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Aclassic Craftsman style home with a PacificNorthwest ambiance perfectly suits a physician

and a former English teacher, a couple who recentlymoved from Seattle to Duluth with their young son anddaughter. “We came for my job, but also for the com-munity, the educational opportunities for our childrenin Minnesota, and the chance to live in a more inti-mate, family-friendly neighborhood,” says the hus-band.

Building Long DistanceThe family lived in a 100-year-old house in Seattle

and had planned someday to build, saving pictures,searching the Internet, and creating files of what theirdream home would be. The wife says, “We both havethe same vision. So the process of home building wasfun and surprisingly easy.”

After the husband took a job here, the couple orig-inally planned to buy an existing home. When theycouldn’t find anything on the market that was exactlywhat they wanted, they looked at building instead.They found a lot in a neighborhood they liked, checkedout different contractors and some of their home pro-jects, and decided to go with Ed and DennisBruckelmyer.

“We love our builders,” says the couple of theBruckelmyer brothers. “They are honest, hard-working,and straightforward. We appreciate their high stan-

by Sheryl Jensen

52 FEBRUARY | MARCH 2008

photos by David Ballard

HOMETOUCHES

HOMETOUCHES

Family-Friendly FirstA House to Live In

dards and have had absolute trust in themthroughout the process.”

This was especially important because thecouple had to do considerable “long distance”communication since the home was beingbuilt before they moved to Duluth. EdBrucklemyer wasn’t daunted by the distanceeither. “We have worked on several projects

Continued on page 54

THE WOMAN TODAY 53

Opposite top: The home’s exterior has a clean Craftsman style with varied roof lines, crisp white trim, and a traditional frontporch. Opposite: Echoing the rest of the home’s minimalist style, the formal dining room is understated with dark wood anda few accents in red. Above: White, the dominant color in the kitchen, is accented by the stainless steel appliances and thedark wood used in the flooring, island seating, and eating nook furniture. Without the use of any window treatments, thewhite trim around the windows in the eating area also adds to the clean look of this half of the Great Room.

here, with folks living in other parts ofthe country. With this family, it was veryeasy; they were able to make decisions bycommunicating via e-mail and phone,”he says.

Bruckelmyer adds, “The overall valuethe couple enjoys with this home is prob-ably the most impressive thing to me.The cost per square foot was very eco-nomical for this style of home, with itsconcrete exterior walls, super high effi-ciency, eco-friendliness, and customquality throughout. Our goal is to have

the same consistent quality in each pro-ject we do. This home is a reflection ofthis consistency. It comes with experi-ence, hard work, and a strong desire toplease our customers.”

Breaking ground in May of 2006, thefamily was able to move into their newhome last Christmas. As they have set-tled into their Woodland neighborhoodin the last year, they have found theirnew home as oriented toward theirlifestyle as they hoped it would be.

Space to Hang OutThe Great Room’s combined family

room, kitchen, and kitchen eating areaare open and airy with windows lookingout to the expansive backyard. Theability to talk to family and guests whilealso involved in food preparation andclean-up makes this a great space to


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A family-friendly place to hang out, this half of the Great Room, open to the kitchen andkitchen eating area, is also simple and uncluttered. A wall of custom cabinetry is the mainaccent in the room, featuring a pullout unit for the television that can be rolled back in and“hidden” behind doors in the unit when not in use. Comfortable, low-maintenance furni-

ture pieces also make this area kid-friendly. A deck accessed from the Great Room leadsto an expansive, fenced in backyard, a perfect place for the kids to play and the family’sdog to get some exercise.

Family-Friendly Firstcontinued from page 53


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“hang out,” says the couple. They were looking for a classic and simple kitchen; the white

cabinetry and its clean lines are contrasted elegantly with thestainless steel appliances and rich dark Merban wide-planked,hand- scraped floor. “We were looking for both ends of the spec-trum,” they say. “We wanted practical for kids, dogs, and play,and elegant for us and for our guests at the same time.”

