Lowry Hill Sunroom

Project: Lowry Hill sunroom
Architect: Laurel Ulland
Firm: Laurel Ulland Architecture, 612-874-1086

Sunrooms are for relaxing. But Laura Hoyt and Robert Elhai’s second-level sunroom accommodates so much more. Joining the walls of windows (complete with a cozy window seat) are a home office, a library, and a hallway/stairway that leads to rooms on the third level. “We tried to use every available square inch of space,” says architect Laurel Ulland. “We treated it almost like a ship where you find a place for everything.” 

One of the latest stages in a whole-house renovation that has involved Ulland for 15 years, this home addition started as a basic corridor but later blossomed into a bright, multifunctional space. It now provides Hoyt plenty of room for her books, files, and computer, which formerly had been crammed into the master bedroom. 

Although the long space measures a mere six feet wide (not counting the bay), Ulland installed windows on all three exterior walls to make it feel airy. Window trim built to match the home’s existing millwork adds heft to the double-hung wood windows from Marvin. The sunlight streaming in illuminates a palette of bright finishes—chartreuse paint on the walls, a sky-blue beaded board ceiling, an oak floor, maple cabinets, and a white-painted window seat and millwork. 

Interior designer Talla Skogmo of Engler Skogmo helped Hoyt with many of the home’s decorative elements, including the window seat’s custom cushions. Rugs and pillows from Art Andes in Minneapolis’s Northrup King Building introduce fun geometric patterns. And a plastic Ikea desk chair, actually designed for outdoor use, adds a punch of orange. “It seemed like the perfect choice,” Hoyt says. “It’s light and it doesn’t take up too much space.” 

The whole look and feel is reminiscent of a sleeping porch. “We used as much glass as possible, so you feel almost like you’re in a tree fort,” Ulland says. The design also creates a smart spot for the nine-foot-long window seat, where, the architect notes, “two people can stretch out feet to feet.”