Photo by John Christenson
Living Room
Vintage living room chairs were reupholstered in bouclé fabric. The pale neutral textures take color cues from the architecture’s streamlined white plaster fireplace wall. A nature-inspired palette continues with the wood beam above the fireplace, the citron sofa, and a jute rug.
Dazzling views of Lake Superior that stretched from end to end of the 1955 rambler-style house in Duluth first sold Paige and Dave Benson on buying their home. But as if that weren’t enough, 32 secluded wooded acres promised their children, now 13 and 11, could grow up embracing the outdoors.
The midcentury house, replete with site-appropriate Alpine-chalet accents, was itself a find: It had remained in the original owners’ family, unspoiled. The Bensons retained Minneapolis-based architectural designer Paul Stankey to preserve the character while improving livability for their youthful family.
To warm up the interiors, the Bensons enlisted interior designer Victoria Sass, principal at Prospect Refuge Studio in Minneapolis. Sass says strategic furniture placement helped make the open spaces more functional. For example, twin citron sofas positioned back-to-back cleverly bisect the home’s vast living room. “The concept was ‘lakeside’ for adults and ‘garden-side’ as kid-centric,” she explains.
“The new ‘kid zone’ is nice, especially since our children have reached the age that they want a little space of their own,” says Dave, one of the three founders of outdoor-furnishings company Loll Designs and CFO of its sister company, kitchen-accessory manufacturer Epicurean. True to a business ethic that prizes sustainability (Loll evolved as a way to recycle leftover materials from an earlier skate park venture that designed and built more than 450 skate parks in the U.S. and overseas), Dave insisted on energy-efficient mechanicals, LED lighting, and improved insulation throughout the home.
Conservation was also important for the couple. One example is the ceiling beams in the kitchen and dining room. “They were salvaged from a historic Duluth factory and were inlaid,” Sass says. “Emotional connections were a thread throughout the renovation.”
The interior design followed the architect’s lead, Sass says. “We loved his plaster fireplace’s austere asymmetry [in the living room] and consciously chose to leave it simply styled as a breath adjacent to the striking Lake Superior views,” she says. In the family room, cozy brown alpaca covers the sofa to underscore Stankey’s dark and minimal Scandinavian-inspired wood-burning fireplace, which is suspended at seat height from a floor-to-ceiling mount.
Though design was an important foundation, the home comes to life in how the family uses the spaces. In addition to playing board games with the kids in the family room, Dave and Paige, a mental health therapist, enjoy cooking together in the adjacent kitchen.
The family savors their outdoor time together, hiking and mountain biking on the nearby trails. “But for me the biggest and best asset is the view of Lake Superior,” Dave says. “The Big Lake is ever changing. One day it can be calm and bright blue, and the next it’s gray and cold with waves. Sunrises are amazing, as are the times that the moon rises over the lake.”
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Photo by John Christenson
Lakeside Connection
The kitchen’s blues reflect the waterside view. Wire-brushed cabinets, a back-painted glass backsplash, and oiled soapstone counters add mixed textures.
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Photo by John Christenson
New Views
Strategic furniture placement—back-to-back citron sofas—provide two separate yet together spots in the living room.
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Photo by John Christenson
New Views
Strategic furniture placement—an Eames lounge chair—provides two separate yet together spots in the living room.
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Photo by John Christenson
Lakeside Connection
An old sign from a family-owned restaurant hangs in the dining room.
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Photo by John Christenson
Family Room
The family room, near the kitchen, features a Scandinavian-inspired wood-burning fireplace and built-in wood storage designed by Paul Stankey. The white slatted screen separates the space from the stairs that lead to the kids’ rooms.
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Photo by John Christenson
Master Bedroom
Natural light and treetop views bathe the master bedroom, which is located on the main floor. A handmade walnut bed is dressed in 100 percent Belgian linen. Overhead is a conical drum semi-flush fixture by Rejuvenation. A dusty-rose velvet sofa adds color to the neutral space.
Interior design: Victoria Sass, Prospect Refuge Studio, 4801 Nicollet Ave., Mpls., 612-789-2507, prospectrefugestudio.com // Architecture Paul Stankey, Innate Works, 2941 NE Grand St., Mpls., 612-437-1395, innateworks.com