The beautiful custom cabinets were built by BruckelmyerBrothers and provide significant storage including an appliance“garage” and more shelf space under the island. The centrallylocated kitchen island is topped with grey granite, flecked withburgundy and bronze accents. A swirled “river” pattern givesthe granite visual interest. The main sink is in the center of theisland with a smaller vegetable prep sink on the other wall nextto the professional grade cooktop.

Since the husband is 6’5,” the counters are raised to allowhim to use them more comfortably. The two kids like to sit onthe high stools at the end of the island to use the computer,have a snack, or to draw and color.

The kitchen eating area is large enough to seat eight peopleand is surrounded on three sides by windows making it a sunnyand inviting place to spend time. Access to the outside is avail-able from this area out to the deck and to the large fenced-inyard. Lots of play equipment for the kids and a place for thefamily’s black Lab to run around in an enclosed space make thebackyard a family-friendly environment.

The dominant architectural feature of the Great Room spaceis a beautiful built-in bookshelf and storage unit in maple fillingone entire wall. The television can be pulled out and swiveledfrom inside the cabinet and stored away when not in use. A gas



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Lee Ann & David Thornton Having their own private home movie theater is one of the family’s favorite aspects ofthe downstairs level of the house. Comfortable furniture, movie posters on the walls, andeasy to use video/audio equipment provide the couple with a place for them to have“date night” without having to get a babysitter and going out to the movies.

fireplace with a Celtic knot tile border,reflecting the wife’s Irish heritage, is cen-tered on this bookcase unit wall.

The overstuffed couches and ottoman,covered in taupe microfiber fabric, pro-vide lots of room to kick back and relax.“We wanted something spill-proof, func-tional, and practical for our furniturehere since this is our major place to betogether as a family,” says the husband.

Working with an interior designer inSeattle, the couple found a paint linethey especially liked called Devine, acompany in Portland, Oregon. With “col-orful” names like Berries and Beans,Espresso Blends, and Valley Vineyard,the paints used in the house range fromsoft and subtle sages to vibrant andintense brick reds. The palette for thisline of paint is made to link colors thataccent and complement each other.

Sound of MusicOn the hallway wall leading out of the

Great Room is the control panel for thehome’s multi-room audio system.Working with David Thornton at CircuitsPlus to select this system with the fea-tures they wanted, the couple enjoys lis-tening to a variety of music sources,including their entire CD collection, stan-dard radio, and satellite radio, amongothers. Speakers are located on the deckand in the Great Room, the children’splayroom, and the master bedroom.

Thornton says, “The user can go toany computer or in-wall touchscreen tochoose their desired music. All of theuser’s music is stored on a central harddrive server, or with additional equip-ment, they can stream music from theInternet. A simple way to think of it isthat this kind of system is like having anIpod for your whole house. Each roomcan listen to their own music withoutaffecting the other rooms.”

Main Floor CircleFrom the Great Room, down the

hallway to the left is a powder room thatthe couple calls their “Seattle” bathroom.Decorated with such icons as a picture of

THE WOMAN TODAY 57

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the first Starbucks and a model of theSpace Needle, it reminds the family ofwhere they used to live.

To the left of the large entryway foyer,through French doors, is a home officethat is a “work in progress.” It will even-tually provide the husband with a privateplace for work and study.

On the right side of the foyer is aformal dining room decorated with dra-matic black furniture, giving it an elegantambiance. A door to the right of thedining room leads to a butler’s pantrywith a place for food prep and dishesstorage; a door from the butler’s pantryleads to a separate walk-in pantry foreasy access to food supplies.

Down the hall to the left of thebutler’s pantry is a multi-purpose roomused as a family mud room, a laundryroom, and a “dining” area for the dog.Cubicles on one wall outside the mudroom provide easy storage for the familyas they come in the door from the garagewith winter gear, boots, and coats.

Downstairs Space Multi-FunctionalThe lower level’s main room is fin-

ished off, but as of yet, unfurnished. Itallows the kids to have a great open spaceto run around and play. Eventually, thecouple would like this to be a game roomwith a pool table.

An exercise room on this level with a

recumbent bike, a Stairmaster, and abody gym weight system, has a televisionmounted on the wall to provide “enter-tainment” during workouts. Also on thislevel is a guest room with its own bath-room.

