Find your peace in the woods

Here’s a home that Carl Graffunder designed and was built in 1952.  It’s in Minnetonka on a beautiful lot that opens up to trees and a gentle slope down to a marsh.  A wall of windows in the living room provides a wonderful and private view into the trees.  As soon as you walk into the home, you realize there is something comforting and calming about it. 

One of the 6 children that was raised here by the original owners owns and lives in the home currently.  She, her siblings and “the grandchildren” all have a very special place in their heart for this unique place.   Her parents orginally bought a “basement home” on this lot which provided the foundation and basement for this home.  Her parents took a design class at the University of Minnesota where they met Mr. Graffunder. 

The owner is considering selling the home.  It’s clear that it would be a difficult decision but one that would be made easier if the home found a new owner that appreciated it and could provide the care that an original 1952 home needs.   She has all of the original drawings and very little of the home has been changed since it was built.  If you are interested, please drop me a note and I will forward your contact information on to her. 

 

 

Here’s one designed  by Carl Graffunder that we found in Minnetonka.  I’m pretty sure the blue tarp on the chimney wasn’t part of the original spec.

 

 

Graffunder Home in Redwing

Here’s another chance to pick up a Graffunder gem if you’re looking in Red Wing.

http://matrix.northstarmls.com/Matrix/Public/Email.aspx?ID=4848258537

Looks like a beautiful setting that takes full advantage of Graffunder’s large windows.  The staircase, kitchen, fireplace and built-ins look great.

Own your own Graffunder home

Here’s your chance.  I heard from a Graffunder homeowner that he’s selling their home in St. Anthony park.  This is the original family that built the house.  Here’s all the specifics on the sale and home.  Here’s my original post on the home and I’ve included some additional pictures here. 

Graffunder Home in the Oaks

Here’s a Graffunder designed home with some fun roof angles set amongst the trees.  It also has vaulted interior ceiling with exposed beams.  Great location, setting and home but looks like it’s been abandoned for a while.  It needs a white knight.

The interior of this Graffunder home is a treat.  We were fortunate enough to get a tour by the incredible gracious owner. 

As with all Graffunder homes that we’ve seen, the great room is well, great.  The windows which stretch from a couple feet off the floor to the vaulted ceiling give a beautiful view out to the park.  The walls were originally paneled in birch which unfortunately had to be replaced.   We especially liked the cork flooring that is still in the great room.  After seeing it, I would seriously consider using it in my home.  The fireplace stands in the middle and is brick with a beautiful tall copper hood.   The angles and views throughout the home are nice. 

And, not surprisingly, another set of happy and proud Graffunder home-owners.

Three more from the list of homes in the 1952 Walker Art Quarterly.  

 

Thanks to a tip from a Graffunder follower’s friend about an article that listed homes designed by Graffunder in a 1952 publication of the “Walker Art Center Everyday Art Quarterly”, we have 9 more homes on our list of known Graffunder designed homes in the Twin Cities.  That brings the total number of homes to exactly 50.  

This is one of the new ones on the list that we drove by today.  I don’t know the exact year that it was built but it would have been on or prior to 1952 and most likely after 1948.

The picture isn’t great but you can still see some of the basics.  It has a flat roof and a brick chimney which matches the lower level and almost certainly extends into the home.  I hope to get a better look and pics.

 Now this is the kind of Graffunder gem that we like to find. 

 Here’s a home from 1963.  At first glance it seems somewhat plain for Graffunder but as you look closer at some of the detail and overal layout, it does have some interesting aspects.

 Here’s a sweet little home from 1955 near the University of Minnesota.

 

The exciting thing about this home is that these are the first owners that we’ve met who are the original owners and who worked with Carl Graffunder.   They told us that Graffunder was very good to work with when they designed their home.  The wife explained to us how she had heard Graffunder’s name during college from a friend who remarked that this architect was good at design and understood construction because he had built his own house himself.  When these owners went to build their home, she looked up Mr. Graffunder.

The owners were on a tight budget at that time and Graffunder was good at working with them on this.  This home then became featured in an article in Better Homes and Gardens in the early 1970s on homes that were architect designed but within reasonable costs.

There are a few Graffunder themes in the home: cedar siding, exposed beams, exposed cinder block, an open stairway and expansive windows in the main living area.  One unique aspect of the home is a small loft right above the kitchen.  The home was built in 1970 and an addition was built onto the home in 1981.  The addition  was also designed by Graffunder. 

A nice home and incredibly nice owners who are proud of their Graffunder home.

 

This home is an absolute gem.  We were so excited to see it.  The front half of the home fans out in a wedge shape from the middle to a glass front and balcony.   This takes full advantage of the narrow lot which, as the story goes, the original owners were told could never fit a home.  The perfectly fitting bow was added on later.  It is also an exposed beam construction. 

 The draining from the roof is so fun and graceful.  You can just make out the spouts from the roofline where the water then cascades onto tile or cement below where it is ushered in little streams down the hill. 

One of the outstanding elements about this house is the tilework.  It has many styles, colors and sizes that seem to work so well with the home.  The light yellow on the side of the home is actually small tile and looks great next to the cinder block and wood trim. 

Preservationists will be happy to know that these owners are very proud of their Graffunder home and are meticulous in its preservation and upkeep. 

We found this home about a month ago in Minneapolis proper in the lakes area.   It was designed by Graffunder in 1968.   One of his simpler designs. 

 

 We found this home designed by Graffunder and built in 1955 about a month ago near Minneapolis proper.  It’s on a beautiful lot and some of Graffunder’s common themes are apparent even from the outside.