Minneapolis home with Zen vibe on market for a cool $3.38 million

Addy Dewey is an art dealer, while her husband, David Dewey, is an art collector.

So it's no surprise that their home exudes an arty feel and features well-curated details.

When the couple purchased the Charles Frederick Keyes house along Lake of the Isles in Minneapolis eight years ago, they wanted to keep and restore the important elements of the Craftsman/Queen Anne transitional home while bringing it into the modern era.

The previous owner had worked toward historically preserving the home at a time when teardowns were becoming more commonplace, and the Deweys wanted to honor those efforts.

"We liked the look and the architectural integrity. It's got a nice balance and proportion," David said. "But also we were interested in the home because we didn't think it had been renovated that much."

They embarked on a renovation shortly after buying the place, and their efforts paid off. When all was said and done, the home — originally built for civic leaders Charles Keyes and his wife Ruth and designed by architect Adam Lansing Dorr — was named a winner of a 2017 Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Award.

A well-curated reno

On the historic end, the front and side facades were brought back to the original look of the 1904 home. Cedar shake siding was restored, and the original windows were preserved. The front porch was also restored to resemble the home's true era.

"It was a requirement by the heritage foundation to not change the front and side facades, which we didn't want to do anyway," David said.

While three of the facades maintained a historical look, the biggest transformations took place inside, as well as in the backyard.

The layout was reconfigured from top to bottom and given a modern feel through a careful selection of materials and sculptural design touches – all while being careful to preserve important details such as the home's original moldings.

"The interior house was a chock-a-block of small space, which is typical of turn-of-the-century homes," David said. "We just wanted to open the whole thing up. One thing I like is to be able to see the view of the house from one end to the other. When you walk through the front door, you can see straight through into the garden."

The addition allowed for a new kitchen, dining room and mudroom on the main floor. Walls of glass were included to meld the indoors and outdoors together, as well as offer views of Lake of the Isles and the garden.

For better function and layout, the staircase was relocated with a new basswood stairwell, leading to the upstairs bedrooms that included a new primary suite.

Art and Zen vibes

The art lovers also wanted prominent places to display art as well as a way to attach the freestanding garage to the home. The addition took care of both, linking the two spaces with a modest gallery hall with a spot for rotating paintings.

"One might not even know that there was an addition done when you look at the exterior. It was done in a way that it has a more contemporary feel, but it blends really well with the period architecture," David said. "But when you look closer and see 10- to 12-foot glass windows and sliding glass doors, that's contemporary. It's a very nice blend of old and new. Instead of just reproducing the old, we were able to" get creative.

The home boasts a marble spa- and Zen-inspired primary en suite. Then there's the yard.

"We have Japanese trees. And I had a guy who knows a lot about Japanese gardens help me with the placements of stones and things like that," David said. "It's not strictly a Japanese garden, but it has that feel. And then I made sure to add elements of our own. It has a very natural feel."

Closing time

While the couple have loved their home, it's time to let go.

The Deweys are moving to Seattle, so they've listed their 4,200-square-foot, four-bedroom, four-bathroom East Isles abode.

Listing agent Bruce Birkeland said the fluidity of the spaces especially stands out.

"It's very reminiscent of that Impressionist movement, it just has that feel of it. Then they have this antiquity piece where they blend it with this modern component," he said. "The way they did the renovation is very congruent even though it's two different pieces. That's very unusual. Many times you walk into a house and it looks like you put in an addition."

Birkeland added that it's paid off that two art lovers live here.

"You have people who are art collectors and dealers, and it makes sense that they have a house like this. The art benefits from the house, and the house benefits from the art. It's synonymous," he said.

And just like a well-thought-out gallery, spaces in the home are meant to be timeless so that displays can change as needed.

"We kept it simple and did the house in a way that isn't too demanding with what should go into it," David said. "That way one can put one's own stamp on it with style and decor."