This Charming Minneapolis New Build Was Designed to be "Quiet, But Not Forgettable"
Designer Krysta Gibbons does not hide her distaste for new builds, specifically those she calls “glass boxes”—out-of-sync homes that crop up in historic neighborhoods. As one of the principals of the Minneapolis-based Kipling House Interiors design team, Gibbons has made a career of helping clients coax charm from spaces that had none.
Then, as she was about to embark upon a major renovation of her own home, a grand estate in her neighborhood was torn down, opening up six prime city lots for sale. As the market shifted, she realized she could secure a piece of this coveted real estate by selling her home and starting from scratch.
The challenge: Could she redefine “new construction,” matching the neighboring 100-year-old homes so no one would ever know? To answer that question, she started from the inside out, creating a floor plan that mimicked the interiors of that period while giving her family of five the room to live comfortably.
“My goal was to get all the function out of houses twice this size but on the tightest footprint possible to avoid wasted space,” Gibbons says. That work began in the kitchen. “If you have this really colorful living and dining room and then you end in this very white, stark kitchen, it’s going to feel cold,” she says. “A strong aesthetic in the kitchen influences the other spaces surrounding it.”
For her new-old kitchen, Gibbons looked to the historic mansions of Newport, Rhode Island, noting their floor-to-ceiling tiles, center table islands, and massive hoods. Her “religious awakening” came from a visit to New York City’s La Mercerie restaurant, which is only seven years old but feels timeless, thanks to textiles in murky colors and surfaces with worn patinas. “I wanted the entire house to feel that way, like the fabric had faded and the paint had yellowed,” Gibbons says. “Nothing too fresh.”
The rest of the home has just as much visual interest and vintage appeal as the kitchen, with subdued colors ranging from lavender to deep green, checkerboard floors, antique furniture, and a whopping 16 wallpapers used throughout.
“I have an aversion to drywall. If there is a surface that can be wallpapered, paneled, plastered, or tiled, I want to do that,” Gibbons says. She even tucked notes for future homeowners inside the walls, adding upcoming chapters to her new home’s unfolding story.
FAST FACTS Designer:
Location: Minneapolis, MN
The Space: New construction Early American Colonial-style home with 5,200 sq. ft., 5 bedrooms, and 5 bathrooms.
KITCHEN
A marble-topped island mimics the look of an antique while hiding custom storage for everything, down to the icing knife.
Tile: Sonoma Tilemakers. Cabinet paint: Grant Beige by Benjamin Moore. Pendant lights: Visual Comfort. Island stools: Arteriors. Plumbing: House of Rohl. Cabinet hardware: Classic Brass.
Gibbons was set on an eat-in kitchen-table island large enough to seat her family of five, but refused to have everyone lined up like bar patrons. To achieve this, she designed what looks like a freestanding antique baker’s table, complete with rounded marble edges that appear worn down from decades of dough being rolled across them. Additional Arteriors stools can easily be placed at both ends.
Beneath the surface, however, is modern function in disguise: custom drawers measured to the millimeter, each one designed to house a specific kitchen tool, from icing knives to upright water bottles. “It’s one of those things that makes me disproportionately happy every time I open it,” she says.
BUTLER'S PANTRY
Camouflaged appliances, antique glass, and a lattice motif make this pass-through feel like a hidden gem.
Designed to make entertaining effortless, the butler’s pantry hides its function in plain sight. A paneled SKS wine fridge and dishwasher are seamlessly integrated beneath slate countertops, while antique mirror inserts in the upper cabinets bounce light from the single window, making the compact space feel luminous.
Wallpaper on both the walls and ceiling wraps the room in warmth, while perforated lattice panels offer a nod to the home’s defining motif. “Guests feel comfortable pouring a drink here, but it still looks like part of the story,” Gibbons says.
BONUS PANTRY
Designed so guests can grab a coffee without stepping on the cook’s toes.
Door paint: Boothbay Gray by Benjamin Moore. Cabinet paint: Soft Chamois by Benjamin Moore. Cafe curtain: Custom, in Rose Tarlow fabric. Wallpaper: Waterhouse.
A hardworking extension of the kitchen, the pantry was designed to keep the chaos of daily life neatly contained. Open shelving and simplified cabinetry keep the space feeling relaxed and accessible, while a soft palette of Soft Chamois and Boothbay Gray by Benjamin Moore complements the architecture.
