[Jamie Wallace, Calla Lily Designs ]Story by Tracy Nicholson Photography by Micah J. Zimmerman, Amdak Productions Thirty-five years ago, Jeanne and Dwight Anderson settled in the rural hills outside of Fergus Falls, Minn., spending their first eight years of marriage in a 100-year old farmhouse. As fourth-generation dairy farmers, they eventually moved down the road to live on the home farm. This is where they would spend the next 24 years raising their three children, vowing to someday return. The Andersons are still farming today, but they're now empty nesters with three beautiful grandchildren; finally deciding to keep their promise and return to the spot where their story began. With plans in place to rebuild the house in 2016, the Anderson’s reached out to Jamie Wallace of Calla Lily Designs in Fergus Falls to help pull the details together for their new home. See how Wallace fused her design expertise with their collection of sentimental farm remnants, bringing the Andersons full-circle with modern farmhouse charm. Creativity & Collaboration As a Certified Kitchen Designer, Jamie Wallace tackles all kinds of projects with her residential interior design firm, Calla Lily Designs. The Andersons wanted an authentic farmhouse feel, so Wallace took on the challenge, getting creative with unique finishes on their cabinetry and flooring; finishes to complement the materials the couple had been collecting over the years from neighboring farms, such as corrugated metal siding and rough lumber from old grain bins. Working together to collaborate with builders, Dewey Walkup and Chris Youngberg of Walkup-Youngberg Construction, Wallace and the Andersons were able to achieve the cohesive look of old with new, to reflect their love for the farm. While for some people, "farmhouse" is considered a specific style or trend, the Andersons consider it a lifestyle, with roots that run deep along the Pelican River. Throughout their home, Wallace helped them recreate the style they live by, selecting rustic materials like engineered Tennessee hardwood flooring and barnwood-look porcelain tile - finishes to help set off the Oatmeal-washed knotty alder cabinetry and Weathered Red island. Fusing New & Old While some of the home's unique colors can be found in the finishes, others come from the Anderson's collection of antiques and repurposed, farmhouse finds. "While it was new construction, the goal was to incorporate finishes to look as though they had been there for a long time. We added a number of elements from their farm and other area farms to add additional character to the space," explained Wallace. "Some of the first things we chose were the weathered red stain for the kitchen island and the hand-scraped Oak flooring that runs through much of the main floor, with both becoming the inspiration for the rest of the home." The Anderson's main level consists of an open floor plan starting with 17-foot, architectural ceilings throughout the entry and great room, varying in height for other areas like the dining room, kitchen, four-season porch, powder room and master suite. A friend of the Anderson's, Dan Fitz, who specializes in exterior drafting and interior layouts, drew up the home's original plans before they were taken to the lumberyard to finalize rooflines. Throughout the home, they were able to blend a number of styles and features for their lighting and plumbing needs from vendors such as Ferguson’s, Pottery Barn and Border States Electric. They also collaborated with their plumbers at Roehl Plumbing, and their electricians from Ohren Electric, to make their vision a reality. Heart & Home At the heart of the home is a beautiful, yet comfortable kitchen, custom-designed by Wallace to flow seamlessly with their farmhouse style. To achieve the dual tones of cabinetry, Wallace sourced different manufacturers - first choosing perimeter cabinetry in rustic alder, with an Oatmeal wash stain from Woodland Cabinetry. Wallace chose the Woodland's wash finish because the semi-transparent stain was light enough to allow some of the underlying wood grain, yet also gave the cabinets a soft wash of overall color, highlighted with a chocolate glaze. For a pop of barnyard inspiration on the kitchen's island, Wallace and Anderson chose a Weathered Red finished alder from Dakota Kitchen & Bath. To top off the look, they chose a lighter White Persian granite - a selection that offered veins of color to tie in both cabinet stains. For daily function as well as entertaining, Wallace designed a cabinetry layout with plenty of hidden storage for pans, spices, waste and even a swing-out mixer shelf. Finishing the look is a farmhouse sink, bone tile backsplash, and a clever pipe design to hang the Pottery Barn pendants. A Storied Seat at the Table Although Anderson got the Pottery Barn dining table by nabbing the store's display model, she's been