful look of a trio of armoires.
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Gone Fishing
A vertical-striped silvery-blue grasscloth wraps the upper part of the walls in the dining room and provides the perfect backdrop for a favorite piece of art.
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Corner Office
“Retro ’60s fun with the feeling of superheroes and power women” is how Peck describes Heidi’s upper-level office away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the house. The large-scale wall covering from Area Environments (which licenses work from artists) is available through the Holly Hunt showroom in Minneapolis.
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Orange Zest
A new orange island energizes the kitchen. “The original island was not part of the historic home, so it was easy to replace with something that worked better for the family and updated the house a bit,” Peck says. Paler shades of orange appear in the backsplash tile and in subtle bands running through the gray quartzite countertop. Vintage ship lights hang above the island.
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Growing Gallery
A turquoise bench from the Kraus Kaplans’ previous dining room adds a bold swath of color to the upper hall. But the brightest aspect of the space is a gallery wall of Izzie and Rocky’s artwork. “It’s easy to change things out, and the kids take such pride in it,” Peck says. “The last time I was there, Izzie walked around with me and said, ‘That’s mine, that’s mine, that’s mine.’”
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Defining Details
Rather than painting the entire banister, the design team suggested focusing color on the arch detail. “It actually pops out a lot more now that it’s painted,” Peck says. Turquoise appears again in the runner, along with pinks, raspberries, and other bright hues.
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Timeless Subjest
A shimmering metallic in the Cole & Son Butterflies & Dragonflies wallpaper from KDR covers one wall in Izzie’s bedroom; the other three walls (not shown) have a subtle sparkle finish. “It’s something that will grow with her,” Rymer says.
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Zen Retreat
Bolder colors recede in the master bedroom, but efforts to brighten the space otherwise peak here, quite literally. “When you used to enter the room, it had only uplighting from the beams, and at night, especially in winter months, it was so dark you couldn’t see,” Rymer says. New overhead pendants from Made Goods are made of woven coco beads. Peck designed the pair of nightstands, which are painted in Benjamin Moore’s Semolina. The Currey & Company table lamps are also from Francis King Ltd.
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Carefree Fun
A Pottery Barn Kids tent draws even Izzie and Rocky into little Pippa’s colorful bedroom with its bear-patterned wall covering and FLOR brand carpet tiles. “We often do a combination of custom and off-the-shelf solutions for kids’ rooms because it’s just easier to change those pieces out,” Peck says. “And we used FLOR tiles in all of the kids’ rooms because if something spills, it’s easy to pop a piece out and pop a piece back in.”
Interior Designers: Lisa Peck, ASID, and Christina Rymer, Allied ASID, LiLu Interiors, International Market Square, Ste. 546, Mpls., 612-354-3271, liluinteriors.com // Builder: Jake Novak, Tooth & Nail Builders, Inc., 6835 Carleda Ave., Inver Grove Heights, 507-304-2333, toothandnailbuilders.com
