The Tangletown Budget Bungalow

Tucked into a leafy Tangletown block in South Minneapolis, this fixer 1918 Craftsman bungalow arrived with all the right bones — soaring ceilings, original moldings, a classic fireplace, and hardwood floors worn soft with age — and all the wrong details. A kitchen grease-worn and falling apart at the hinges, laid out for another era entirely, had dulled what was otherwise a home of real character. Claire approached it as an act of restoration — honoring the home's Craftsman origins while keeping a careful eye on budget.

A full kitchen demo and rebuild relocated a staircase to unlock flow, with custom poured concrete countertops atop an big-box cabinet base keeping costs honest without sacrificing craft. Local salvaged hardwood was blended into the existing floor and stained throughout to unify decades of wear beneath a single finish. The moldings, trimmed in high-gloss white, read as sculptural relief against the matte walls — texture and elevation in one move. Against a crisp white interior and a contrasting gray ceiling that pulls the eye upward, the clients' own art collection does the rest, layered with natural textures and collected textiles. For a small bungalow built on a shoestring, it lives surprisingly large.