To welcome spring-cleaning season, we spoke to Cookie reader Lesa Bader about the house she and her architect husband renovated over the last six years. From the street, the house still looks like an old bungalow, but inside, the family enjoys a stunning modern haven. "You can bring your style wherever you are," says Lesa. (See the "before" photos here.) Let's look inside...
Can you tell us about your family?My husband Mike and I live with our two children, Ursula, 5, and Charlie, 2. And of course we can't forget our yellow lab Lola.
What's your neighborhood like?
When we moved from Seattle to the Midwest, we loved the sleepy quaintness of St. Paul, versus the hipper Minneapolis. There's a Patagonia, coffee shop and Thai food within walking distance. Also, F. Scott Fitzgerald grew up on this street.
Do you miss Seattle?
When we lived in Seattle, I didn't mind the rain, but we didn't have a dog or kids then. Now the rain might drive me crazy. All those muddy feet!
How are Minnesota's cold winters?
We don't let the cold get to us; we just bundle them up. Ursula is taking skiing lessons, and Charlie saw ski jumping on TV, so now he wants to do that.
What a beautiful piece of art in the foyer.
My college roommate's father-in-law, Walter Piehl, is an artist in North Dakota, where my husband and I grew up. He has a very modern sensibility but this painting still makes us think of our upbringing. He was very inspired by the Blue Rider movement with Kandinsky.
The credenza is from Blu Dot. The toy car is from Radio Flyer.
Which was the toughest room to overhaul?
The kitchen was pink linoleum. Lola, who was a puppy then, helped us by chewing up the cupboards.
Was it tough to fit a modern aesthetic into an old house?
My husband, an architect, thinks it's completely fine to mix styles, so we didn't feel pressured to look for cottage-type furniture or Shaker-type cabinets just because the house has an older feel.
Where do you shop for furniture?
We're big bargain hunters. Blu Dot has an annual warehouse sale in Minnesota. It's gotten wildly popular; people come from out of state. We've found great furnitre there--either prototypes or something with a ding.
Do you have a TV in the living room?
No, and in fact, before we had kids, we never used that space. We weren't going to sit down, drink coffee and just look at each other! Now, Charlie and Ursula use it as a playroom.
Do you use that pretty quilt?
Ursula and Charlie often put the quilt and cushions on the floor and call it a mini-van. We rented one with a DVD player while visiting friends in Seattle, and ever since then, all Ursula wants for Christmas or her birthday is a mini-van.
The pillows are from Room & Board. The quilt is from Denise Schmidt.
What a lovely mix of pieces.
We like to combine expensive and inexpensive things. The Hans Wegner coffee table and Alvar Aalto chair are both from Room & Board, but we try not to be uptight when Charlie drives the scooter right into them.
How do you keep the space so clean?
Magic Eraser does wonders. Ursula never drew on things, but Charlie will walk us over to a wall and say, "I did that!"
Did Ursula help decorate her bedroom?
We put up the caterpillar wall decals together, and she loves the red mobile. That's an IKEA flower behind the bed. We're big believers in IKEA for kids' rooms, where stuff really gets trashed.
What are your kids into these days?
Ursula loves unicorns. Charlie is all boy and loves trucks and trains. They really fit their sterotypes.
Any tips for parents who are decorating their kids' rooms?
We try to steer our kids to midcentury modern looks. We can decorate their rooms in our style, while still featuring what they like (pink, dolls), but maybe not a Holly Hobbie bedspread.
This reading nook is so cute!
Both kids have IKEA chairs in their rooms for bedtime reading, and Mike built the shelves.
Where did you get those funny dolls?
The penguin is from my friend Tara's etsy shop. I also made Ursula a girl doll with brown hair like her, and I made Charlie a boy doll with blonde hair like him.
Where do you find your art?
MCAD in Minnesota has a student art sale every December, so we get good prints there. We also shop for art on etsy.
How did you approach the decor of your son's room?
We did everything on a budget. For example, the blue framed art above his crib is actually wrapping paper from a friend's present for Charlie. One shows bears standing on a hairbrush, and the other is a fox on a trampoline.
Charlie has such awesome lockers.
I had seen them in Sundance catalog, but they were super expensive. I told my dad, who loves estate sales, to keep an eye out. At a school closing, he grabbed these while they were on their way to the trash. They were in rough shape, but we spraypainted them.
What's kept inside them?
Charlie's clothes and diapers. The kids love the lockers; I constantly find random dolls and things stuck inside.
Does Charlie save up in his piggy bank?
He doesn't really get the concept of money, but he likes to take it all out and put it back in.
How did you choose your bedroom's color scheme?
We wanted muted walls with pops of color. Our bed and furnishings are gray, but we have orange bedding.
This room is so spare and calming. Do you have any pack-rat tendencies?
My husband and I love magazines, and we keep old issues for ideas. So we built magazine shelves in the basement.
What advice do you have for other parents on how to keep things uncluttered?
Well, kids come with lots of stuff. I was an English major and I love to read, but now I get books from the library because I don't want them sitting around. Mike works from home, and Charlie loves to walk off with rolls of architecture drawings. So, for us, a designated spot for everything is important.
See all past Cookie house tours here.
