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Houzz Tour: Elegant, Earthy Ranch House for an Empty-Nest Couple
Design styles, warm neutral colors and special details blend in a Minnesota ranch-style house with a finished basement
A mostly retired couple loved their longtime home north of Minneapolis, but they wanted to be closer to their grown kids and grandchildren. So they pulled up stakes and moved to a suburb west of the city, where they built this custom ranch-style home alongside a golf course.
The home’s main-floor primary suite makes it conducive to single-story living, and its full finished basement — complete with a bar, a lounge area and bedrooms — is perfect for hosting extended family. What makes the home really sing, though, are its layers of luxurious, natural materials and carefully considered custom details, such as stone-clad walls and built-in produce racks in the walk-in pantry. Those are compliments of designer Laura Tays of Best of Houzz-winning design-build firm Tays & Co., who gave us a behind-the-scenes look at the home — and her process.
The home’s main-floor primary suite makes it conducive to single-story living, and its full finished basement — complete with a bar, a lounge area and bedrooms — is perfect for hosting extended family. What makes the home really sing, though, are its layers of luxurious, natural materials and carefully considered custom details, such as stone-clad walls and built-in produce racks in the walk-in pantry. Those are compliments of designer Laura Tays of Best of Houzz-winning design-build firm Tays & Co., who gave us a behind-the-scenes look at the home — and her process.
This is the view of the main level’s open-plan kitchen and dining room, which are just beyond the foyer. (The living area is to the right of the island.) This picture was taken in winter, but the grove of trees separating the backyard and golf course offers privacy and a leafy view the rest of the year.
Tays says this main level is where they splurged with luxe materials and finishes, knowing it’s where the homeowners will spend most of their time — at least for the next decade or so, at which point they expect to relocate again.
All of the kitchen cabinetry was custom-designed and built in white oak. The reclaimed material used for the ceiling box beams and the white oak floors throughout are from Manomin Resawn Timbers.
Where to Splurge, Where to Save in Your Remodel
Tays says this main level is where they splurged with luxe materials and finishes, knowing it’s where the homeowners will spend most of their time — at least for the next decade or so, at which point they expect to relocate again.
All of the kitchen cabinetry was custom-designed and built in white oak. The reclaimed material used for the ceiling box beams and the white oak floors throughout are from Manomin Resawn Timbers.
Where to Splurge, Where to Save in Your Remodel
The main countertops and backsplash are Calacatta Borghini marble, a luxurious Italian white marble with gray and gold veining.
Tays & Co. had already worked with these homeowners on five previous projects. That familiarity helped make the design and build process seamless, along with the use of Houzz Pro software, which Tays says the firm uses for all its jobs. She says she finds the Houzz Pro Mood Boards tool especially helpful.
“We love it. Our clients love it. It’s super helpful for quick communication and communicating whenever people want to without feeling like they’re bothering us,” Tays says. “They can sit in bed at night at 10 p.m. and go through their items and approve or decline or comment.”
Tays & Co. had already worked with these homeowners on five previous projects. That familiarity helped make the design and build process seamless, along with the use of Houzz Pro software, which Tays says the firm uses for all its jobs. She says she finds the Houzz Pro Mood Boards tool especially helpful.
“We love it. Our clients love it. It’s super helpful for quick communication and communicating whenever people want to without feeling like they’re bothering us,” Tays says. “They can sit in bed at night at 10 p.m. and go through their items and approve or decline or comment.”
The homeowners wanted to incorporate some subtle splashes of color in the home, and Tays obliged in the kitchen by having the panel-front refrigerators and pantry doors in the hallway painted a soft green that echoes the home’s exterior as well as the surrounding landscape.
“In a lot of kitchens, you don’t see too many changes in color. Maybe two: wood cabinetry paired with a color or painted cabinet. And we did three in here,” Tays says, pointing out the green, the natural white oak cabinetry and the soft black on the console under the window. “I was a little bit nervous about doing that,” she admits, but the mix looks and feels cohesive and calm.
