Geoffrey Warner and Dawn DeKeyser | MacalesterGroveland, St. Paul

The original hardwood floor- ing, doors, and windows give warmth to the modernist architectural lines of the remodeled kitchen.

When it came time for Geoffrey Warner, principal architect at Alchemy Architects, to design his own home, the motto was “anything goes.” He and his wife, Dawn DeKeyser, a real estate manager at Andersen Windows, used their home as a “laboratory” for trying out new materials and ideas. After renovating their Prospect Park home, they moved with their daughters, Laurel and Allie, and dog, Siena, to another bungalow twice the size in the Macalester-Groveland neighborhood. At first sight, Dawn said, “Well, who would buy this place?” With a little “thriftiness and experimentation,” however, they managed to marry the remaining charms of the 1910 home with modernist aesthetics for a look they call “industrial craftsman.” The home shares similar components with Warner’s weeHouses—prefabricated, modular units—utilizing inexpensive materials whenever possible. To save money, Ikea cabinets and hardware were installed, as well as Fireslate countertops instead of pricey granite slabs. “I’m always trying to find ways to do things that aren’t terribly expensive and make them cool,” says Warner. The approach is—as their friend, author Kira Obolensky, puts it—“tightwad panache.”

In With the Old
“Modernism can tend to be cold,” says Warner. Age and texture lend warmth, however, which is why many architects try to build “planned imperfections” into new homes. Warner kept the original hardwood floors as well as some of the old doors and windows, which offer a complementary contrast to the newer, sleeker materials in the house.

Tricks of the Trade
With bright shades of paint splashed in several rooms, Warner warmed up the walls with Venetian Plaster. Using several coats of paint and a distinctive finish technique, the old-world look makes even the most modern lime green hue fit for a turn-of-the-century home.

Metallic Marvel

There is no lack of interesting materials in this home. An array of metals has been used—in unusual places. Functional two-tone Diamond Plate runs up the stairwell, making a kid- and dog-proof surface with an eye-catching, funky pattern. In the kitchen, galvanized sheet metal adds curves over the beams in the ceiling and the far wall is lined in copper, which Warner chose because it’s “not too shiny or precious, yet adds a sense of age and depth.”

Custom-Made
Living in and rehabilitating an older home gave Warner an appreciation for fixing things without being too serious. He calls it “Frankensteining” when he adds beautiful and fun new components that complement the old.