Meet the Team - LNA Design

Our last entry was all about the scope that we’ll be tackling in our project and the pain points that drove us to make the decision to renovate (you can catch up on that here). Today, I’m excited to introduce you to part 1 of 2 in the team making the project happen. This story begins many years ago, however, at our very first remodel project on the 5400 block of Newton Avenue South.

In 2007, after buying, renovating and selling my first condo on 42nd and Bryant, my newish husband and I purchased our very first single-family home. With a baby on board, we bought a house we could hardly stomach with the intention of expanding it while touching every surface in between. Having never done an addition before, I felt compelled to ask for help. A brief Google search lead me to this image and having read the caption of who the architect was, I gave them a ring.

On the other end of the phone line I found a bubbly residential designer named Susan Nackers who loved working on old homes. She believed in expanding homes in a thoughtful and intentional way that felt authentic and kept with the homes’ original character. She loved the details of the home almost as much as she was detailed in her own design practice and we hit it off at our initial meeting. We’ve gone on to tackle dozens of projects together since - from our personal homes to my husband’s store to clients’ homes, investment properties and beyond. Through each project, Susan has shown me what incredible talent she has - both in design and business - unparalleled professionalism.

Susan and her husband Eric now co-own LNA Design - a boutique residential design firm officing out of the Northrup King Building. They, along with their staff, help Twin Cities homeowners with projects as streamlined as a kitchen or bathroom remodel or as great as sizable additions and custom new construction homes. Their breadth of work ranges from modern and contemporary design to vintage, century old homes. They are often brought in to consult with local design/build firms who need a true specialist to take a design next-level.

Back to the #drexelavenueproject! Susan and Eric worked with us over the course of several years to develop the plans for our home. We wanted to have a ‘master plan’ that would dictate the design of the structure as well as landscape and furnishings as all of these elements go hand in hand. Their process is driven by open communication in addition to understanding a family’s needs and how they live in a home. Many hours were spent sketching and exploring the options before we landed on where the walls would ultimately live.

One of the reasons I love working with Susan and Eric is because of how free-flowing their design process is. It isn’t a presentation style format where they are ‘pitching’ a homeowner on a particular design. Instead it’s a conversation that plays out on sketch paper with ideas flowing freely. Sketching and sketching and re-sketching - Susan draws in three-dimension as you explore different floorpans, elevations and design scenarios. More on the architectural design process in a future post.

We are so grateful to have our partners at LNA Design on board to hold our hands through this process. They’ve been integral in the design phase but continue to be a crucial team player as construction plays out. From development of our permit set to attendees of our weekly construction meetings, on-site with trades to ensure accuracy, working with structural engineering and surveying and advocating for us as homeowners each step of the way - our projects success can be attributed to their level of detail and persistence to see the project through.

To take a tour of some of the incredible projects they’ve completed around town, visit their website at www.lnadesign.com. Have questions and want to reach out to them directly? You can email Susan at susan@lnadesign.com.