Wall and ceiling paint throughout (unless otherwise noted): Shoji White, Sherwin-Williams; baseboard trim throughout: Annapolis Gray, Benjamin Moore; green panel paint: Herbes de Provence, Benjamin Moore
“In a lot of kitchens, you don’t see too many changes in color. Maybe two: wood cabinetry paired with a color or painted cabinet. And we did three in here,” Tays says, pointing out the green, the natural white oak cabinetry and the soft black on the console under the window. “I was a little bit nervous about doing that,” she admits, but the mix looks and feels cohesive and calm.
Wall and ceiling paint throughout (unless otherwise noted): Shoji White, Sherwin-Williams; baseboard trim throughout: Annapolis Gray, Benjamin Moore; green panel paint: Herbes de Provence, Benjamin Moore
The black cabinet is built-in too, though it doesn’t appear to be, in part because of its contrasting paint color. “I wanted it to feel like a piece of furniture,” Tays says. “We paired it with the dark granite countertop to keep it really uniform and match the black windows.” The granite was also well-priced, Tays adds, which helped offset the expense of the more costly marble.
Recessed hardware also sets the black cabinet apart from the rest of the cabinetry, which has standard knobs and pulls. The hardware is installed in twos, as on the rest of the cabinet fronts — a signature look. “Anytime I can put two pieces of hardware around a single cabinet door or drawer, I think it looks really cool,” Tays says.
Cabinet paint: Black Iron, Benjamin Moore; countertop: American black granite
Recessed hardware also sets the black cabinet apart from the rest of the cabinetry, which has standard knobs and pulls. The hardware is installed in twos, as on the rest of the cabinet fronts — a signature look. “Anytime I can put two pieces of hardware around a single cabinet door or drawer, I think it looks really cool,” Tays says.
Cabinet paint: Black Iron, Benjamin Moore; countertop: American black granite
This view shows the kitchen’s transition into the great room as well as some of the island’s features. Tays says the family loves to cook healthy meals with lots of chopped veggies, so the Boos Blocks end-grain butcher block is a favorite feature. The drawers and open shelves below it provide easy access to knives and bowls.
The island also houses a microwave, a pullout trash can, a dishwasher, a workstation sink and a slim cabinet for hand towels at one end. Above it all is a dramatic six-light chandelier.
Lighting was another area where they splurged — though some fixtures are almost invisible, which is the whole point. “Lighting is everything,” Tays says. “It completely changes the space to have a beautiful light fixture, but when that’s also supported by the functional lighting, that’s really great.” To that end, she paired the chandelier with 2-inch recessed lights from Visual Comfort that disappear into the decorative wood on the ceiling.
The island also houses a microwave, a pullout trash can, a dishwasher, a workstation sink and a slim cabinet for hand towels at one end. Above it all is a dramatic six-light chandelier.
Lighting was another area where they splurged — though some fixtures are almost invisible, which is the whole point. “Lighting is everything,” Tays says. “It completely changes the space to have a beautiful light fixture, but when that’s also supported by the functional lighting, that’s really great.” To that end, she paired the chandelier with 2-inch recessed lights from Visual Comfort that disappear into the decorative wood on the ceiling.
The opposite view, looking back toward the front of the house, reveals a stone-clad wall and the two sets of doors painted in the soft green. On the left is a deep pantry with double-swinging doors (doors that swing both directions) that can stay open for easy access during meal prep.
The interior of the pantry is visible through its glass doors even when they aren’t open — incentive to keep it tidy.
“I really love spaces that are functional to still be a beautiful feature,” Tays says. “A lot of people’s pantries are behind a closed door, and you go in there and it’s like a bomb went off!”
The interior is fully wrapped in white oak paneling and built-in cabinetry that looks camera-ready while keeping everything organized. Closed cabinets and baskets conceal the more unsightly items.
25 Beautiful Butler’s Pantries
“I really love spaces that are functional to still be a beautiful feature,” Tays says. “A lot of people’s pantries are behind a closed door, and you go in there and it’s like a bomb went off!”
The interior is fully wrapped in white oak paneling and built-in cabinetry that looks camera-ready while keeping everything organized. Closed cabinets and baskets conceal the more unsightly items.
25 Beautiful Butler’s Pantries
Among the custom design details inside the pantry are open bins for storing produce and, below them, little hooks for drying herbs and hanging small tools. Zoom in to appreciate the craftsmanship of the dovetailing on the drawers.