A small-scale Waterhouse wallpaper lines the walls, offering quiet charm, and a Rose Tarlow café curtain softens the window above the sink. “It’s the place where guests feel welcome to help themselves, and my kids know exactly where to go for cereal or a second round of breakfast,” Gibbons says. It’s utility, but dressed for company.
GREAT ROOM
This room comfortably seats eleven, but you'd never know it.
Sofa and leather chairs: Hickory Chair. Wallpaper: Stout. Rug: Stark. Light fixtures: Visual Comfort. Ottoman: Custom, in Stout fabric. Drapery: Custom, in Cowtan & Tout fabric.
As the only entertaining space on the main floor, the great room had to work hard without feeling overdesigned. Gibbons laid it out with intention: seating for eleven, including tucked-away stools and a custom ottoman fashioned from a walnut coffee table she repurposed in tailored upholstery.
“I didn’t want the furniture to just fill the room—I wanted it to hold court,” she says. The mood is relaxed but layered, with masculine leather slipper chairs countered by embroidered drapery and scroll-armed lounge seating. Everything is quiet, until you look closer.
One piece, though, has been waiting for its moment. Purchased when Gibbons was in college, the large Flemish mirror traveled through four homes without ever finding the perfect spot—until now. It finally hangs proudly above the fireplace, which she finished with leftover trim sourced on-site, as would’ve been done a century ago.
And while the mirror draws the eye, the television does not: it’s cleverly hidden behind the slipper chairs, mounted like framed art atop the built-in. “I wasn’t about to put a TV over the fireplace,” she says. “This way, the room can be beautiful even when no one’s watching.”
DINING ROOM
A custom mural and vintage pieces make this room a showpiece from the second you walk in.
"I intentionally designed the floor plan to put a formal dining room on display from the front door,” Gibbons says. “It’s the cleanest and prettiest room, so put it front and center!” Wrapped in a custom mural by Paul Montgomery in a palette tailored specifically for the home, the room sets a romantic, almost theatrical tone the moment you step inside.
Vintage dining chairs were reupholstered in faux leather for durability, while the secretary cabinet was lined in silk to give it a dressed-up interior life. “Even if we only use it a handful of times each year, it should still feel like a destination,” Gibbons adds.
FOYER & VESTIBULE
Soft paneling sets a quiet tone in the entry, while just beyond, a salvaged 1800s gas lantern anchors a green-saturated vestibule.
At the center of the home, a fully paneled entry—painted in Benjamin Moore’s Soft Chamois—offers a moment of calm before the color story unfolds. From here, you glimpse every major space, each more layered than the last. “It had to feel quiet, but not forgettable,” Gibbons says.
The vestibule’s standout feature—a verdigris lantern salvaged from an 1800s St. Paul rowhouse—was originally gas-powered. Gibbons had it rewired and installed in her last two homes before finding its perfect perch here, just outside the office. “It’s followed me longer than most furniture,” she says.
PRIMARY BEDROOM
Wrapped in blue-gray and layered in texture, this retreat is built for silence and Sunday naps.
“I live for a rainy day nap…I wanted our bedroom to feel that way: quiet, melodic, divine,” says Gibbons of this tonal retreat. Painted floor to ceiling in Benjamin Moore’s Adagio, the room is a soft fog of blue-gray, warmed by rust accents and layered textures.
Matching drapery and bed curtains in the same fabric quiet the space, while a vintage rug grounds it in a whisper of history. Even the nightstands by Port Eliot feel intentional but unassuming. “It’s not about drama,” she says. “It’s about exhale.”
PRIMARY BATH
Swedish-inspired vanities and marble floors subtly nod to the home’s signature lattice motif.
Gibbons designed the en suite bath with custom vanities inspired by Swedish chests. The floor pairs oversized blue-gray marble tiles with narrow white strips, creating a subtle lattice motif that nods to the home’s architectural language. Over the freestanding tub, an antique painting of the French countryside hangs beneath a tucked-away note from its vendor: Someday, you’ll bring this back to France.
DAUGHTER'S ROOM
A built-in bed nook creates privacy and feels like a comforting hug.
