How a West Coast Family Brought California Cool to Their New Minnesota Lake House

When a fashion designer and their family relocated from sunny California to oft-chilly Minnesota, they sought to infuse their new home with the kind of natural warmth they were accustomed to. That process turned out to be quite an undertaking, as they moved into a century-old country estate along the shore of Lake Lydiard, just outside of the affluent Minneapolis suburb of Wayzata.

Prior to the family’s ownership of the three-acre property, the residence had undergone five different renovations that had left it feeling disjointed. One such remodel was meant to highlight the art collection of its then owner, an editor for The Minnesota Star Tribune, while another, in the 1980s, infused the exterior with postmodern touches like thick trim, oversize square posts, and a smoked glass half-round porte-cochère. Then, in the ’90s, the kitchen was redone with multiple small islands and dark, heavy surfaces.

Suffice to say, this mishmash was pretty much the antithesis of what the West Coast transplants were looking for. So, to transform the home into the airy, light-filled oasis they wanted, they called upon the architecture firm Wittman Estes, with whom they had worked on two previous houses in Seattle. The directive here was to open up the nearly 9,000-square-foot abode, make it feel more cohesive, and imbue it with a relaxed sense of Golden State cool that lends itself to the indoor-outdoor style of living so prized by residents of the Golden State.

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The exterior was brightened up with a white oak entry door and, over a brick patio overlooking the lake, a steel and cedar trellis. Inside, warm neutrals provide the base for eye-catching pops of color, be they the mustard couch opposite a minimalist fireplace in the living room, the aquamarine of the pool, or the deep green of the lawn that stretches out toward the lake’s edge. The kitchen is a particular standout, worlds away from the space it once was. Taking the place of dark-stained maple cabinetry, black granite counters, and a couple of small islands is a single, bilevel island with an integrated snack bar, white oak casework, and white marble counters and backsplashes with black flowing veining.

Just off the kitchen is the reworked statement staircase that forms the sculptural heart of the home, the curvature of which is mimicked throughout the house in the form of fluted details. Other upgrades include the plaster fireplace with a precast concrete hearth that was subbed in where a 1990s brick version once stood, while terrazzo tile flooring gives a modern contrast with the elegant herringbone wood floorboards. Doors and windows were widened and raised closer to the ceiling to allow for more expansive views of the lake and to emphasize the seamless unification of indoor and outdoor spaces that the family cherished in their former Golden State home.

Click here to see all the photos of the airy Minnesota lake house.