Love of sailing inspires nautical renovation of 1901 cottage in Minneapolis

Some old houses get lucky.

Take a 1901-built summer cottage near Lake Harriet that Susan and Bill Kirkpatrick have owned since 1993. During the past 30-plus years, the couple raised a pair of kids, two golden retrievers and three cats within its small footprint, embracing the home’s quirks and limitations along the way.

“Sometimes, we were crawling over each other, but it kept us close,” Susan Kirkpatrick said.

The house served them well despite pinch-points, including poor circulation and cramped entertaining spaces. But in 2021, realizing they had no intention of leaving their beloved Linden Hills neighborhood and house full of good memories, the couple decided to undertake a comprehensive renovation to address the home’s shortcomings.

For help, the Kirkpatricks hired TEA2 Architecture, a firm in the same building as their favorite restaurant, the Harriet Brasserie, just a few blocks away,

Architect Leffert Tigelaar was familiar with the cottage from his lunchtime walks.

“It’s charming but a bit dark and crowded inside,” he said. “The front door opened into the living room, and you had to walk through rooms to get to other rooms.”

To ease the congestion, Tigelaar brought the gable roof forward by 10 feet and added a small covered porch at the front door, which he shifted from the center of the house to the north side. The living room moved to the sunnier south side, where a three-season porch used to be.

The additional 10 feet made room for a spacious and bright foyer, with a bench and closet to stash coats and set down bags. Just beyond the entry, on the dining room threshold, is a jaunty blue bar/butler’s pantry with wine racks and glassware. The layout suggests a logical sequence of welcoming guests and offering them a beverage.

“These transition spaces are often overlooked in favor of making rooms bigger, but they have an important role: providing a pause and introducing the spaces beyond it,” Tigelaar said. “They help the house breathe easier.”

His thoughtful moves earned the house a 2024-2025 Home of the Month honor, a partnership between the Star Tribune and the Minnesota chapter of the American Institute of Architects that honors residential architecture.

New windows strategically placed on the south and west sides of the house add natural light, with sizes and grid patterns that harmonize with cottage architecture. The Kirkpatricks also replaced the home’s older windows with more energy-efficient models, dampening sound, including the occasional plane overhead.

“The house is quieter now, and I love the light we get in the living room, especially in the winter,” Susan Kirkpatrick said.

Among the project’s more distinctive features are the extensive millwork and subtle nautical references throughout​, which celebrate the family’s love of sailing on Lake Harriet and in Pepin, Wis.

In addition to the Newport-esque shingle-style exterior, there’s an oval window resembling a porthole, unlacquered brass that brings to mind a ship’s bell and glossy mahogany countertops in the bar and living room that shine like well-tended decks.

The built-in cabinets, bookshelves, bench and closets also relate to boating because they are snugly fit like in a ship’s cabin, using every inch.

“The cabinetry is part of the wall, not tacked onto the wall. Windows are recessed into the cabinetry,” Tigelaar said. “There’s a calm and contentment that comes from that type of integration.”

Tigelaar relieved congestion at the rear of the house from backyard and garage traffic via a small mudroom addition with access to the basement stairs (which previously routed through the kitchen). There are also windows and a radiant​-heat brick floor​, which is pet cat Harriet’s favorite spot​.

The mudroom addition freed up space in the kitchen for a coffee bar, part of a gut remodel that features the same kind of detail as the rest of the house: custom cabinets, mesh cabinet fronts and a cottage-style window above the sink.

Instead of an island, a warm wood pedestal table and woven chairs ​provide a spot for intimate meals and socializing.

Upstairs was a little more complicated. With three small bedrooms and one bath only accessible by walking through the primary bedroom, it provided togetherness, but it wasn’t ideal.

“Strangely enough, when I saw the layout, I thought it made sense for this family, who are used to small boat cabins,” Tigelaar said.

Nevertheless, the new square footage provided space for a primary suite with windows overlooking the tree-lined street, plus a walk-in closet and bathroom.

The remodeled home has been a source of comfort for the family as Bill Kirkpatrick fought melanoma for a year before passing away in 2024.

“Bill and I so enjoyed the process of designing our ‘new’ home. Leffert and his team got us and made it fun and stress-free,” Susan Kirkpatrick said. “I feel Bill in this house, and that brings me peace.”

Designing firm: TEA2 Architects.

Project team: Leffert Tigelaar AIA, Dan Nepp AIA, Janet Lederle, Peter Matheson.

General contractor: Dovetail.

Project partners: Gigi Olive Interiors, Jennifer Rewey, Shaw Design Assoc, Braaten Creative Woods.

Photography: Round Three Photography.

Laurie Fontaine Junker is a Twin Cities-based writer specializing in home design and architecture. Instagram: @fojunk