A heightened experience to study and implement light strategies that will be put onto this most exclusive property highlighting Japanese Maple trees over a hundred years old. Such intensive care and love for the property with areas of Zen and meditation. The light intent complements each area in mood and harmony, It was interesting to watch tree specialists that were retained to prune these majestic beauties into Bonsai formations. The attention of detail over the past forty years to manicure these grounds elevated my acumen to do a superb job illuminating each and every focal plant on the property, the areas with specific moods in mind, and finalize with a creative all inclusive scene.

Convenient single story living in this home complete with a 2-car garage with mudroom entry and a welcoming front porch. The home features an open floor plan with heightened 9’ ceilings and a flex space room that can be used as a Study, Living Room, or other. The open Kitchen includes a raised breakfast bar counter for eat-in seating, attractive cabinetry, stainless steel appliances, and open access to the Dining Area and Great Room. A cozy gas fireplace with stone surround adorns the adjoining Great Room, and the Dining Area provides sliding glass door access to the back yard patio. The private Owner’s Suite is quietly situated down a hallway and includes an expansive closet and a private bath with a 5’ shower and cultured marble vanity. Unfinished space on the 2nd floor is perfect for additional storage.

To create more open space and a better flow between the dining room, we demolished the existing pantry to widen and heighten the kitchen and dining room doorway. Because of this wider opening, we could create a more oversized island for additional prep space. In the kitchen, we installed all new custom cabinetry which we painted in a stunning bright white color. We topped the cabinets with a white quartz countertop with elegant gray veining. Above the countertops, we installed a beautiful marble-look tile backsplash that complements the colors in the countertops well. We also added a large farmhouse sink and replaced all of the kitchen appliances.

Quick and easy update with to a full guest bathroom we did in conjunction with the owner's suite bathroom with Landmark Remodeling. We made sure that the changes were cost effective and still had a wow factor to them. We did a luxury vinyl plank to save money and did a tiled shower surround with decorative feature to heighten the finish level. We also did mixed metals and an equal balance of tan and gray to keep it from being trendy.

For this project, we drastically increased the square footage of this urban Chicago Style bungalow. With a complete 1st floor layout change including an open stairwell and open floor plan, and the expansion of the attic into a full second story addition (adding 3 bedrooms and two full baths to the home), this home became more spacious and livable. We installed a brand new kitchen with modern finishes with a light grey shaker island, and custom vanities cast in tile to give this home a sleek finish. By redigging the basement to heighten the ceilings, and upgrading it into a family area/rec room complete with another bedroom and a bathroom, the basement transformed from a storage unit to an inviting space in the home.

Playful yet stunningly sophisticated, our Tansy border is a bolder approach to mosaics. This bubbly pattern is heightened by using a carefully selected color pallet.

Before purchasing their early 20th-century Prairie-style home, perfect in so many ways for their growing family, the parents asked LiLu whether its imperfections could be remedied. Specifically, they were sad to leave a kid-focused happy home full of color, pattern, texture, and durability thanks to LiLu. Could the new house, with lots of woodwork, be made brighter and lighter? Of course. In the living areas, LiLu selected a high-gloss turquoise paint that reflects light for selected cabinets and the fireplace surround; the color complements original handmade blue-green tile in the home. Graphic floral and abstract prints, and furnishings and accessories in lively shades of pink, were layered throughout to create a bright, playful aesthetic. Elsewhere, staircase spindles were painted turquoise to bring out their arts-and-craft design and heighten the abstract wallpaper and striped runner. Wallpaper featuring 60s-era superheroes, metallic butterflies, cartoon bears, and flamingos enliven other rooms of the house. In the kitchen, an orange island adds zest to cream-colored cabinets and brick backsplash. The family’s new home is now their happy home. ------ Project designed by Minneapolis interior design studio LiLu Interiors. They serve the Minneapolis-St. Paul area including Wayzata, Edina, and Rochester, and they travel to the far-flung destinations that their upscale clientele own second homes in. ------ For more about LiLu Interiors, click here: https://www.liluinteriors.com/ --- To learn more about this project, click here: https://www.liluinteriors.com/blog/portfolio-items/posh-playhouse-2-kitchen/

Entry tucked into the junction between the garage and the house provides equal entry experience between the owners and guests. On rainy days water falling off the roof heightens one's connection to the weather.