A favorite family space on the lowerlevel is the home theater. Decorated with


Right: Continuing the home’sminimalist style, the master bed-room is a tranquil oasis with adual sided fireplace to keepthings cozy and a reading nookfor the couple to enjoy as a pri-vate getaway in their suite.Below: The ceramic-tiled masterbath features a large walk-inshower, a soaking tub, and adual marble-topped vanity.


posters of some of the couple’s favoritemovies, including The Godfather,Miracle, Hoosiers, and Braveheart, theroom is a relaxing place for entertainingguests or for the family to use them-selves.

With its comfortable furniture andmovie theater ambiance, it’s like goingout for the evening without ever leavinghome. “We have ‘date night’ here,” saysthe wife. “We can ‘go out’ without havingto get a babysitter by watching movies athome, getting snacks, and relaxingtogether.”

About the home theater, DavidThornton explains, “The whole system isoperated by a single remote control thatcan easily load up a DVD or a satellitetelevision station at the touch of abutton. We also provided a lighting con-trol system for the room so that at atouch of a button, all the lights in theroom can be set to a desired scene. All ofthe equipment is stored in an adjacentroom in an equipment rack to provideproper ventilation of the componentsand can easily be serviced if need be.”

Private Spaces For AllA classic bannister in white and a tra-

ditional carpet runner on the dark woodstairs lead to the home’s upper levelwhere the family bedrooms and baths, aplayroom for the kids, and another guestbedroom are located. Since none of theirfamily members are from the Midwest,they like having extra space for familyand friends to stay when they visit.

Down the hall to the left is the littleboy’s room, decorated in deep hues ofblue and orange, with elements of apirate theme from his fascination withCaptain Hook in Peter Pan. At the end ofthe hall is the little girl’s room, “pretty inpink,” with a traditional Disney princesstheme. A huge dollhouse, built by thewife’s father, was originally hers and hersister’s; it has some of the original car-peting and wallpaper from the housewhere they grew up outside of Seattle.

Between the two children’s rooms is asparkling white and blue tiled bathroomevoking the style of a Victorian eranursery bathroom. Blue penny round

THE WOMAN TODAY 59



Top: A “pretty in pink” little girl’sroom has a princess theme andplenty of space to play. The doll-house in the room was originallybuilt by the little girl’s grandfatherfor her aunt and mother when theywere children.

Left: Bright blue paint, accentedwith orange and white, give thelittle boy’s room a strong colorboost. Bunk beds provide room toplay and space for a guest or familymember to sleep over.

Right Top: A downstairs exerciseroom has plenty of equipment tokeep in shape and a television onthe opposite wall for diversionwhile working out.

tiles on the floor are also used as walltrim and on the backsplash.

At the opposite end of the hall is alarge children’s playroom filled withplenty of toys and books. The room’ssunny yellow color scheme and a wallof windows make this a bright and funspace for the children to spend time.

Tranquil best describes the mastersuite, accessed from the main upstairshallway up a few stairs through Frenchdoors. “Nothing feminine,” was thehusband’s request. The room is sub-dued and understated in shades ofblue, taupe, and tan.

A two-sided gas fireplace is visiblefrom the bed on one side and asmall sitting area on the other. Thecouple loves to read and has twocomfortable chairs and ottomansin this nook for a quiet escape.

A huge, custom walk-in closetoff of the master bedroom allowsfor easy and visible storage helpingto keep clothing, shoes, and acces-sories organized. Opposite is alarge linen closet for additionalstorage of towels and toiletries.

The master bath has ceramic tileand a marble dual vanity top. As withthe kitchen counters and island, thisunit was built three inches higher thanstandard to accommodate the hus-band’s height. A walk-in shower and asoaking tub complete the master bath.

Family-Friendly Space“We are pretty minimalist in our

style,” the couple agrees. Yet, the homehas just the comfortable family-friendly ambiance they wanted whenthey began the project. “The entirehouse is pretty relaxing, a prettyfriendly space to do what we want. Thekids and dog can run around, and wecan all hang out together.” S

THE WOMAN TODAY 61

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