For passionate home chefs like Keith and Emily Schoeler, the dark, closed-off kitchen in their mid-1970s Minnetonka home was more than an eyesore—it was holding them back from fully diving into cooking and baking projects they desperately wanted to try. “We moved in during the fall of 2020,” Emily says. “And when we made the offer, the kitchen was the one major renovation we wanted to get underway. It was our opportunity to make it our dream kitchen, now that we were in our dream house.”
At first, Keith, a category manager, and Emily, a design director in Target’s apparel division, thought they’d wait a few years to start the renovation—but since they both worked from home and spent the bulk of their time there, they opted to start sooner rather than later. They called on Emily Pueringer, who was a designer at Quality Cut Design Remodel at the time and who now runs her own design firm, for a major kitchen overhaul, which included knocking down a wall to open up the kitchen to the living room, creating two distinct backsplashes with Mercury Mosaics, adding custom cabinetry—including special spots for baking upgrades like a proofing fridge and bread oven—and adding unexpected elements like the vintage-inspired Bluestar range.
“They’re not afraid of color,” says Pueringer. Pueringer and the couple also included elements of midcentury modern design, a quality the couple’s previous house in south Minneapolis had but their current home lacked. Pueringer layered in the vintage theme with pops of turquoise that matched the striking range, two-tone cabinets, brass accents, and mustard-yellow touches throughout the space. “It’s a really beautiful mix of warm colors and textures,” Emily says. “It feels so special and warm in here.”
Designer: Emily Pueringer Design Studio, 651-328-9192, emilypueringer.com // Builder: Quality Cut Design | Remodel, 651-730-1880, qualitycut.net
November 8, 2022
12:00 AM