Their kids had flown the nest, but Maggie Strutzel and Greg Hull didn’t want to downsize from their 1930s Tudor in Highland Park.

“My husband likes having a backyard and does not like moving,” says Strutzel, “and I like the architectural details and charm of older homes.”

Still, because the retirees wanted a refresh for this new phase of their lives, they hired architect Meghan Kell to help them with a small addition for a kitchen renovation as well as a separate bathroom renovation on the main floor.

The public can check out the results this weekend: The “Tiny Tudor” will be featured on the AIA Minnesota Homes by Architects Tour on Saturday and Sunday.

The Tudor is part of the 17th annual tour’s new “Small Projects Showcase,” which highlights residential projects 600 square feet or smaller.

Kell, owner and lead architect at Kell Architects of St. Paul, says she hopes this small project will inspire the public in a big way.

“I want them to see that building larger doesn’t necessarily make a better use of space,” Kell says. “With well-thought-out details, small footprints can really sing.”

A cozy kitchen — too cozy

The house on Watson Avenue is where the couple raised their twin daughters and is not “tiny” by most standards at more than 2,000 square feet. Through the years, they finished the basement and worked on the backyard. Located on a corner, they enjoy sitting in their eat-in kitchen and watching the processional of daily life in their neighborhood, from dog-walkers to pedestrians.

But that eat-in kitchen was always a bit … cozy. Too cozy.

“We talked about doing something about the kitchen for a long time — it was older and on the small side,” Strutzel says. “We wanted to do something that would give us more room and more seating. We just wanted to make something really nice so we could enjoy our empty-nest years.”

They knew who to call.

A smidge of square footage

The sidewalk entrance into the backyard of Maggie Strutzel and Greg Hull’s Highland Park home in St. Paul on Friday, Sept, 27. 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

“I happen to live in the neighborhood, not far away,” Kell says. “We have a great relationship with the neighborhood and people in the community and do a lot of projects in that area through word of mouth. They saw I did a neighbor’s house and contacted me to help make the kitchen more livable and remodel the main existing bathroom.”

Kell helped them consider the options for reworking the u-shaped kitchen that was only 8 feet wide by 8 feet deep — with the eat-in area tacked on.

“They loved the eat-in kitchen and wanted to keep it part of the addition,” Kell said. “We studied several schematic layout concepts and the one we all really liked best was bumping it out to the west, toward the street.”

That way, an addition wouldn’t encroach on the backyard that included a patio and a pergola; instead, it would give the nook an even better view of the neighborhood.

How could an addition of just 64 square feet accomplish all they wanted in a kitchen? Think custom cabinetry and more.

“It doesn’t sound like much,” Kell said. “But it bought them a kitchen twice the size they used to have.”

After

Maggie Strutzel and Greg Hull’s St. Paul Highland Park home features a redesigned and expanded kitchen with corner countertop windows. Photographed on Friday, Sept, 27. 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

In the renovation, Kell considered the couple’s different style preferences.

“Greg describes himself as ‘stodgy’ — antiques and crystal chandeliers and beautiful old oil paintings — while Maggie wanted something fresher,” Kell said. “But ‘light filled’ was on both of their lists.”

The new, light-filled kitchen with its white cabinetry and Douglas Fir detailing honors both cooks in the kitchen. Let us give you a tour of the project, which came together with the help of Braden Construction and Eull Woodworks:

Before, the walls were painted a bright, sunshine yellow; real sunshine now floods into the kitchen from the additional windows; their lower-slung profiles and grid patterns giving the space the feel of an English cottage — with Benjamin Moore’s “Shortbread” paint now on the walls, described by the architect as more of a muted color, and officially as “a perfectly baked Scottish teacake — warm, golden and delicious.”

Just like the hearth is the heart of any cottage, the gas cooktop with its custom hood is a focal point in this room.

“It’s a large, wide hood area,” Kell says. “We did it as an architectural element.”

But, since this is still a small space, it can’t just look good — it has to serve multiple purposes.

“We designed hidden storage in the hood surround,” Kell says. “And the paneling on the hood design matches the paneling in the living room.”

The Douglas fir accents here are thanks to the cabinet maker.

“He had a special, old piece of Douglas Fir and he’d been saving it for a special project,” Strutzel said.

This was it.

“He really loved this project,” Kell said.

Not everything is custom, though: Because the still-cozy kitchen doesn’t have enough room for a fixed island, this remodel includes a small, rolling Wayfair island, topped with a butcher block countertop, that can be easily moved out of the way if necessary.

“We painted the base to match the white cabinetry,” Kell says.

The new eat-in area of the kitchen highlights the cabinet maker’s work, with a custom bench designed with storage as well as a custom table designed to fit the space. With a TV on the wall and automated shades, the nook serves as a kind of miniature family room or den; a place for Hull to work on his crossword puzzles or a perch to people-watch.

“You can get the feeling of being outside when you’re still inside,” Strutzel says. “It’s fun to see the neighborhood walk by, all the dogs and people.”

Those passers-by would find it difficult to spot the addition — and that’s by design. The new window detailing mirrors the other windows; the custom-built window boxes match the originals; the stucco is the same.

“I really like harmonizing the newly remodeled spaces with the original character of the house,” Kell says.

Squirrels in the bathroom

The renovated bathroom of Maggie Strutzel and Greg Hull in St. Paul, by Kell Architects. (Round Three Photography / Kell Architects)

The first-floor bathroom, which is Strutzel’s domain as well as a guest bathroom, also got a refresh in this renovation — no addition necessary.

“Before, there was barely room to walk into it,” Kell says. “It’s a very standard St. Paul bathroom with a tub/shower, one sink and a toilet. We just reworked the cabinetry and vanity to make it feel roomier.”

The custom vanity contributes to that open feeling — its sink stands on polished nickel legs, fabricated for this room by Palmer Industries, with a towel rack and open space below for a basket of towels or a wastebasket. It’s accentuated with painted cabinetry for storage.

There’s a grid-style window here, too, and new hexagon tile that plays off the same marble found in the kitchen. A small wooden shelf — an earlier estate-sale find that speaks to Hull’s aesthetic — hangs above the toilet, but the focal point is the wallpaper that Kell helped Strutzel select.

“She loves wallpaper, so I asked her, ‘What sorts of things do you like — do you like flowers, nautical things, do you like wildlife?’ When she said, ‘I love squirrels,’ we found wallpaper with squirrels and other critters in it,’” Kell says.

A gift

With the renovations complete, the couple now has a bit more elbow room to enjoy their retirement, whether on the patio in their backyard or sitting in their kitchen.

“This was a gift they gave themselves,” Kell says of the renovations.

The 17th annual AIA Minnesota Homes by Architects Tour

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When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday

What: A self-guided tour of 12 homes featuring a range of project types, budgets and styles (with two additional homes available to tour virtually).

Admission: General admission is $25 ($35 at the door), with discounted tickets priced at $12 for youth and students (children ages five and under admitted free).

Info/tickets: HomesByArchitects.org