The mHouse is the brainchild of a magazine publisher intent on changing the way houses are constructed and how their owners relate to them. Named after one of the company’s website, the mHouse serves as a built manifesto of innovative panel materials such as rice hull composites and thermally fused laminate – becoming a case study house for over 30 international material suppliers. The design challenge was quite clear – how to use a series of new materials unproven in the US building trades to create a beautiful house that meets the unique needs of today’s family. The result is a building that is highly rational in its construction systems, while encouraging social gathering. The mHouse serves as a direct counterpoint to the typical suburban builder home – creating unique outdoor spaces in place of the typical open lawn, a variety of different views in contrast to one major view, and expressing a confidence in the future over nostalgia for the past. Through a series of layers and nodes, the landscape grounds the house and heightens the views from inside, using indigenous plantings applied in non-traditional ways, the landscape mirrors the house in rethinking the suburban home. The mHouse strikes a balance between proven methods and innovative solutions, resulting in one version of what is possible with these materials and setting the stage for future iterations and new possibilities. Size Total Finished Area: 3,405 sf Completion Date September 2015 Services Architecture Interior Design Consultant: Amy Carman Design Landscape Consultant: Texten

Originally built in 1938, this bungalow cottage had enduring character, but its traditional closed kitchen layout – typical of the era – didn’t align with the way the homeowners envisioned living in the space. Inspired by their travels through England’s Cotswolds, the French countryside, and Carmel’s whimsical Storybook Cottages by the Sea, the homeowners dreamed of a home that captured the romance of cottages and one that would seamlessly connect with their stunning English-style garden. After years of attempting to reimagine the kitchen in its original location the homeowners realized it would never truly suit the way they lived & wanted to entertain. The original kitchen was historical & was built when the kitchen was the last room you wanted guests to see. It was tucked into the front corner of the home off a hallway leading to the main level bedrooms and bath. To reach the dining room, you passed through a servery swing door, then continued into the living room. While the original door had charm, it disrupted the flow and connection between the kitchen and the main living areas. To bring the homeowners’ vision to life, the design called for a bold move—relocating the kitchen entirely. We designed a 560-square-foot addition off the living room – placing the kitchen at the heart of the home and connecting it to the gardens. The new space includes a sunlit breakfast nook, a charming butler’s pantry, a garden vestibule with its own entry porch, and a wraparound porch that encourages indoor-outdoor living. The main level remodel also redefined existing spaces: the old dining room was transformed into a cozy study library, while a former bedroom became an elegant dining room just off the new kitchen. Every design decision honored the home’s original 1938 architecture and character. Matching the home’s original 1.5-story proportions, the new kitchen wing was designed with intersecting gables that echo the scale and pitch of the existing roofline. A stone-wrapped chimney topped with a handcrafted copper cap is straight from the pages of a storybook. Decorative corbels, intricate window trim, and cedar shake in the gable ends further connect the new architecture to the home’s historic detailing. Finishes and fixtures were thoughtfully chosen to marry the home’s moodier, character-rich original rooms with the brighter, lighter new spaces. The result is a timeless transformation that feels as though it has always been part of the home – an enchanting blend of storybook charm, functional design, and garden-centered living. At the ground level, a Pennsylvania bluestone porch and stone skirting ground the addition in traditional materials. Inside, a tongue-and-groove ceiling with hand-hewn beams gives purpose and intimacy to the heightened kitchen ceiling. The home’s signature arched openings were meticulously replicated in the new kitchen, breakfast nook, and dining room, ensuring a seamless transition between old and new. Every element – inside and out – was chosen to honor the original home while enhancing the charm, character, and connection to the garden. Photos by MK Photography