Houzz Tour with Tiffany Hanken of Minneapolis
Take a big, open space with brick walls, lots of light and large views. Then try to figure out how to encompass a living area, desk area, sitting area and dining area in that space, with “feminine touches, but nothing over the top.” Designer Tiffany Hanken did just that, with creative solutions including hiding electrical wiring inside a large central column, covering the back of the television with wallpaper, and using a countertop-high dining table to maximize diners’ views of the mighty Mississippi River.
Photos by Space Crafting
Houzz Tour at a Glance
Location: Minneapolis
Size: 1,600 square feet (149 square meters)
Designer: Tiffany Hanken of Tiffany Hanken Design
The condo is one of 32 units created in a 2007 renovation of one of Minneapolis’ oldest buildings, the former Standard Mill, built in 1879.
Designing a media area was one of the biggest challenges Hanken faced because the condo’s open wall concept meant that there were no interior walls on which to put a TV. A lot of brainstorming and several ideas later, Hanken solved the problem with some rewiring, adding electrical outlets to one of the room’s central columns. “That was our starting point, and we built everything around that,” she says.
Hanken asked the client to send her favorite photographs. “She sent us all the digital images she liked, and we printed the ones we thought would go together the best,” Hanken says. She then framed the prints and arranged them over a sectional.
The happy circumstance of fitting Milo’s bed inside the Plexiglas end table was “an organic thing that happened during the installation,” Hanken says.
Wall paint: Quietude, Sherwin-Williams
Hanken covered the back of the television with custom wallpaper to set apart the living and media space from the office area. The seated Buddha is from the client’s private collection.
Hanken chose a dining table to match the height of the kitchen countertop. The taller dining table and chairs provide a better view of the Mississippi River, visible through the large windows beyond the outdoor patio. The table-and-chairs combo fits neatly atop a rug, and it separates the dining area from the rest of the room.
Rug: Flor; stools: CB2
The flat-panel kitchen cabinets have an espresso finish, and the countertops are opalescence granite. A mirrored backsplash reflects even more light and brightens the kitchen, which sits farther from the windows.
A mirrored desk echoes the kitchen backsplash and beautifully reflects the light from the large window. In the highly functional office area, the desk serves as a feature piece that provides “style and a hint of the feminine” touch the client wanted, Hanken says.
Hanken found both the desk and chair online. The mirrored desk reflects so much light that it doesn’t appear to block the window at all, even though it’s directly in front of it.
The sitting area offers an inviting spot to “sit down and have a cup of tea,” Hanken says. Serena & Lily throw pillows add a splash of color and pattern.
A softer palette of pale gray and purple calms the bedroom. The bed with upholstered headboard and the chandelier provided the inspiration for the room. A mix of metals — the chandelier is antique gold, the lamps are antique silver, the bed has some chrome accents — provides shimmer and creates even more visual interest.
Wall paint: Veiled Violet, Sherwin-Williams; headboard:Magnussen Home Furnishings; chandelier: Crystorama
The designer recarpeted the walk-in closet and added a chandelier inside it (not shown).
Travertine tile covers the floors and walls in the master bathroom. “I liked the consistency of using all the same material,” Hanken says. The material provides a warmer tone than some of the cooler grays and greens elsewhere in the home.
The patio overlooks the Mississippi River and the well-known Stone Arch Bridge, which was built in 1883 to carry train tracks into downtown Minneapolis (it’s now a pedestrian and bicycle path). The designer added teak flooring to the patio area to give it the feel of an outdoor room.
Original Article by Houzz.
