Now added to my list of top-10 time capsule houses of all time: This mind-blowingly exquisite 1955 midcentury modern home in Minneapolis — the William and Irma Dale/Victor House –designed by acclaimed architect Carl Graffunder for his sisterĀ and family, who were owners of a local tile shop. And their tile shop must have been something indeed, because for this home, they created some of the most beautiful tile installations I have ever seen. Tile is featured in every room — beautifully — complemented by glowing woodwork, including loads of pecky cypress. This house is going on the market today — co-listed by Scott Acker and Bruce Erickson of Coldwell Banker Burnet. It’s not even on the MLS quite yet! AND: Thanks to our wonderful friends at Spacecrafting, we have 69 photos to show you. Get ready — this one is amaaaazing!
- PHOTO VIEWING TIP: You can click on any photos in this story and they should double in size on screen. Keep clicking on the photo you have enlarged and all the photos should play like a slide show.
From the listing for this midcentury modern marvel:
The William and Irma Dale/Victor House
Significant mid-century modern jewel by acclaimed architect Carl Graffunder, designed for his sister and family – owners of a local tile shop. This case study home is a one-of-a-kind property thatās available for sale to the public for the first time in history. Exquisite period details, extraordinary tile work – including vintage mosaics and integrated shuffle board court, walls of glass, post & beam wood ceiling, cantilevered tile wrapped fireplace, hand crafted built-inās and sweeping views of Diamond Lake. Listed in the AIA Guide to the Twin Cities, this centrally located, meticulous architectural home seamlessly blends the indoors with the outdoors and offers a Zen-like lifestyle.
BEDROOMS 4 BATHROOMS 3 GARAGE STALLS 2 ACREAGE .29 BUILT 1955 FSF 3,242 DIAMOND LAKE VIEWS
The house is on the market for $719,000.
Above: I hereby predict that these kitchen photos will inspire hundreds of kitchen designs across American in months to come!
And remember: This was 1955! Such a forward thinking home!
Above: We can’t even imagine how expensive it would be to replicate a fireplace like this today.
And those ceilings! Not only beautiful, but all that tile could be quite loud — the wood everywhere else soaks up the sound. Tile: also cold. Wood: warm.
Yikes! This is a two story wall of tile flanking the staircase! Can you imagine the patience that would have been required to install this wall of tile!
Above: Here’s the staircase where that two-story wall of mosaics sits!
Above; Again, note the two-story mosaic tile wall (on the left, heading downstairs.) And YES: That is a mosaic tile shuffleboard!
Wow: We love how the accent wall of small mosaics — it reads like a headboard in this bedroom.
Yes, we’d love to see the floor plan. It looks like much of the storage is built in — lovely!Ā
This bathroom: It sure inspires me. Lookie that colorful mosaic in the loo!
Above: Okay, now we are downstairs. I’ll shut up now.
Link love:
- View the listing, co-listed by Scott Acker and Bruce Erickson of Coldwell BankerĀ Burnet here.Ā
- Thank you so much (!) Spacecrafting — photos byĀ Nathan Treanor — for the amazing photos and permission to show them. Mike and Anthony and Nathan, you rock our world!
Hey, rememberĀ this Minneapolis midcentury marvel time capsule house from a few years ago? Photos also by Spacecrafting. So far, it has been our most popular time capsule house ever! Big question: Will this tile house masterpiece beat it??
We have 69 photos in all! View the slide show:
Tips to view slide show: Click on first image… it will enlarge and you can also read my captionsā¦ click anywhere to move forward and look for previous and next buttons within photo to move back or forth… you can start or stop at any image:āØ
pam kueber says
I think that the house is already in the hands of the second owners — and they only made a few minor changes! Other good news — midcentury modern is very popular again, so I will guess this house will surely find appreciative buyers!
David says
Shortly after this home was built in 1955 a brochure was made advertising the practical uses of tile not just in kitchens and bathrooms but throughout the home. Below is a link to the brochure. Enjoy!! https://carlgraffunder.wordpress.com
pam kueber says
wowowowowo! Thank you for sharing this!
David says
Feel free to share this as an appendix to the article above! So much fun to see them and now and how it hasn’t changed at all!! And the cations to all the photos in the brochure are so great š
pam kueber says
Thank you! When I get a moment I will add it to the story — thank you!
jenna says
i long to be wealthy enough to buy this. what a gorgeous home. i live in the neighborhood and constantly admire it. what a dream it would be.
betsy says
I love the bathroom and especially the colorful mosaic tie.
I have a minty green tile in my bathroom and was thinking about taking it out but now I don’t think so. I’s lasted since the 60’s and looks great. Love the house and all the tile.
Nancy says
That shuffleboard court reminds me of the first home I grew up in. It had vinyl tile on the basement floor, and on one side, the tile was done up in a shuffleboard pattern.
I wonder if shuffleboard floors were a thing back in the day.
pam kueber says
Yes, they were, see our stories: https://retrorenovation.com/search-results/?q=shuffleboard
hyla9 says
Wow! Brilliantly conceived, perfectly executed, and with impeccable taste. The proportions of wood to tile, of large scale to medium scale to small scale, of one colour played against another… is perfectly balanced.
pam kueber says
Agreed!
Kris says
Just wanted to say I grow up in this house. It was not cold or loud, I’m the youngest of five. In the winter the lower level had radiant heat, I am still bear foot in life because my feet are always hot. The up stairs was such, that because of how the windows and over hang where, that in the winter the sun came in almost all the way down the hall to the main back bed room. It would warm up so that heat wouldn’t come on till long after the sun went down.
Thank you for so many great pics, I relived my childhood looking.
Mary Elizabeth says
And thank you, Kris, for sharing your memories of living in the house.
Debra says
Thank you for sharing your memories with all of us!
Virginia says
Wow, according to the article, those cabinets are all original! I assumed they had to be new, partly because they look so great and partly because they just don’t read “1955” to me. They’ve held up incredibly well, both physically and in terms of style.
pam kueber says
Yup: 1955!
Mike says
Holy Smackdown, Batman, the tonnage of grout in that house has gotta be in the triple digits! Yeah, while design languages have changed, the modular look still rocks today. And those low-angle cathedral ceilings are as much in vogue today as they were then. In face, we live in a house with cathedral ceilings, and you just can’t beat ’em for the feeling of openness. Coolness, this.
Kit says
Love the house, but even more, I love not feeling like such a weirdo and out of place for speaking up about liking such (sometimes) overdone crazy designs! Thanks to this place! Gosh, that is the house of my dreams! I am happy in my more traditional 1959 brick ranch, but that is the stuff my dreams are made of! Not the price though, gulp! Which is why I am happy in my more traditional 1959 brick ranch! At least it’s mostly original and in really good shape.