Behind the Curtains

In case you didn’t make it to my mailing list, I recently posted a new video on my YouTube channel to kick off a new interview series. Throughout almost a decade of jobs at various design agencies in the Twin Cities, I’ve has met some truly amazing people. I wanted to give you a sneak peek inside their homes and showcase their space, how they make it their own, and give a sense of each person’s individual style. Kate Carlson and I use to work together at Ideas that Kick, and sharing her boho craftsman in Kingfield seemed like the best place to start.

You can of course peep the video below if you haven’t seen it yet, but I wanted to give a behind the scenes look and feature a bit more of the interview that didn’t make the final cut. Enjoy!

Kate, Erich, Wally and their home

I won’t belabor the details too much, since it’s covered above in the video, but Kate and her husband Erich bought their home a few years back. As I mentioned, Kate is a graphic designer, and Erich is a swim coach for local youth. Since purchasing their home, they’ve added Wally the Frenchie to their pack, and are happily snuggled into their lovely two bed one bath in the hip Kingfield neighborhood of South Minneapolis. Kingfield is easily one of the hottest neighborhoods in the Twin Cities, and the work they did to spruce it up really brings it in line with the sophistication the neighborhood is known for. The kitchen had been lovingly remodeled before they moved in, but the rest of the space was lacking warmth, brightness and a welcoming feel. With refinished hardwood floors, some fresh paint, bright colors, and a lot of personality from Kate & her artist family, the home was completely transformed.

The bonus interview

So of course there’s only so much from a 30-minute interview that can fit into a 4-minute feature. Here are a few highlights!

Lindsey: What was the home shopping process like, and how was the transition from renting to owning?

Kate: It was super fun looking for houses, but a bit overwhelming. We looked at about 30 houses over the course of a month, and this one ended up being the last one we saw. None of the others had nearly as much character as this one, so we instantly fell in love and just had a connection to it. We loved the fact that we would be so close to restaurants, cause we’re such foodies. The back yard was really charming, which was a bonus since we wanted to get a dog eventually. Plus, Erich is kinda obsessed with bungalow architecture so that really drew us in as well.

The transition to owning was a little scary but nothing too bad. It mostly just freed us up to make decisions that we wanted to that we weren’t able to make when we were renting. Refinishing floors, painting, none of that really feels worthwhile when you’re renting, so it’s just a lot more satisfying making the space truly your own as a homeowner.

Lindsey: What plans do you have for future renovation beyond what you’ve done so far?

Kate: The second story is currently just an unfinished half-story attic, so that space has a ton of potential. Currently the ceiling height isn’t tall enough to accommodate much of anything, so we have plans to bump it out to a full second story – master bedroom, master en suite, kids’ room, and maybe a small kids’ bathroom if there’s enough room. With the house now only being at about 1,000 square feet and our neighbors pretty close to our house, the only direction we can really go with additions is up.

Lindsey: What’s your best find in your house?

Kate: Well I have a little bit of a shopping problem, so I tend to swap things around all the time and there’s always something new & fun. But one thing that I feel like is a solid, lasting piece is my dining room table, which was in my grandparents’ house when I was growing up. My mom was one of seven kids and they all ate around it when she was a kid, so it’s pretty fun to continue that tradition.

Lindsey: Where do you usually go to find inspiration for your house?

Kate: Well being a designer I’m on Pinterest all the time, but I also get a lot of books on interior design. I’m a big fan of Emily Henderson, and I’ve learned a lot from her books. She offers a lot of great advice and teaches you how to style things, so if you get too wrapped up and end up cluttering a room, there are great tips in her books about how to edit and clean up the space.

Lindsey: What do you feel is the best way to utilize color in a home?

Kate: I really love color and sometimes have a hard time taming it back. But my neutrals are typically white, black and navy, and there’s usually a pop of pink or orange – something to help the space feel a little more fun & festive. I really think that if I could get away with it, I would totally put colored tassels everywhere, and hot pink and orange on everything but it becomes too much if it’s not done minimally as an accent.

 

So that’s it for this episode, but make sure to pop over to YouTube and give a thumbs up if you liked this video. Also, if you subscribe and click the bell icon, you’ll get a notification when the next one is released!