Photographs by Spacecrafting
The Breakfast Nook
The breakfast nook is defined by an arch that echoes the exterior gables. Overhead, a chandelier within the globe pendant lights up with the flip of a switch. An abstract painting by Luc LeBon and a marble table by Tom Dixon from ROAM make the area a cheerful spot for coffee.
“I was so moved by the wine country in South Africa, and taken with Cape Dutch style and the sexy curve of the gables.”
—Lucy Penfield
Whether it’s the curvaceous twin gables or the peacock-blue front door, located on the side of the house, the message is clear: This Wayzata home is no cookie-cutter new build. Inside and out, Lucy Penfield’s house embodies the interior designer’s personality, inviting adventure and welcoming surprise at every turn.
To know Lucy is to know she loves color (check out #LucyLovesColor on Instagram for evidence), so when she built her new home, the white canvas of traditional Cape Dutch architectural style became the perfect backdrop for colorful textiles, books, and art collected throughout her life. It’s also where she mingles myriad styles—modern and traditional, comfortable and sophisticated, classic and casual. “This is authentically us,” Penfield says of the house that she shares with her husband, David. “Not everybody is going to love this, but this is inherently our style—unpretentious, feet-up, and comfortable.”
To help her realize her dream house, Penfield teamed with other design pros, including architectural designer Colby Mattson of Charlie & Co. Design. Challenged by a long and narrow lot, Mattson cleverly positioned the front door at the side of the house and put the detached garage at the back of the property to make the most of the views and natural light. The interior layout is equally unpredictable. “Balance without symmetry was important on the interior.” Mattson says. “Since the exterior was so symmetrical, we wanted to allow for a new and unexpected alignments on the interior. This made for a more casual experience as you move throughout the home.”
Unexpected yet affordable building materials also add interest. “Before we landed on hickory for the floors, we talked about white oak,” says builder Chris Van Klei of Detail Homes. “But we wanted it to be something different because it’s Lucy; it needed to be a Lucy house.”
Wood ceiling beams and arched gables extend signature architectural details inside, where Penfield furnished the house with pieces she’s had for years, picked up during travels, or repurposed, like old kilims from her grandfather’s fishing lodge.
“There’s a sense of wanderlust here,” she says. “David and I have a shared love for adventure, and I didn’t want this to be a showroom. If you present who you truly are, you’ll never tire of the look.”
“All the pieces I’ve loved and lived with before are in this house. I’ve gotten more layered and want things to be comfortable and lived-in.”
—Lucy Penfield
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Spice It Up!
Glazed Mexican tiles cover two walls in the kitchen, which serves up spice colors that nod to Penfield and husband David’s affinity for flavorful foods. “We love to cook, entertain, and to travel—to Morocco, to the Southwest, to the desert,” she says. Larch wood cabinets warm up to black soapstone counters in the kitchen.
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Spice It Up!
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The Living Room
A Shaker-style wood-burning stove by Wittus is the focal point of the living room. Designer Lucy Penfield paired it with a framed nude she’s had for 35 years. Cisco sofas from Francis King Ltd. and cushions covered in Moroccan textiles soften the more structured silhouettes in the room. “I love the yin-yang of refined lines next to imperfect profiles,” she says.
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The Dining Room
In the dining room, bedcovers from India are now draperies. A new Black Wolf custom ash dining table from AJ Maison pairs with leather-and-chrome chairs Penfield has had for a lifetime. The spun rope chandelier is from Tapis Decor.
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Restful Retreat
Tucked under the roofline and framed by an arch, the tub niche in the master bath is enveloped in a banana leaf wallpaper. The graphic floors are black-and-white painted porcelain tile from Fantasia.
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Restful Retreat
Situated upstairs at the far end of the house, the master suite is a quiet respite. The Mirabelle tub (previous image) sits opposite the black-painted vanity and Katy Skelton black metal light fixture.
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Restful Retreat
The bed in the adjoining bedroom is layered in Guatemalan and African textile pillow covers, and the punchy rug is from Legacy Looms.
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Meditation Room
Penfield created a meditation room enclosed with double doors just off the landing upstairs. “I can be wound pretty tight, so I needed this meditation area,” she laughs. The serene scene is topped with a macramé light from Anthropologie and a ceiling covered in grasscloth by Kravet. Mexican blankets frame the windows, and vintage winnowing baskets from Carousel + Folk are arranged on one wall. Penfield picked up the Moroccan table at Kathryn Ireland’s shop in Los Angeles.
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Something Old, New, and Blue
The peacock blue from the front door is repeated on the walls in the upstairs guest bed and bath suite. White furniture pops against the bold teal walls, which are painted in Slate Teal by Benjamin Moore. Above the vintage bamboo headboard, Penfield framed a fold-out invitation from a museum opening. In the adjacent bathroom, skylights let in more natural light and a black vanity contrasts with crisp white surfaces.
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Something Old, New, and Blue
The upstairs guest bedroom and adjoining bath are a mix of vintage and new pieces. Natural textures—like the Selamet wicker chair, which Penfield personalized with cushions covered in a vintage Guatemalan textile, and bamboo bed from H&B Gallery—warm up pops of white, including the Worlds Away chest (right) from Francis King
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Something Old, New, and Blue
A Panton chair in the desk niche.
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The Guest Bathroom
A skylight keeps the guest bath bright, along with a planter light fixture that brings nature indoors. The floor tile is from Ceramic Tileworks, and the towel ladder is from a shop in Sedona, Arizona.
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A Place for Pizzazz
Penfield’s bold statements don’t stop at the back door. “Laundry spaces and mudrooms are used frequently, so I don’t think of them as castaways,” she says. Donghia’s iconic Beverly Hills Martinique palm wallpaper brightens the laundry room. Butcher block counters top cabinets painted Mallard Green by Benjamin Moore.
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Dramatic Duo
Terra cotta tile from Tile By Design unites the laundry space and mudroom, where custom armoires by Designed & Made mimic the home’s exterior gables. The 24-inch-deep armoires store jackets, totes, and shoes. Globe lights, suspended from the ceiling in both spaces, are vintage from Retro Wanderlust. “We wanted to step it up in here, be playful, and be happy when we come in from the back door,” Penfield says.
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A Secondary Living Space
The fun continues downstairs with a secondary living space that accommodates everything from card games at the marble Saarinen Tulip table to cocktail parties served from the built-in, birch-topped bar.
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A Secondary Living Space
Catch up on Netflix around the Barcelona cocktail table and Moroccan poufs.
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Check back in November
Check back in the November issue to see the rest of the story. We’ll showcase the landscape and more outdoor features of this Cape Dutch home, shown in the rendering (above).
“We didn’t want the layout to be predictable, so you can discover something new as you turn the corner.”
—Colby Mattson
Interior Design:
Lucy Penfield, Lucy Interior Design, International Market Square, Ste. 311, Mpls., 612-339-2225, lucyinteriordesign.com
Architecture:
Colby Mattson, Charlie & Co. Design, 212 3rd Ave. N., Ste. 356, Mpls., 612-333-2246, charlieandcodesign.com
Builder:
Chris Van Klei, Detail Homes, 651-336-8089, detailhomes.com
Landscape Design:
Scott Ritter, Topo, 530 N. 3rd St., Ste. 401, Mpls., 612-929-2049, topollc.com
