The Designing of a Spec Home

Working with Christian Builders on a Spring Parade of Homes Spec, plus all the details and links!

It’s been pretty special to team up with Christian Builders and Remodelers (Rogers, MN) which my husband’s Grandpa started in the 1970’s and is now run by our cousin, Chad Christian. I jumped on board when this rambler style home had been selected, and helped to rework the interior a bit and straighten out some sight lines. (Insert designer happiness)! We went with a modern farmhouse vibe, similar to my own home. - The interior feels a bit different because I wanted to appeal to a larger audience. Why? A spec home, in case you aren’t sure is short for speculated home. We build with the speculation that someone will fall in love with it and make it their own! Let’s check it out.

I call it: Elk Lake Organic Modern European Project

The Mood for this Home

Think WARM and cosy, add vintage rugs, arch details, hints of black, modern + vintage furnishings. Light wood kitchen, medium wood floors.

I used two paint colors in this home: SW Alabaster and SW Caviar. Alabaster is a creamy warm white, yet still reflects light well. Caviar is my tried and true black, and if you ask me- super underrated. It’s a bit warm- but you can’t see any brown.

Exterior Design

We selected the exterior finishes and drew up a plan. Note that in any design project there will always be unforeseen challenges and changes, and it’s important to be flexible and pivot. See this phase 1- and then how the exterior ended. I’m truly happier with the end result! It feels cleaner and more modern.

Heart of the Home

The Kitchen Design is my first plan of action to nail down. This space is the heart of the home, and I always want a kitchen to be an impactful space. I saw this vision in my head, and drew it on the back of the homes blue prints. It was a moment when it all came together. From drawing to reality.

Mood Board.

Actual Home View.

Even though I designed this home to feel more “transitional,” you can see my style showing through in every space. This home is a 3 bed, 2 bath, 2200sq foot rambler (with an unfinished basement). The home sold the first weekend, and the new owners plan to finish the lower level by adding a home gym and a sauna! Seriously, could anyone more PERFECT have bought this home? All the feels.

The above photos: SO incredibly thankful for my friends who teamed up with me to help stage this home.

Henri Home Wayzata and St. Paul, MN (and legit the sweetest owners) let me showcase some of their amazing, one of a kind artisan pieces. If you are looking for unique, Cali casual vibes, they are your GO TO!

Curio Rugs Excelsior, MN, Owner Amanda is so fun, and her rug collection is one that must be seen! Her showroom is what I want my next home to look like: ALL WHITE, but super warm. A gorgeous space with the most stunning vintage hand made rugs sourced and curated by her! This is the place to go for truly original and quality rugs.

Dream Home Furniture Waite Park, MN, the coolest group of young owners! They were friends in college studying global business when DHF was born! So great to work with. Stay tuned to see my upcoming designer showcase in their store.

Angela Bennis My neighbor and partner in styling! Uber talented Mom of 2 littles. All things found and vintage. Wanna know a secret? I was her NURSE when she had her 1st baby. We reconnected at a hockey practice, and the rest is history. Love this woman!

Sun Lit Dining Room

Oh this dining room is my most favorite spot in the whole house! It looks out on to the golf course and opens to a deck off to the East. Can you imagine your morning coffee in here? …or a candle lit dinner with friends?

I bought this light a few months ago and wasn’t sure where I wanted to put it, but KNEW I needed it in one of my designs. Ta daa. ADVICE: If you see something you love, you WILL find a spot for it. Buy it. The regret of not buying it is always 10X worse.

Thrilled. Thrilled is a great word to describe how I feel about how this home turned out. We’ve had a ton of great feedback, and the community was happy to see a little more “modern” design in this neck of the woods. Including our personal homes, this is my 6th home I’ve had the pleasure of working on. A true JOY and honor to design this home, and looking forward to the next one!

I think it’s fair to say, I really just want to use my creative gifting to bring beauty into the world for others to enjoy.