The countertops are the same granite used on the black cabinet on the opposite side of the kitchen, which helps tie the kitchen and pantry together.
Shop for pantry and cabinet organizers
The countertops are the same granite used on the black cabinet on the opposite side of the kitchen, which helps tie the kitchen and pantry together.
Shop for pantry and cabinet organizers
The doors on the right conceal shallow shelving built into a white-oak-lined niche. They’re surrounded by a 2½-inch-thick manufactured stone veneer — the same material used on the home’s exterior — paired with a similar-color grout.
Tays says that as much as she loves natural stone’s imperfections, it tends to have rust tones. For this project, she chose veneer so she could control the color. (The material is also much lighter weight than natural stone.) She adds that this particular manufacturer has a lot of variation in its molds to prevent telltale patterns and repetition, so the installations look very realistic.
Veneer: Wildflower, Creative Mines
Tays says that as much as she loves natural stone’s imperfections, it tends to have rust tones. For this project, she chose veneer so she could control the color. (The material is also much lighter weight than natural stone.) She adds that this particular manufacturer has a lot of variation in its molds to prevent telltale patterns and repetition, so the installations look very realistic.
Veneer: Wildflower, Creative Mines
The stone covers the entire barrel-vaulted hallway. (There’s a section next to the black cabinet under the window too.) Both ends have arched openings, and there are two squared-off doorways topped by lintels in between.
“That was probably one of the more tricky things that we did,” Tays says. “An arch in and of itself requires some skill for the installers. But then adding stone to it, and then also having these intersecting doorways … that took a lot of math and time to kind of figure out. But it turned out really beautifully.”
How to Rock a Rough Stone Kitchen Backsplash or Accent Wall
“That was probably one of the more tricky things that we did,” Tays says. “An arch in and of itself requires some skill for the installers. But then adding stone to it, and then also having these intersecting doorways … that took a lot of math and time to kind of figure out. But it turned out really beautifully.”
How to Rock a Rough Stone Kitchen Backsplash or Accent Wall
The door on the hallway’s right leads to a small powder room with this sweet custom vanity. Tays designed it with ball feet, rounded corners and a shapely Calacatta Gold marble countertop and backsplash.
Along with the flower-like pendant lights, the vanity has a vintage look that softens the space’s more clean-lined, contemporary elements.
Vanity paint: Rocky Road, Benjamin Moore
Shop a curated selection of bathroom vanities on Houzz
Along with the flower-like pendant lights, the vanity has a vintage look that softens the space’s more clean-lined, contemporary elements.
Vanity paint: Rocky Road, Benjamin Moore
Shop a curated selection of bathroom vanities on Houzz
The mudroom, which leads to the garage, is across the hall from the powder room. This space also has charming details, including vent holes in the upper cabinetry and a scalloped edge along the top of the custom bench’s walnut back. The bench base is white oak and the cushion is durable performance fabric.
Upper cabinets: Fairview Taupe, Benjamin Moore
Upper cabinets: Fairview Taupe, Benjamin Moore
The husband’s office is at the end of the hall. Its walls and ceiling are the same color — Fairview Taupe — used on the cabinets in the mudroom, though it takes on an almost green cast here. To give the room a cozy feel, Tays paired the taupe walls with cocoa-colored carpet, a textured lounge chair, a custom metal desk and custom cabinets made of walnut, whitewashed white oak and pine.
“This whole room is just like a yummy hug,” she says.
“This whole room is just like a yummy hug,” she says.
This is the view of the great room from the island sink. The ceiling transitions from a 10-foot wood-covered ceiling in the kitchen to this soaring, vaulted ceiling, which has a reclaimed-wood beam around its perimeter.
Floor-to-ceiling windows surround a reclaimed-wood table in the dining area, and wicker and antique brass lights hang above it. To the left, just out of frame, is a door to a deck overlooking the backyard.
The living area has two textural berry-colored chairs; a chunky wool rug; a large, curved sectional; and an upholstered ottoman. At around 6 feet long, the ottoman allows everyone to kick up their feet, Tays says.
The comfy seating is arranged around a gas fireplace with a Samsung Frame TV (which looks like artwork when not in use) set into a niche next to it.
Tile surrounds the fireplace and television up to a long reclaimed beam used as a mantel. The section above it has a plaster finish, and the hearth below is Indiana limestone.
