A Sneak Preview

Seamless Renewal
After fixing the home’s age-related quirks, the designers and contractors set about revamping much of its interior. Structurally, the areas with the biggest changes are the owners’ suite, the guest suite, the kitchen and family room, and the cottage. The owners’ suite had two separate bathrooms that divided the space and gave it a cramped feel. Now, a new bathroom and walk-in closet is at the back of the suite, and the bedroom features a more open layout and sitting area that faces the lake. “Now all of a sudden when you walk in there, it seems like you have a very large bedroom,” Morris says. The guest suite also features a sitting room that looks out over the lake, and a larger bathroom with in-floor heat.

In the kitchen, two skylights were relocated and a beautiful brick wall and arch were built to house a new stove and range and to match a column of Old Chicago brick chimney that was uncovered during the demolition process. The kitchen will feature a new island and cabinets with custom enameled woodwork  will be given a “distressed” look to match the English Cotswolds feel of the rest of the home. Finally, the lakeside cottage was completely gutted and is now a smaller, more informal version of the main house, featuring a charming living room with a fireplace, a kitchen and eating area, one bedroom, a bathroom, and a small basement area.

The color scheme throughout the home was chosen to meld seamlessly with the original architecture as well  as meet the desires of the homeowners. A warm red was chosen with the living room and sunroom floor tiles in mind, a gold matches the Old Chicago brick and will lighten up the many antique furnishings, and a blue-green will add an element of crispness to the guest cottage. All of the wood trim in the main house is being painted in Benjamin Moore linen white, and the textures and patterns aim to reflect the home’s English cottage heritage, with clean, simple lines. The home still reflects the sensibility of Susan Stielow, who remained involved with the process and set two ground rules: that the designers respect the character of the house and that there be no murals. “She’s been the driving force behind what was going to be in and wasn’t,” Goodwin says.

While this process is exciting for the Stielows, it’s also bittersweet. The family spends summers and holidays in Wayzata, but they live in Florida most of the year, and have grudgingly decided to sell the home in spite of their strong emotional attachment. Susan Stielow says making it a Showcase Home will ensure it’s updated for future families and looking its absolute best. Their participation has also helped alleviate one of her nagging concerns: that someone would buy the property for the land and tear down the beautiful home. “I do believe it’s a landmark home,” she says, “and I thought if it got this kind of attention, no one would dare tear it down.”