A Minnesota Home Is Loved Back to Life

A Minnesota Home Is Loved Back to Life

When designer Araya Jensen and her husband, Jordan, watched their home for the very first time, weeds and sweep overwhelmed front yard and the garden, and the inside had become a sanctuary for smaller animals in the winter and pests in the summer. But “there was just something about the home,” Araya states. “We looked at 50 additional homes, but in this circumstance, when you realize that a home is yours, you just know.”

Minding the run-down conventional home into a livable space contested the Jensens throughout the remodeling period. Despite their ups and downs, the few are extremely happy with their restored home — one that now has witnessed the arrival of their youngest infant, multiple birthday parties and trendy evening bonfires with extended family and friends.

“The best feeling is when older neighbors and friends of the first proprietor stop by to compliment our work on the home,” states Araya. “They even go so much as thanking us for working on the home and loving it back to life. We are blessed to be in such a great community.”

at a Glance
Who lives here: Araya and Jordan Jensen along with their 2 children
Location: Eden Prairie, Minnesota
Size: 2,000 square feet, such as unfinished cellar workshop
Year built: 1968

Wind and Willow Home

Wind and Willow Home

The worn and run-down concrete staircase were begging to get an intriguing and unique update, therefore Araya applied a trellis pattern along with also a greeting on the front steps with stencils along with a concrete stain.

Once the couple began the tedious task of cleaning up the home, neighbors — who witnessed the property’s deterioration from afar — could stop by and discuss stories about the very first owner of the home. “She apparently had a green thumb and required great care of the home. We are thrilled that we’ve turned this home into a home again,” she states.

A patch of fragrant lavender greets the couple’s toddler.

Wind and Willow Home

Wind and Willow Home

Araya turned the dining room into a kids’ playroom and covered an whole wall with chalkboard paint — perfect for scribbles and doodles.

The playroom gives the children plenty of space for imaginative play and art projects, and gives the whole family a place for their impromptu Saturday-morning dance celebrations.

Framed prints: Flora Fauna World

Wind and Willow Home

Araya and Jordan painted and cleaned every surface in the home and created a beginning point of largely neutrals. The designer challenged herself by remaining within a workable budget (she was unexpectedly laid off from her job when they began remodeling the home).

The few left the large map hangings by gluing a map mural onto plywood with two-part epoxy.

Wind and Willow Home

“We point to places on the map whilst watching TV or reading books with all the children. It’s important for all of us to have a home where our children aren’t just stimulated but also educated by their own surroundings,” she states.

Wind and Willow Home

Araya purchased the living room table for $3 in a garage sale, then “cut down it, and if it revealed its amazing joinery, set a light protective stain on it and called it good,” she states.

Wind and Willow Home

A torso from Araya’s parents retains keepsakes and displays a set of classic books and an aerial photograph taken by Jordan’s grandfather in the late ’70s.

Before Photo

Wind and Willow Home

BEFORE: The Jensens inherited a kitchen that hadn’t been updated since the early ’70s.

Wind and Willow Home

AFTER: “Jordan enjoys cooking, and I really like to bake, so we spend about 80% of our waking hours at the kitchen,” Araya states. “The kitchen is the only place where we can talk about our day with no digital distractions”

Wind and Willow Home

Since Araya converted what used to be the dining room into the kids’ playroom, the small breakfast nook in the kitchen is now the main dining room.

Paint: Celery Green and Ultra Pure White, Behr

Wind and Willow Home

Araya maintained the toilet’s authentic wall and flooring tiles. She spruced up the space with indoor plants and replaced the cupboard pulls with gemstone-hued knobs from Anthropologie.

Wind and Willow Home

The designer and manufacturer enjoys the concept of incorporating tiny, interesting objects to one’s home.

Neon miniature planter: Wind and Willow Home

Wind and Willow Home

“Tiny objects are so sudden. Normally, a person takes a sweeping look at the area for a general feel, but if they look closer, it is really the very small details that produce a home special: a strip of color, feathers, rocks and small plants,” Araya states.

Before Photo

Wind and Willow Home

BEFORE: The measures, railing and wainscoting needed refreshing.

Wind and Willow Home

AFTER: New paint transforms the space, and Araya gave meaning to the wall with framed pictures of her and Jordan as children, wedding photographs and a still that catches their initial peek in their eldest child.

Wind and Willow Home

“Our transition spaces comprise as many personalized and intriguing details as the rest of the rooms at the home,” she states.

Wind and Willow Home

Wind and Willow Home

Much of the decoration and many of the accessories at the home have special meaning and are either heirloom pieces or handmade from the couple.

A classic military back handed down to Araya by her grandfather makes the perfect pairing with a green coloured woven planter she sells and made in her online store, Wind and Willow Home. She upcycled a coffee tabletop from a House Goods purchase almost a decade ago.

“It feels great knowing that we loved this place back to life. My husband did most of the handiwork, painting and refinishing, and also the home truly reflects our personality,” she states. “Every area has a purpose, and nothing is displayed only for display.”

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