Paint: Cedar Ridge (walls, ceiling) and Hickory Stick (alcove), Benjamin Moore. Bed skirt: Custom, in Colefax and Fowler fabric. Nightstand: Phillip Scott. Bedding: Legacy Linens.
“During construction, the bed nook was going to be framed in—but we pushed the wall back, creating a cozy alcove and gaining extra floor space,” Gibbons says of her oldest daughter’s room. Painted in Benjamin Moore’s Cedar Ridge with a deeper tone inside the niche, the space balances maturity with softness.
Vintage nightstands, pleated shades, and layered linens give it soul, making the bed nook feel like a room within a room. “It’s private, but not shut away,” Gibbons adds. “Just right for a teenager who wants both.”
GIRLS' LOUNGE
A hallway-turned-hangout for three sisters, with a daybed, books, and space to breathe.
Too wide for a hallway and too small for a bedroom, this in-between space was reimagined by Gibbons as a dedicated lounge for her three daughters. A step down from the main hall creates a sense of arrival, while a built-in daybed—complete with bookshelf and charging station—invites sleepovers, scrolling, and sisterly spats alike.
“I didn’t want them disappearing into their rooms,” Gibbons says. “This gives them a space of their own, in the daylight, but still close.” Wallpapered ceilings, custom pillows, and a skirted console packed with art supplies make it feel more Paris pied-à-terre than upstairs landing.
BATHROOM
Purple grasscloth, diagonal Carrara tile, and zero design waste—just how Gibbons likes it.
As the only family member with a private bathroom, Gibbons’ youngest daughter received a space that’s equal parts playful and polished. The vanity, painted in Benjamin Moore’s Mauve Desert, echoes the bedroom walls, while the wallpaper and café curtain fabric coordinate with her bedside lamps for a seamless, storybook feel.
Carrara mosaic tile, set on the diagonal, adds a custom note without the cost, and purple vinyl grasscloth on the cabinetry brings in subtle texture. “I hate waste,” Gibbons says, noting the matte blue-green tile used here was salvaged from a change in kitchen plans. “We made it work—and made it pretty.”
GARDEN SHED
The daughters thought it was for lawn tools—It’s actually a secret clubhouse.
Exterior paint: Swiss Coffee, Benjamin Moore.
This sweet space mirrors the main house in miniature, right down to the Essex Green doors and cedar shake roof. But its purpose? Pure fun. Gibbons told her pop music-obsessed daughters it was for the lawn mower, then surprised them with a secret hangout she dubbed their “Swiftie headquarters.” Tucked just off the veranda, it’s close enough to supervise, but far enough to feel like their own.
Inside, the shed takes cues from a solarium-style breakfast room Gibbons visited as a child. The hand-painted floor cloth—crafted from boat sail canvas and sealed in layers of oil—was sourced from an artisan on Etsy, who tucked a personal note to the girls beneath the surface. A swing hangs near the windows, terra cotta pots line the walls, and the art table, made from a salvaged church pew, anchors the space. “It’s theirs entirely,” Gibbons says. “But I may sneak out there with a book when no one’s looking.”
PATIO
Trimmed in lattice and shaded in cedar, this outdoor space feels like an extension of the living room.
patio
Just off the kitchen and great room, the patio serves as an outdoor extension of the home’s living spaces. Cedar shake, lattice railing, and painted trim echo the architectural language indoors, while comfortable seating and a dining area invite lingering well past dinner. “It’s where we end up on warm nights, with the music low and the lights just starting to glow,” Gibbons says.
GARAGE ENTRY
Lost items go here to be found. Sanity, restored.
garage entry
The garage entry’s small drawers hold everyday essentials like keys and safety pins, while the larger ones are assigned to each daughter. “When I find items all over, I put them in there,” Gibbons says. “If they can’t find something, I say, ‘Go look in your drawer!’” A curved bench with brass-mesh cubbies beneath hides the puppy’s gear, and a blue-gray palette keeps the space feeling calm, even when mornings are not.
About the Designer
Krysta Gibbons is a founding principal of Kipling House Interiors, a Minneapolis-based design firm known for its richly layered, historically grounded spaces. With a background in interior architecture and a passion for storytelling through design, Gibbons specializes in creating homes that feel soulful, personal, and timeless—whether they’re centuries old or newly built.
