Take a luxury home tour

Updated: June 9, 2012 - 11:41 PM

A luxury home by John Kraemer & Sons.

Photo: TODD BUCHANAN,

Camera Star Tribune photo galleries

Camera view larger

resize text
print
buy reprints

Tweet
share

email
Email share

your name

your email

recipients email

+ add a comment add a comment

What's the latest in luxurious living? Think homes designed for casual entertaining, with lavish outdoor spaces and "kitchens with a view" -- as focal points in open floor plans.

Those trends and more will be on display at the Luxury Home Tour, produced by Midwest Home magazine. The 10 homes on the tour feature an assortment of upscale bells and whistles, including sport courts, game rooms, wine cellars and high technology.

The homes, located throughout the Twin Cities, will be open to the public Sunday, June 15-17 and 22-24. Tour hours are 1-7 p.m. Fridays and noon-6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

Passport tickets to all 10 homes are available for $20 in advance at Twin Cities Caribou Coffee locations, or during the tour for $25 at participating homes. For more information, visit www.luxuryhometour.net.

Share your favorite garden

Seen a great garden lately -- maybe in your own back yard? It's time to let others in on the secret by nominating it in our annual Beautiful Gardens contest. Every year, Home+Garden seeks out the best private, residential gardens, then features the winners on the cover of the Home+Garden section and online at www.startribune.com.

It's easy to help your favorite gardener get the glory he or she deserves. Just send a few snapshots of the garden, along with a brief description, including who tends the garden, where it's located and what makes it special.

We'll be accepting nominations through Saturday. Send entries to: Beautiful Gardens, Star Tribune, 425 Portland Av. S., Mpls., MN 55488. Or e-mail them to beautifulgardens@startribune.com

Live like JT

Justin Timberlake is the latest celebrity to jump into the home decor business. The singer-turned-actor has partnered with his longtime friend and interior designer Estee Stanley on HomeMint, a "curated" selection of home goods and accessories.

You can see the collection at www.homemint.com, which also offers a "personalized shopping experience." You click through a series of questions to determine your "homestyle profile" -- from what type of dinner party looks most inviting (a barbecue, a formal sit-down dinner, a potluck, etc.), to which piece of art you'd mostly likely hang on your wall. Then the site generates a customized selection of merchandise.

The result may or may not be an accurate reflection of your taste (mine wasn't). But it's still a fun exercise. And the pieces, which include bedding, tableware, rugs and artwork, are fresh and affordable.

KIM PALMER