Turning that vision into reality started with identifying the details that made the original Tudor feel unmistakably like home — the foundation of every historic home design decision that followed.

Among the features the Minneapolis homeowners chose to recreate were:

• Original-style archways
• Traditional crown molding
• Narrow-plank hardwood floors that reflected the home’s 1930s craftsmanship

Warm wood tones, brass hardware, classic tile, and traditional cabinetry tied the revived details together, allowing each room to feel both timeless and lived in.

Preserving the home’s character also meant holding on to newer additions — additions that, though not from the 1930s, still felt like part of its story. Shortly before the fire, Jessie had remodeled one of the family’s bathrooms. She’d carefully selected tile she loved, but that room had barely begun to feel lived in before it was lost.

“I actually ended up picking a lot of that same tile to kind of keep what we had, to make it feel like home and how we’d originally designed it. Ruby & Suede was great about that.” — Jessie B, Minneapolis Homeowner

Designing for the Future

While many selections looked to the past, the redesign also created opportunities to add features the family had always wanted. New glass doors opened the home office, allowing natural light to spill into the space while maintaining the home’s traditional feel. Built-in cabinetry surrounding the fireplace added both warmth and storage, and two oversized islands created room for cooking, gathering, and hosting without sacrificing the home’s classic character.

Want to see the transformation? Browse the photos in our portfolio: Oakland Avenue.

By the time construction was complete, familiar details lived side-by-side with thoughtful updates, coming together to create a house that already looked and felt remarkably like home.

“I mourned the loss of our house right away in the beginning, and then I quickly moved all my effort into rebuilding and making this a home.”  — Jessie B, Minneapolis Homeowner

Redesigning a home meant making hundreds of decisions, many of them while life outside the project refused to slow down. Jessie and her husband were both working full-time. Two young boys still needed to get to school, activities, and everything else that comes with raising an active family. Somewhere in the middle of all of it, they also had to choose paint colors, tile, fixtures, cabinetry, and countless other details that would shape the home they were rebuilding.

Having someone to shoulder much of that responsibility changed everything.

“What I loved about working with Shelby at Ruby & Suede is that she was the project manager for us.” — Jessie B, Minneapolis Homeowner

Shelby became the family’s point of contact, working closely with Highmark Builders’ construction project manager to keep the project moving behind the scenes. Questions found answers before they became problems. Paint schedules were organized. Product selections were documented. Communication flowed between the design team, the builders, and the homeowners, allowing the family to focus on making decisions instead of coordinating everyone involved.

“Shelby was great about making sure we weren’t overwhelmed with decisions,” Jessie recalls. “All I would have to do is pick the tile out, and then she would do all the communication and create our paint schedule. She even made a whole Excel spreadsheet for us.”

And rather than steering Jessie and her husband toward predetermined choices, Ruby & Suede presented options, explained the reasoning behind each recommendation, and helped them make decisions that fit both their vision and their budget. Throughout the process, the Minneapolis family could confidently say that recommendations felt nothing at all like they were coming from someone just trying to sell a product — instead, they came as advice from people who wanted the home to last. More than that, they came from a genuine partner.

“We just felt like we trusted them because they would give options. We never felt pressured into anything.” — Jessie B, Minneapolis Homeowner

Perhaps best of all were the two other little partners Shelby made sure to include. The boys came along on walkthroughs, answered questions about what they liked, and watched their future home gradually come together one room at a time. Their opinions were welcomed alongside their parents’ — which, as Jessie laughed, sometimes meant selecting from a secretly pre-approved list of paint colors curated by Mom and Shelby. 😉

“It was nice, feeling like we had all built it together.” — Jessie B, Minneapolis Homeowner

Every walkthrough and every small opportunity to participate reinforced the idea that the finished house belonged to the whole family. Rebuilding became something they could share together.

Move-in day marked the end of a long journey, but stepping through the front door didn’t feel unfamiliar.

“I was so integrated into the design of the house that it already felt like mine when I stepped in, that first move-in day.” — Jessie B, Minneapolis Homeowner

Every archway, every tile, every paint color, and every room reflected choices the family had made together. Nothing felt accidental. Every detail had a story behind it, making the rebuilt Tudor feel immediately familiar from the moment they crossed the threshold.

For a family whose greatest hope was simply to make their house feel like home again, there may not have been a better ending.

Today, Jessie remembers far more than paint colors and tiles. She remembers having someone to turn to whenever the path ahead felt uncertain, and she remembers a team that never left her to shoulder the project on her own.

“It was just comforting to have an expert who knows what to do next.” — Jessie B, Minneapolis Homeowner

Preserving the character of a beloved home requires more than good design. It requires people willing to listen, collaborate, and carry a shared vision from the very first conversation to the day the family walks back through the front door.

For this homeowner, Ruby & Suede and the rest of the Highmark team became exactly that.

“Every home has a story worth preserving. Contact Ruby & Suede to start designing a space that honors your home’s unique character today.”