These homeowners outgrew their existing suburban home and decided to build new. But they didn’t want a cookie-cutter house that followed prevailing design trends. On a home tour, they came across a modern Eagan home alive with color and texture—and decided that they’d found their style.
The couple tracked down the design team—Rob Mueller of Mueller Homes, LLC, and interior designer Jaque Bethke of Pure Design Environments—and hired them to create a contemporary home for their Inver Grove Heights lot. They crafted a spirited, modern 4,350-square-foot house that looks different than its neighbors, yet its appearance is unique rather jarring.
Above: The linear design of this contemporary home brings a decidedly urban vibe to its suburban setting.
The home’s modern exterior, with its two-story tiled portico, lets visitors know they are entering an atypical suburban home. Inside, the open floor plan showcases views of the expansive backyard and woods at the rear of the lot. The couple, who have two active children, wanted easy spaces for spontaneously entertaining family and friends—or the entire hockey team.
The main floor is wide open—except for an office that adds a touch of fun with its built-in mustard-colored desk—yet holds distinctive zones. The living room off the foyer, featuring round fluffy purple chairs, makes way for the kitchen and morning room. An enormous quartz island is a study in versatility, equally adept as dining table, breakfast bar, or party buffet.
Clean lines dominate in a kitchen that features floating wood shelves and flat-panel cabinetry. The charcoal gray of the slate-tile walls and the silver glaze on the oak flooring add intensity to the pops of color from furniture and artwork. In the morning room, the metal surround of the fireplace gives it an industrial vibe, while the views and access to a backyard deck bring it all back down to earth.
Upstairs the homeowners have an oasis in their hotel-style master suite, made distinctive with its decorative sconces and geometric wallpaper entrance. The ceiling serves both form and function by hiding all manner of support beams under intricately carved shapes; there’s also a cozy sitting area and a spa-like bathroom with a curved shower wall that echoes the shapes in the bedroom ceiling.
The homeowners couldn’t be happier with their modern, lively home. “We didn’t want people to walk in and worry that they would break something. We want people to feel like they’re having fun and that it’s cool,” she says. “I also love all the natural sunlight and the open floor plan. We wanted to make sure every square foot was usable.”
By Suzy Frisch
Photos by Spacecrafting
This home was featured on Midwest Home’s 2015 Luxury Home Tour.
Architectural Designer: Pure Design Environments
Interior Designer: Pure Design Environments
Sponsors: Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery, Scherer Bros. Lumber Co., Warners’ Stellian Appliances