The design, Tays says, was a solution to a common challenge: making a TV blend in with the room without making it an eyesore or installing it above the fireplace, where it would be too high for comfortable viewing.
How to Hide Your TV in Plain Sight
Tile surrounds the fireplace and television up to a long reclaimed beam used as a mantel. The section above it has a plaster finish, and the hearth below is Indiana limestone.
The design, Tays says, was a solution to a common challenge: making a TV blend in with the room without making it an eyesore or installing it above the fireplace, where it would be too high for comfortable viewing.
How to Hide Your TV in Plain Sight
The entrance to the primary suite is to the right of the fireplace. The bedroom boasts more floor-to-ceiling windows with backyard views.
Chocolate-colored linen drapes filter sunlight and add softness, while recessed electronic window shades block light and provide privacy.
Originally, Tays envisioned the ceiling clad in wood, but she ultimately opted to paint it trusty Fairview Taupe, which, like any paint, looks darker on a ceiling, she says. The color achieved the cozy feel she wanted at a significant cost savings.
Chocolate-colored linen drapes filter sunlight and add softness, while recessed electronic window shades block light and provide privacy.
Originally, Tays envisioned the ceiling clad in wood, but she ultimately opted to paint it trusty Fairview Taupe, which, like any paint, looks darker on a ceiling, she says. The color achieved the cozy feel she wanted at a significant cost savings.
The pocket door on the right of the previous image opens to the tub and vanity section of the primary bathroom, seen here. The primary closet is a straight shot through, past separate toilet and shower rooms.
The homeowners liked how the primary suite in their previous home had an easy, circular flow between the bedroom, bathroom and closet in one private wing. So Tays mimicked the layout in this home’s floor plan.
Wall paint: Annapolis Gray, Benjamin Moore
The homeowners liked how the primary suite in their previous home had an easy, circular flow between the bedroom, bathroom and closet in one private wing. So Tays mimicked the layout in this home’s floor plan.
Wall paint: Annapolis Gray, Benjamin Moore
The double vanity was custom-made from a gorgeous, highly textured reclaimed pine (also from Manomin) and given a dark stain. All 12 drawers are functional, including U-shaped drawers under the sinks, and some are fitted with electrical outlets.
The marble-look material throughout the bathroom, including this counter and backsplash, is Arabescato Corchia porcelain, which Tays estimates saved more than $5,000 versus using real marble. (It requires less maintenance too.)
The wall-mounted faucets’ warm Tuscan bronze finish complements the white porcelain with gray veining.
The marble-look material throughout the bathroom, including this counter and backsplash, is Arabescato Corchia porcelain, which Tays estimates saved more than $5,000 versus using real marble. (It requires less maintenance too.)
The wall-mounted faucets’ warm Tuscan bronze finish complements the white porcelain with gray veining.
The soaking tub is set inside an alcove with a graceful arched opening. Tub hardware mounted on its porcelain deck coordinates with the sink faucets.
Custom shutters not only coordinate with the dark vanity, but also provide privacy from the neighboring house, which is right outside the window.
Custom shutters not only coordinate with the dark vanity, but also provide privacy from the neighboring house, which is right outside the window.
More Arabescato Corchia porcelain surrounds the entrance to the tiled shower room.
Shop for showers and shower accessories
Shop for showers and shower accessories
The walk-in closet is one of the homeowners’ favorite spaces — not least because closet space was minimal in the condo they were renting while this house was being built, Tays says.
It has a large island, also made from reclaimed pine, and a desk area beneath the window. The wife, who teaches yoga, uses it as an office space where she plans her lessons, but future owners of the home could use it as a dressing table or vanity area. Similarly, the wife didn’t want a laundry room on this level, but there’s a washer-dryer hookup in the closet for future resale.
Shop for closet storage products on Houzz
It has a large island, also made from reclaimed pine, and a desk area beneath the window. The wife, who teaches yoga, uses it as an office space where she plans her lessons, but future owners of the home could use it as a dressing table or vanity area. Similarly, the wife didn’t want a laundry room on this level, but there’s a washer-dryer hookup in the closet for future resale.
Shop for closet storage products on Houzz
Back in the public area of the main level, stairs lead from the foyer to the basement. The console, which has a dainty scallop along the bottom, was a vintage find.
