Some of our favorite projects involve showing design love to classic Minneapolis homes. This charming Early American Arts & Crafts home in the Regina neighborhood is a perfect example of our sweet spot! Built in 1914 by P.H. Rohr for Mr. and Mrs. Louis B. Shotwell, this beautiful home features stunning stained woodwork, original built-ins, and lots of stained glass accents.
Our designer Julie worked with the homeowners to carefully plan their project and our lead carpenter Matt Johnson oversaw construction from start to finish. The clients’ goals were to convert the main floor closet to a new half bath, and increase the kitchen’s storage and overall functionality.
This project was certainly not without its challenges! The original kitchen had five different entrances and only included cabinetry surrounding the sink/dishwasher and just one upper cabinet. These passionate home cooks needed more to work with! We got to work expanding the usable kitchen space, without altering the home’s innate charm and history.
New custom upper cabinets that match the original wood stain were added, along with three new lower kitchen cabinets (including a lazy susan). We closed off one of the five entrances to allow for more usable space. Beautiful black soapstone countertops were also installed in the kitchen to recreate the classic vintage feeling of the home.
Building the new half bath was all about adding something valuable without sacrificing crucial square footage or changing the home’s footprint. To pull this off, the closet under the stairs was converted to a minimal bathroom with a very small corner sink to meet clearance codes. It wasn’t easy, but we made it happen!
Our highlight of this project was helping this lovely young couple fall more in love with their new home. We also discovered a little piece of history during demolition! The first owners left behind a tin can time capsule with Mr. Shotwell’s business card and Mrs. Shotwell’s calling card, a note from their builder, another note from their housekeeper, and a newspaper clipping from September 1914. The new homeowners were inspired by this fun find to leave behind their own time capsule in the same exact spot!
See a few more photos from this cozy classic home below, and please, give us a call if you’re ready to gently update your own historical Minneapolis home!
