In the heat of the summer, there is nothing quite as refreshing as taking a dip in a swimming pool. Backyard pools are great spaces for exercising and entertaining. Although the summer months are coming to a close, there is never a bad time to consider adding a pool to your home.

The year is just over two months old, and the trends in home design for 2021 are already becoming very apparent. While the ongoing pandemic continues to make its mark on design sensibilities, the desire to live a more natural, sustainable life is a major factor in its own right. As a result, be sure to keep an eye on the following stunning design trends in 2021.

Good lighting in a home is sacred. Certain lights affect our mood and impact a space more than a paint color or piece of furniture. Lighting is impactful and there are so many inspirational ways it can be blended into home design. (Quick Writer’s Note: I am a big, big fan of good lighting in a home. I learned this from my mother, who deeply believes lighting can heal people. It’s a thing!) Whether or not it’s a S.A.D. lamp, a lotus pendant chandelier, a pink light bulb or sparkling string lights…whatever gives you joy is part of the solution here. Your home should be a place you want to spend time and lighting is a grandiose part of that.

Life truths are plentiful in life and one of them is, certainly, that a nice organized closet is a visual form of therapy. (Writer’s Note: What? You’re not perusing the #organizedhome hashtag on Instagram like I am?). Anyway, we’re assuming that’s why we find ourselves decluttering our homes in the springtime. The birds are out, the world smells fresh and the weather is warm. We feel good and organizing suddenly sounds right. However, why are we waiting for the spring to organize our space? We should be doing this in the middle of winter. It will free our mind, make us feel like the best version of ourselves and when anyone opens the linen closet during a happy hour Zoom call, 800 random items aren’t going to tumble out in front of your friends. Win, win!

When our clients bought their home in the 90’s they immediately updated the kitchen, but the design did not withstand the passage of time. Complete with white oak cabinets, a failing in-floor heating system, a non-functional island, dated appliances and a too small sink, they knew they needed an upgrade!

Functionality was a huge factor in renovating their kitchen; they simply did not have great counter space, the cook top on the small island was not ideal and the flow of the kitchen was impractical. Another concern for our clients was accessibility. Although there seemed to be plenty of storage, it was hard to access items in the upper pantry shelves, countertop appliances were stored down low making it difficult to access, also the microwave was far from the main cooking space.

Senior designer Becca Bastyr’s vision for the space was to provide better functionality and accessibility while also giving it a more updated aesthetic. By blending craftsman finishes, two toned cabinetry, smart storage solutions and all new appliances, our clients were over the moon excited for their new and improved space!

Our clients were in the process of getting their forever home built and wanted us to provide a stunning outdoor space for them to relax and enjoy the lake views that also complemented the new construction home. The lot had substantial grade change throughout, so senior designer Heather Sweeney had to design a space with a sensitivity to that, but also create a functional and useful space that the clients could maximize their outdoor living and entertaining area.

The designer not only provided a impressive outdoor area for the family to enjoy, she also worked around many tricky facets of the project including difficult grading, low hardcover allowance, working in conjunction with the home builder, tricky access to the property and strict setbacks.

In the end the clients are thrilled with the completed project! The space includes a cozy porch flanked with a fireplace wall and outdoor kitchen area, tiered landscaping with stunning retaining walls, a private beach area and gorgeous perennials that provide color throughout the year. They love it so much that we have already started the next phases of the project: the front and side yards!

I love to read. In my opinion, books are an intricate and sophisticated accessory for any room in the house. They offer in-depth stories and comfort, gorgeous color and are great conversation starters. A space is all about showcasing what we love, and what better way to do so than with books on display!

There are many ways to incorporate books in a space. Built-in shelving is a favorite of mine. But, coffee table books and valuable knick knacks also hold value. There are many ways to store them away and display them with pride, so we wanted to look at a few options for how best to use books, the way we enjoy them in our spaces, as an exquisite design feature.

Sometimes, it can feel like laundry rooms are the ugly duckling of spaces in the home. They’re just kind of…there. But, they’re actually so meaningful! (Writer’s Note: Don’t make fun of me for saying laundry rooms are “meaningful.”) Anyway, I digress. They’re important. Aside from the kitchen, a laundry room is the center of our home. It’s where we go to feel accomplished, organized and clean. It’s where we should feel the most functional. So, we have some key must-haves to build a laundry room space that fulfills all of these basic and beautiful needs. Psst…aesthetics are still an option!

Windows and space and sunshine, oh my! Smart design is all about building a space in your home that is fully functional and convenient to live in. Oh, and obviously aesthetically pleasing as well, full of natural light flooding in. How we live indoors should reflect how we enjoy a natural touch of the outdoors. Do you like to snuggle up by the fire? Do you prefer natural wood accents? Big, open windows? Spaces your family can spread out for game night? Along with remodeling a space that works for your lifestyle, smart design is all about the space itself – and perhaps – making it as open as possible.

The latest trend in home design has to do with how a space reflects our heart and our day-by-day. It might be a buzzworthy phrase, but if you haven’t heard of “ritual design” already, you will very soon (well, within this blog post anyway). From what I gather through a lot of meaningful internet research, ritual design is all about finding deep meaning behind interior decorating and truly designing a space to match your rituals and

Home design has become a big part of our lives. It is the space we gather. The space we rest. And, most importantly, the space that truly defines our inner selves. But, funny enough, interior decorating isn’t the first thing we think about regarding our homes, especially when we think of outdoor spaces. Why? It’s tough to understand how we want to live outside. The outdoors don’t have structure and their openness can be intimidating. So, we wanted to explore the true art of inclusive gathering spaces outdoors – and how you can design them to create comfortable outdoor spaces for all.