collecting and refinishing the antique fiddle-back chairs for many years, painting each in colors to reflect her style. With vintage-style lighting, heirloom finds, and modern finishes, the family’s dining room is an inviting transitional space in the midst of the home's open-concept layout. Vintage Style + Farmhouse Views As a favorite gathering spot in the house, the Anderson's four-season porch is a collaboration of old and new, with plenty of nostalgic charm. Vintage grey, wood plank tile and painted pine shiplap offer a beautiful base for a few of Jeanne’s heirloom treasures, including a beautiful pair of vintage chairs she found at The Blue Barn in Ottertail, Minn. Repurposing some of the room's elements, the Anderson's used corrugated metal from the roof of a barn, an old basement floor joist for the mantel, and doors fashioned from weathered grainery wood. Masterful Suite Inside the master suite, the Andersons capture expansive country views with direct access to the patio and pergola. Wallace carried the same Tennessee hardwood flooring in the space, transitioning it to a 12"x 24" slate-inspired ceramic for the master bath. "In the master bath, Jeannie chose the clawfoot tub - it was one of the first things she fell in love with - so we made sure to accommodate for it in the planning phase," said Wallace. "It is truly the showpiece of the master suite.” For the cabinetry, Wallace selected a rustic alder in Cinnamon finish from Woodland Cabinetry, paired with a more neutral, Sherwin Williams, Lattice paint for the walls. "We ordered the Corian countertop in Lava Rock to coordinate with the slate and charcoal greys that we used in the tile," said Wallace. "We felt the concrete-look of the top fell in line with the different iron, corrugated metal finishes and grey tones that we were using throughout the rest of the home." To create the walk-in shower, Wallace and Anderson chose wood-look porcelain tile for the walls, with an accent of marble hexagon mosaics for the shower floor and inset niches; incorporating the Lava Rock Corian once more for the shower threshold and shelves within. Soaring Heights From the foyer's repurposed windmill salvaged from the family farm, to the upstairs den where Jeanne collects old printing artifacts, the home's ceiling soars to 26 feet at the peak. To create the custom handrail, Anderson worked with Elbow Lake, Minn. welder and fabricator, Johnny Longoria. Function + Family "When I first meet with clients, I love to try and meet with them in their home so that I can get to know them, meet all members of the household and see how they live in the home," said Wallace. "This gives me a feel for what features they love about their current space, and learn what they want to improve upon. I always start by designing for the flow and layout, then find some element of the design that everyone can not only agree on, but absolutely fall in love with. In this case, it was the Weathered red stain. It truly helps to have an inspiration piece and starting point that we are passionate about, to pull the entire design together. In the Anderson’s home, we used a number of neutral tones accented with that wrought-iron element as a grounding theme to focus on a few of the unique finishes we wanted to be showcased throughout their space." "I work hard to walk clients through all of their options; helping them figure out what would be most cost-effective and where we should invest more of their budget to highlight areas of importance. On this project, we had fun with some of the more unique pieces, but we were also smart about where we put their dollars," said Wallace. "I wanted Dwight and Jeanne to be able to enjoy their new home for years to come, not only for themselves on a daily basis, but for their family when they come home to visit this beautiful farmhouse on the river." About Calla Lily Designs Based in Fergus Falls, Minn., Wallace has over 15 years of experience in residential interior design and kitchen design, working on both remodels and new construction projects. She is a member of the National Kitchen & Bath Association as a Certified Kitchen Designer and serves on the board of directors for the Fergus Falls Area Chamber of Commerce. At her studio, Wallace offers a wide range of cabinet, countertop, flooring, and tile selections - working closely with several area contractors and tradespeople, as well as manufacturers and fabricators throughout the Midwest. Wallace serves clients in Fergus Falls, Elbow Lake, Alexandria, Battle Lake, Detroit Lakes, Ottertail, Perham, Glenwood, Starbuck, Pelican Rapids and surrounding areas. Find the Finishes:
![]() For more information, contact: Calla Lily Designs | Jamie Wallace
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Midwest Nest Magazine features home designs in its monthly print and online publication.
Archives
September 2021
Categories
All
|