Working in collaboration with one of the most popular lifestyle bloggers in the Midwest, Melissa Coleman aka The Faux Martha. Gifted with an absolutely intrinsic ability to visualize indoor spaces with clarity, her mantra is of minimalism. Fewer things but better things. Materials that last, sustainable design decisions that will make a positive impact on our lives and the environment. She came to me because clarity is what she couldn’t find in the outdoor spaces. Together we planned out a backyard that would have it all, outdoor dining, outdoor kitchen, a flex living room with firepit, oh and lets not forget the wood burning pizza oven.

My theme here was to use natural materials sourced from Minnesota. Wood, stone, fire, these were our elements. To pull more of the “wood burning” energy, we decided to go big and clad the walls with charred cedar, mimicking the Japanese art of Shou Sugi Ban. To provide authenticity, we made sure to use a plethora of Minnesota native plants. Butterfly weed will host monarch butterflies, a mass planting of lowbush blueberry will provide easy forage, prairie grasses will sway in the wind on a sunny October afternoon.

This project was also a great opportunity to partner with some great companies. The pizza oven was provided by Forno Bravo, makers of the worlds finest pizza ovens. The dining furniture is sourced locally from Room & Board in Minneapolis, images of this project where featured on their blog and in their spring outdoor catalog. The extremely popular Adirondack lounge set was provided by Duluth based Loll furniture, who use all recycled materials. The project is a perfect blend of Midwest sensibility and futuristic flair, hence we call it, Minnesota Modern.