Take it from Claude Monet, gardens are incredible masterpieces. Also, they’re an art. A truly stunning garden takes intense planning, imaginative thinking, budgeting and continued maintenance (Writer’s Note: maintenance that is actually quite therapeutic). Anyway, taking the time to actively plan out how you envision your ideal home garden and transfer that to activation is an art in itself.

Meditation has been around for centuries. Until recently, people had only two choices to meditate: by joining a monastery or leaving the general hustle of the world behind entirely and traveling to isolated hermitages. Things have changed so much! Now, homeowners are transforming their homes into custom experiences where they can find their center.

Largely unknown in Minnesota, Persian ironwood is widely used in zone 5 and above as a boulevard tree because of its handsome habit, durability in wind and snow, longevity, and tolerance of salt and pollution.

The weather can be glorious in late summer but the garden can start to look tired this time of year if not properly planned and planted. But as the daylilies start to look emaciated, this humble stunner bursts on the scene. Standing just 12″ tall, Aconitum cammarum “Blue Lagoon” is a potent way to reinvigorate your garden’s color in time for the start of school. Those with dogs or culinarily intrepid children should we warned that this plant, like all monkshoods, is toxic if consumed. But for those who refrain from eating it can glory in its beauty for much of the fall. Grows well in sun to half shade and is deer resistant.

There are so many hostas in the marketplace, many of them only slightly different form eachother, that it’s easy to lose track. “Waterslide” is unique enough to be memorable. Resembling a smaller, silver-edged Krossa Regal with stupendously wavy intense blue leaves, this is a dramatic introduction. Reaches 18″ tall by 30″ wide. Not widely available yet but slowly matriculating through the hosta specialty nurseries.

Sometimes the overuse of perfectly good plants starts to sour our impression of them (kind of like when great songs are used in awful TV ads). Such is beginning to be the case with variegated Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa “Aureola”). However, just as people are growing used to swaths of this great plant, a new sport is becoming available that possesses the same elegant form combined with a gold/maroon color scheme tailored for Gopher fans. “Sunflare” is an attention-grabbing offspring of “All Gold” that lends autumnal flair to the garden throughout the growing season. Multicolored foliage streaks onto the scene in spring, largely ages to gold in summer, and then reprises its spring show come fall. Like “All Gold”, it is less bulky and aggressive than “Aureola” once established.

Though it does not seem like the time of year for gardening, I’d like to plant a seed in the minds of those hardy souls who are determined to not just survive but to thrive in the Minnesotan climate. And that seed is….

Here is a great plant for the Seussian gardener in our cold climate. “Trost’s Dwarf” cutleaf birch forms an irregularly mounding shrubby form that resembles milfoil suspended in watery animation. Hardy to zone 3, this is a safer bet than dwarf threadleaf Japanese maples if you’re looking for this form/texture combination. Available for the 2018 season at Green Value Nursery.

For mid and late season elegance, few perennials provide the nuanced, restrained beauty of Calamint. Calamintha “White Cloud” provides a continuous display of effervescent bloom from late June until frost. Planted in sunny locations, this herb matures to 18″ high with a two foot spread. Unlike catmint, the wiry stems rebound nicely after storms and retain their buoyancy throughout the season.

Late Summer and early Fall is the best time to seed your yard in Minnesota, generally around Labor Day or the few weeks that follow because the weather is starting to cool down and there is a nice dew present most mornings. Another big reason is because the Spring pre-emergents have had a chance to work their way out of the soil.

Di-Hydrogen Monoxide. A chemical that can be dangerous in certain situations and can be found everywhere around us. This dangerous chemical is better known as H20, or water. Adding water, or a water feature to the landscape can have numerous benefits. From promoting good health and wellness, to helping with environmental conservation, here are some reasons why adding water features can be beneficial to you as a homeowner.

These sweet blooms will lighten your spirits throughout the growing season.

Birds bring many benefits to a garden or landscape and are a great joy to watch. Many birds eat unwanted insects, such as mosquitoes and aphids, making them wonderful for pest control. They can also help as pollinators for people with edible gardens and landscapes.

If the recent tragic tree accident at Punch Pizza makes you question the safety of your own landscape, that may be the only silver lining to an otherwise dark day in Wayzata. The large tree snapped and injured an Oregon woman who was dining on the restaurant’s narrow outdoor patio. The old tree on the edge of the scenic 14-acre Big Woods preserve reportedly was weakened by disease. But several factors can make trees susceptible to snapping at any time or toppling over in high winds.

I believe that when someone is in a safe and private outdoor space where one could be naked, the space creates an exceptional feeling of calm.

We all know the story of Peter Cottontail. A rabbit who finds mischief by sneaking into a garden to eat all the delicious vegetables. This is a tale that many gardeners have experienced themselves, with them finding their gardens ravaged by this cuddly critter. There are, however, many ways in which you can save your garden from these cute pests.

Here’s an idea for those who have children or those who embrace their own childish spirit: the runner bean teepee!

A long time ago I once met someone who, assuming “winter” to a landscaper is akin to drought to a fisherman or summer to a downhill skier, asked me “what is it that you landscapers DO in the winter??”