at home with francois et moi.

by victoria comment

this is the very lovely, and recently renovated home of blogger Erin of francios et moi and her husband, Ken Francois in the North Loop of Minneapolis. they purchased their charming 1934 Tudor-style home last July and spent late Summer and Fall last year renovating much of the house. erin’s background is interior design (but she’s currently a freelance writer and DIY blogger) and Ken manages commercial construction projects, so naturally the creative couple were looking for a project to sink their design teeth into with their very first home.

The wonderful thing about erin & ken’s house (other than those fantastic curved archways) is that it’s actually a duplex — they live on the 1600 square foot main floor, and are able rent out the apartment upstairs. they wisely chose to purchase a duplex, knowing it would be a great investment in both the short and long term. the couple’s goals for the home were to update the look and feel through bright, crisp finishes (note those beautiful brass kitchen knobs and pulls) and bring the 90-year-old Tudor into the 21st century with smarter, more efficient technology, all the while respecting the time period of the home. they’ve created such a great makeover with beautifully updated fixtures and paint — i’m quite smitten with that bright white kitchen smartly finished with navy trim. you can view some very inspiring before and after photos over on francois et moi. erin loves visually clean, modern spaces that are softened and made approachable by handmade, imperfect pieces, adding soul and a relaxed sensibility, affecting how they interact and feel in their space. i think they’ve done a smashing job of achieving just that!

• all photography by erin francios.