Photographs by Spacecrafting
upscale screened in porch
KEEP PRECIOUSNESS TO AN ABSOLUTE MINIMUM “There’s really nothing fussy or precious in my house,” Engler says. “I really value livability. Let life happen, and accept the patina that comes with it—scratches or wine stains or whatever.” That philosophy particularly applies to the screen porch, where the cedar structure and floors glow under the light from fixtures Engler found at a Heath Ceramics showroom in Los Angeles. “They’re imperfect and very hand-done, and they cast the most fabulous dots of light and shadows in the evening,” she says.
COVID-19 may have curbed interior designer Linda Engler’s product-sourcing trips to Los Angeles. But as it turns out, the time to stay at home couldn’t have been better. California was on her mind every step of the way as she remodeled the 1956 Edina rambler she shares with her husband, Dave. “I’ve always been intrigued by the architecture, the landscape, the color palettes, and the material use of the West,” Engler says. “It’s more relaxed and more organic, with more modern forms. It’s more me.”
The look takes shape in the home’s clean-lined envelope, which the designer filled with personality and pops of color. “It’s midcentury, but it’s got my riff on it,” Engler says. That riff includes a pair of bold orange table lamps found at Retro Wanderlust in Hopkins a decade ago. “If my house were on fire, I’d save my husband and dog and those lamps,” she says.
Those lamps may be one-of-a-kind, but Engler has plenty of other California-inspired design tips to share. Here are her top five.
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screen porch with a steep pitched roof
EMBRACE THE OUTDOORS Rather than build a more predictable screen porch, Engler asked Kristine Anderson and Tammy Angaran at PKA Architecture to design a freestanding structure (connected to the home by a small deck) with a midcentury modern–inspired shape. “Although a lot of it is gone now, you still see exaggerated roof pitches like that in L.A. and throughout the West,” Engler says. The gridded framework creates a treehouse effect. “You can watch the world go by yet also feel kind of protected,” she says.
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White living room
HIGHLIGHT WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY Newly open to the kitchen, the dining space is fitted with a cozy upholstered banquette to conserve precious space and illuminated by a 1960s sculptural glass-and-metal light fixture from Mexico that Engler found on 1stDibs. “It’s happiness in a light fixture,” she says. “It isn’t too refined, it doesn’t take itself too seriously, and it casts this warm, orangey light.” The encaustic painting (made with layers of wax) by Chicago artist Kathleen Waterloo (represented by Circa Gallery) adds another touch of modern color. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH STORIES Engler associates nearly everything in her home with an experience. “To me, an interior is all about the stories and the connections,” she says. “It needs to be personal and reflect everything about the people who live there.” A favorite living room piece is an Indian-made Moroccan-style rug that reminds her of friends at the La Cienega Design Quarter in West Hollywood.
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White kitchen with wood floor
CONSIDER A NEUTRAL SHELL, WITH MOST SURFACES PAINTED THE SAME HUE “I really love it when walls and ceilings are the same color,” Engler says. “It’s about creating this cube around you that feels really good to be in—and, for the eye, it’s quieter.” Throughout the house, her choice was Benjamin Moore Cloud White. “I have used that for 35 years—it’s my go-to white,” Engler says. “What I like about it is it’s a warm white without being too cream, too pink, or too gold.” In the kitchen, high-gloss cabinets with integrated hardware, Heath Ceramics backsplash tile, and Cambria countertops in a matte finish carry through on the theme, contrasted ever so slightly with new wide-plank white oak floors.
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kitchen counter with yellow stools
Engler added color, including counter stools with cushions in her firm’s trademark chartreuse and a built-in hutch original to the home, lacquered gray.
Interior Designer: Linda Engler, ASID, Engler Studio Interior Design, 3948 W. 50th St., Ste. 204, Edina, 952-564-6488, englerstudio.com // Architecture: Kristine Anderson, Associate AIA, and Tammy Angaran, AIA, PKA Architecture, 2919 James Ave. S., Mpls., 612-353-4920, pkarch.com // Builder: Telos, 7148 Shady Oak Rd., Eden Prairie, 763-334-5050, telosmn.com
