The Richfield Ranch

Project: Richfield ranch living and dining rooms
Architectural Designer: Jason Weinbeck
Firm: Jason Weinbeck Design, 612-462-1956

Building on a tight budget is no big deal to architectural designer Jason Weinbeck. Experience renovating a previous home in Northeast Minneapolis and working construction jobs through college gave him the confidence to go completely DIY on his latest home purchase, a 1958 Richfield ranch. And although he wanted to get things right, he couldn’t afford to empty his wallet. “I was after a contemporary twist on retro style, but when I started to think about the cost, I knew there was no way I could do it if I chose things that were brand new and didn’t try to save money.” So, he turned to Web resources (eBay and Craigslist), and he kept his eyes open for deals with local retailers.

The flooring was one of Weinbeck’s biggest steals. The living room’s solid Brazilian teak floor, which he found on Craigslist, came in at $3.80 per square foot. In the dining room, the flooring changes to sixteen-by-sixteen-inch Jerusalem limestone tile, purchased on closeout for about $3.90 per square foot at Tile by Design in Plymouth. “It’s a nice, kind of complementary tone for the darker teak, and it brightened the room up,” he says.

The dining room’s eight-foot Andersen patio door, which replaced a standard window, also helps keep the space bright. Another Craigslist find, it cost just $300. “It was from a newer home, and the people couldn’t return it,” Weinbeck says. “It was in two pieces and needed to be assembled, but I rented a truck and grabbed a friend to help, and we made it work.”

Cabinetry in both spaces, from Ikea’s Nexus line, represented good value as well. Mounted six inches up from the floor, the credenza-style cabinets have a modern, floating appearance.

The rooms’ furniture continues the look. The dining room chairs, from Room & Board Outlet in Golden Valley, had minor scratches, but cost about one-third the full retail price. The Saarinen dining room table, on the other hand, was Weinbeck’s biggest splurge. “You can buy knockoffs, but they don’t have the same quality,” says Weinbeck, who figured his savings elsewhere allowed him to spend about $1,800 for the modern classic at Room & Board’s main store in Edina. “It has a beautiful enameled base and Carrara marble top.”

Weinbeck’s other pricey purchase was a mint-condition Eames Aluminum Series tilt-and-swivel chair/ottoman set. At $1,500, it was a bargain: A new set retails for upwards of $4,300.

The living room sofa and second chair are reupholstered vintage finds (the chair was in Weinbeck’s parents’ basement for years). “The chair’s orange fabric is a chenille, and it has ribbing around the edge of the cushions,” Weinbeck says. “That detail cost another $70, but it was important to get the look I wanted. With the fabric, it cost $120.”

Orange also works into the home’s most notable light fixtures, which hang in the dining room. After striking out on finding ready-made, reasonably priced fixtures (most of the looks he wanted, combining three pendants, cost $900 to $1,200), Weinbeck ordered wire frames from an online source and bought wool fabrics in orange and red from Maharam. Carol’s Lampshade Wagon in Minneapolis then made the shades.

Bright colors in the dining room and in the living room’s art pop against the grooved redwood-paneled walls, which Weinbeck painted in a Benjamin Moore off white called French Laundry. “The walls had discolored with age,” he says. “The white is more reflective, and you can see the shadow lines of the grooves.” The hue, he notes, also includes hints of limestone and teak. “And it works well with my art,” he laughs. “I have loud art.”