The Foundation
This project began with a clear emotional goal: to create a place of ease, relief, and connection to its setting.
The homeowners had worked with Julian Design across two previous homes, and that long-standing relationship created a strong foundation of trust. It allowed the work to unfold with clarity and confidence, with every decision rooted in the spirit of the place and the experience the home was meant to hold.
What emerged was a seasonal retreat shaped not by theme, but by atmosphere.
Architectural Language
The transformation began by opening the home to its most defining feature: the river.
What had once been an enclosed layout was reconfigured to better accentuate the view from the porch windows. The kitchen, previously centered and closed off by walls, was opened into the main living spaces to create a more inviting floor plan for gathering and entertaining.
Throughout the condo, the design language draws from the natural character of the St. Croix Valley rather than a literal interpretation of coastal style. The result feels relaxed, airy, and distinctly rooted in place—more riverside than nautical, more personal than thematic.
Craft & Composition
Materiality and detail brought depth to the experience.
Natural colors, textures, and organic forms were layered throughout the home to create a sense of warmth and quiet movement. In the kitchen, a custom backsplash introduces a note of artistry: white hand-cut marble mosaic with brass-toned star detailing, adding texture and personality to an otherwise simple setting.
Elsewhere, carefully chosen focal points give the home its individuality:
- A full-wall vinyl mural inspired by the Stillwater Lift Bridge and surrounding waterfront landscape
- Brass-toned lighting in the kitchen and dining spaces, creating continuity and a sense of polish
- Kitchen pendants that echo the look of bubbles, with rope detailing at the ceiling
- A dining fixture with an organic form, suggestive of both land and sea
- A guest room headboard created by joining two twin pieces into one wall-to-wall feature
These moments were not added for effect. They were chosen to give the home texture, character, and a layered sense of belonging.
The Experience
This is a home shaped around the feeling of being away—without ever feeling removed.
The mural expands the interior visually, drawing the eye beyond the walls and into the landscape outside. Its palette informed the tones of the main living space, with soft, warm hues reminiscent of regional marshes and wetlands rather than ocean blues. That distinction gives the home its own point of view—grounded in Minnesota, yet entirely personal to the family who returns to it.
The result is a space that feels restful, welcoming, and deeply connected to its surroundings. A place for family weekends, entertaining, and the quiet pleasure of arriving.
“I actually feel like I’m on vacation every time I’m there.”
Client
Results
The success of this home lies in its sense of cohesion.
What began as a dated interior was transformed into a layered and inviting retreat—one that feels brighter, more open, and more reflective of both the landscape beyond its windows and the life the homeowners wanted to live there.
Every element works in service of that larger feeling: vacation, river life, and a home that offers both personality and ease. Designed to feel just as right in ten or twenty years as it does today.
The Harmony of Rooms
Each space contributes to the larger experience of the home—unified by atmosphere, materiality, and connection to place.
- Explore the Living Room
- Explore the Dining Room
- Explore the Bathroom
- Primary Suite