Although this level isn’t technically a walk-out basement, it has full-size windows that start at ground level, so it’s full of sunlight.
A sectional upholstered in performance fabric and a pair of cozy mohair club chairs face a gas fireplace. The budget-friendly flooring throughout is a combination of carpet and wood-look luxury vinyl flooring.
A sectional upholstered in performance fabric and a pair of cozy mohair club chairs face a gas fireplace. The budget-friendly flooring throughout is a combination of carpet and wood-look luxury vinyl flooring.
A bar is opposite the family room, through a beam-framed opening. In addition to the sink, it has a panel-front beverage fridge, dishwasher, pullout trash and ice maker. The countertop is black granite, and the backsplash tile resembles broken flagstone surrounded by white grout.
Bar cabinet paint: Salon Drab, Farrow & Ball
Bar cabinet paint: Salon Drab, Farrow & Ball
An island on wheels sits between the bar and a foosball table (not pictured). It has seating all around, which makes it great for playing poker, Tays says.
Tays designed the bathroom to be easy for multiple people to use at once. It has a central space with a double vanity, flanked by a shower room and a toilet room behind pocket doors. Pebble flooring that provides a little foot massage flows between the spaces.
5 Secrets to a Smooth-Running Family Bathroom
5 Secrets to a Smooth-Running Family Bathroom
The owner of Manomin, Sarah Londerville, had found the unusual reclaimed wood used for the vanity as well as the storage cabinets in the shower room (pictured here) and toilet room and was saving it for a special project. When she saw Tays’ rendering of this space, she knew this was the one. The material’s rustic texture and flaws give the pieces unique, timeworn personality.
“Sometimes, when I find vintage pieces of furniture that look like this, they are insanely expensive — around $20,000! — and then they’ll cost another several thousand to ship, because I often find them overseas,” Tays says. When that’s not in the budget, having a cabinetmaker build an antique-inspired piece out of reclaimed wood, complete with authentic details like the wood latch pictured here, is a cost-effective alternative with some functional advantages. “The interior of this unit is like a brand-new cabinet, but the exterior looks like it’s 100 years old,” Tays says.
“Sometimes, when I find vintage pieces of furniture that look like this, they are insanely expensive — around $20,000! — and then they’ll cost another several thousand to ship, because I often find them overseas,” Tays says. When that’s not in the budget, having a cabinetmaker build an antique-inspired piece out of reclaimed wood, complete with authentic details like the wood latch pictured here, is a cost-effective alternative with some functional advantages. “The interior of this unit is like a brand-new cabinet, but the exterior looks like it’s 100 years old,” Tays says.
The kids’ bunkroom has budget-friendly, off-the-shelf bunk beds in a soft sage green. Tays added coordinated bedding, a soft rug layered on top of the carpeting, a Roman shade and a world map mural on one wall. A giant stuffed giraffe — which the owner’s kids gave to her one Mother’s Day — presides over the room.
The laundry room has natural white oak cabinetry, a black granite countertop and a drying bar along one side. On the opposite side, the washer and dryer are surrounded by wine-colored built-ins with decorative cabinet vent holes.
Cabinet paint: Vintage Wine, Benjamin Moore
New This Week: 10 Laundry Rooms Full of Fresh Ideas
Cabinet paint: Vintage Wine, Benjamin Moore
New This Week: 10 Laundry Rooms Full of Fresh Ideas
This view of the back of the home shows how the property slope allows for the large basement windows — and it offers a truer sense of the home’s size. The primary wing is to the left of the large, central dining room windows. The kitchen windows seen in the second photo of this story are to the right, above the deck.
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House at a Glance
Who lives here: An empty-nest couple
Location: Medina, Minnesota
Size: 4,400 square feet (409 square meters); four bedrooms, 2½ bathrooms
Designers: Tays & Co. Design Studios (architectural and interior design) and Jalin Design (architecture)
Builder: Wooddale Builders
The new house, which is on the edge of a golf course, looks like a single-story ranch (or rambler) from the street, with an eye-catching material palette and multigabled roofline. The main entrance is through a glass door in the center gabled section, which is clad in stone veneer. If you look closely, you can see all the way through the house to the backyard.
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