Defining a personal style can be the hardest part of home design. Style changes and evolves over time, and often it's hard to figure out what it actually was in the first place. Some designers have a knack for expressing a client's style perfectly. For others, the evolution of a client's style help make the house a home.
Lucy Penfield of Lucy Interior Design worked on this Tudor in Edina, in a suburb of Minneapolis, for 12 years. Over that time, the client's style changed drastically. While the West Coast wife loves art and color, the East Coast husband has a more traditional style, and their 12-year-old daughter loves playful designs. Penfield designed a more traditional main floor incorporating neutrals and rich colors, and then created a colorful modern Moroccan teen lounge downstairs, successfully combining all the clients' styles into one beautiful home.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A young couple and their 12-year-old daughter
Location: Edina, Minnesota
Size: 5,000 square feet; 3 bedrooms, 5 baths
That's interesting: Penfield had the floor of the basement dug down by a foot to increase the height of the room.
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The colorful and modern downstairs lounge was designed as a place for the client's daughter to hang out and have sleepovers, and for the family to enjoy occasional movie nights. This addition was designed after the main floor was already set up, and the client decided to go crazy with color. The palette of blue, tangerine, lime green and fucshia was inspired by a watercolor of her daughter's.
The client loved the idea of the napping window seat, so Penfield enlarged the window and added remote-operated window shades.
Window seat paint: Whales Green, Benjamin Moore; ottomans: from Morocco; sectional: custom, A. Rudin, Romo fabric; side tables: House Eclectic
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Add to Ideabookby Lucy Interior Design by Lucy Interior Design The basement had only southern- and western-facing windows, so natural light was limited. Penfield made every color stand out and enhanced each little bit of light by painting all the walls and trim in Benjamin Moore's Super White.
Paint color on built-in: Dark Salmon, Benjamin MoorePrivate Comment Add to Ideabookby Lucy Interior Design by Lucy Interior Design
A small kitchen and bar area was installed for late-night snacks and entertaining. A pint-size refrigerator holds all the necessities, and a stainless steel counter and backsplash make for easy cleanup.
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The original basement was a dingy and dark space with unfinished concrete floors and a 7-foot-high ceiling. Windows were installed at every available angle to increase the light and the view.
The white walls and cabinetry in the lounge area are punctuated with cheerful accessories and trim in colorful hues. The white shades allow plenty of light in, while their contrasting trim provides definition