Denny Kemp & Doug Melroe

When salon owner Denny Kemp and aerobic instructor Doug Melroe finally finished their home, they decided to do it all over again, next door. Having lived on Pillsbury Avenue, or in their words, “the hood,” for sixteen years, they purchased a neighboring 1907 estate. The outside was fine, but inside it needed a lot of work to get the former retirement home for nineteen priests to its stunning present state. The woodwork had to be taken back to what it was decades ago, the historic walls, floors, and overall shell restored. Finally, when it came to décor, it was modern all the way. The two shopped Ligne Roset, Redlurered, and Past, Present, Future for their chic sofas, settees, and tables. Overall, it looks like a killer Miami estate that’s always ready for impromptu parties—and there are a few of those. Now that it’s nearly done, they say they’re ready to do it again, but maybe this time they’ll start with a supersleek home and fill it with antiques. Chances are it won’t be long. “We’re city people,” Kemp says. “That whole condo/loft thing is not really us.”

Opposites Attract                                                                                        
Since Melroe trains at The Firm after he’s done teaching, Kemp is the only one who occasionally uses the small home gym—and when he does, he takes frequent workout breaks to paint in the studio one room over. There’s also a styling/dressing room with a table full of hair products, but Melroe isn’t really into any of that and hardly gets haircuts. That said, this couple has been cohabitating for eighteen years.

Downtime                                                                                        
“We both have really social jobs,” says Melroe, adding that at the end of the day they’re content to sit by the pool or watch TV—documentaries (especially on Egypt) for Kemp and Project Runway for Melroe.

Something Old, Something New
This house could be a lighting show room and a how-to on mixing vintage with modern. The eye-catching, bulbous chandeliers come from Bauer Brothers and were taken from the salon to their current home in the living room. Sconces, fixtures, and lamps were found everywhere from salvage stores to another one of the couple’s favorite retailers, Artemide.   

Art Collectors
Kemp went to art school before getting into the beauty biz, and he continues to find time to paint, read up on artists, and scour shows and galleries for works for his home—but he doesn’t consider himself a collector, it’s just a passion. Right now, male nudes—from antique Russian sketches to black-and-white photographs to sculptures—are the focus. Color gets splashed in with a trio of bright framed Jim Morrison posters in the foyer and the Elvis painting in the dining room, one of many pieces done by Minneapolis College of Art and Design students.

In the Closet
Yes, these two are minimalists, and say they keep their place this clean by cranking up the tunes and tidying up every weekend—no, they don’t have hired help. But tucked away in a tall glass cabinet off the kitchen is where Kemp stashes his toy collection. Shelves hold dozens of his longtime favorite figurines, trolls, robots—he loves local retailer Robot Love—and even an early Blythe doll.