Katie Querna lives in a 1923 craftsman-style bungalow in the Standish neighborhood of Minneapolis. She is only the 3^rd owner of the home, and the last owner lived there for 75 years. While it’s not quite a time capsule home, Katie and the previous owners have preserved many original details. 

Katie’s living room with the wrap-around, down-filled sectional is a mix of styles and eras. Photos by Jon Carnes

There’s the stunning built-in buffet in the dining room, the blonde wood kitchen cabinets, Formica counters, wood paneling on the walls in the kitchen, basement, and bedroom, and wallpaper throughout most of the first floor. Orange and yellow shag carpet remains on the floor in the basement, adding to the definitively 70s vibes of that space.   

The wood paneling and shag carpeting give the basement distinctly 70s vibes. Photos by Jon Carnes

“It’s very precious for me to live in this home. I consider my home a living, breathing being, and I want to be a steward and a good friend of both the home and the land,” says Katie.

The downstairs bathroom with a green vintage sink, green vintage toilet, and vintage mirror that Katie added after she moved in. Photos by Jon Carnes

Her style is a mix of mcm, 70s, and 80s

Katie’s style is an eclectic, eye-catching mix of midcentury modern, 70s, and 80s. A large, pale-pink-striped, down sectional wraps around the living room. It’s paired with an off-white laminate end table and coffee table, clearly relics of the 1980s. Nearby, a midcentury modern turquoise armchair sits next to a midcentury lamp table with a built-in slot for magazines. Plants and brass accents abound, like a brass and glass shelf filled with photos and tchotchkes.

Like many Craftsman bungalows, the living room and dining room are connected. This photo is taken from the dining room, which Katie has left open for dancing. Photos by Jon Carnes

When asked where she gets her inspiration, Katie names a few Instagram accounts she follows, like @the _80s_interior,  @the_60s_interior, and @vintagebathroomlove.

I describe my style as a high femme, a mix of midcentury modern, 70s, and 80s. It is very colorful and very vulvar,” says Katie, drawing an appreciative laugh from me. “I want people to walk in and feel warm, welcome, and cared for. I wanted my home to have fun shit and whimsy.”

In case you’re wondering what a “vulvar” space looks like, there’s a lot of pale pink, soft textures, curving shapes, and of course, depictions of the female form. After complimenting Katie on a print, she points out a clay incense holder in the shape of a vulva, a gift from a friend. Then, there’s the iconic pillow that sits on the bed in her guest bedroom: the pillow depicts a naked man and woman with 3-dimensional breasts and a penis. Katie bought the pillow at an estate sale in Deephaven, MN.

The guest room with vintage curtains, furniture, and Katie’ iconic naked man and woman pillow. Photos by Jon Carnes

The palette throughout is pale pink, mint green, turquoise, and yellow. There are a plethora of mirrored surfaces, including a plant stand in her dining room, a screen-printed flower mirror in the hallway, and the stunning slat mirrors that hang in her dining room and basement. A vintage Lucite bar cart sits adjacent to her acrylic plant shelves, made to be installed over windows. In her office, a smoked glass and brass vintage chandelier hangs above her matching rattan chair and ottoman. 

The stunning slat mirror in Katie’s dining and a mirrored plant stand with some delightfully 80s pastel faux plants. Photos by Jon Carnes

The other bedroom on Katie’s first floor is her office space. Photos by Jon Carnes

In stewarding her home, Katie has added several original midcentury modern appliances and fixtures. In her kitchen, she installed a pink, vintage sink and a brown vintage stove (which was supposed to be pink), both of which she found on Facebook Marketplace. She recently acquired a vintage fridge, which she painted pink with epoxy paint. She took her paint color to Sherwin Williams mix the epoxy paint to match her chosen color.

Katie’s vintage pink sink and brown electric stove. The stove was supposed to be pink, but when it arrived on her doorstep, it was very clearly brown. Such is the Facebook Marketplace game. Photos by Jon Carnes

The cabinets, Formica counters, and floral wallpaper were all there when Katie moved in. Photos by Jon Carnes

Don’t be afraid to DIY

Katie isn’t afraid of a little DIY. A huge piece of art depicting a beach scene—it’s roughly 6 feet by 6 feet—sits behind her sectional. The art is a clever and relatively easy DIY: it’s a shower curtain that Katie built a frame for. Then there’s the glass bulb chandelier that hangs in her living room. She saw something similar on Pinterest and decided to try her hand at it. 

Katie’s glass bulb chandelier that she DIYed. It doesn’t have lights in it, but it more than makes up for its whimsy and elegance. Photos by Jon Carnes

“I look at Anthropologie and Pinterest and see cool stuff, and I think I bet I can make that,” says Katie.

She both can and does, although some projects are easier than others. One super-easy DIY Katie suggests is painting your light switch covers. Ditto your heat vents. Truly, all you need is a can of spray paint and the covers. Katie has created a splatter paint effect on hers, but you can paint the covers a solid color, like gold, pink, or black. 

Her pandemic project: DIY terrazzo floors

A much more involved, but impressive DIY Katie tackled was creating a terrazzo-style floor in her bedroom. After accepting a new job, Katie, who has a Ph.D. in social work, moved into her home in June 2019. She tore out most of the old carpet, which was filled with dust and dander, including the carpet in her upstairs bedroom. 

The stairs that lead up from the dining room to her upstairs bedroom. Photos by Jon Carnes

“It was a beige tile floor underneath, and I was like BARF,” says Katie. “This was during the beginning of the pandemic, and I looked at a zillion options online. And then I thought, is there a way to terrazzo this? I found ONE person who had done it to her bathroom floor. I thought, I bet I can figure this out. It’s essentially painting, then chucking cute confetti on it, putting a sealant on, sanding, and then adding more sealant.”

Katie has created a cozy, comfortable space to read and recharge. Pictures of her beloved dachshund, Willie, who passed away, decorate this room and her home. Photos by Jon Carnes

If you’re unfamiliar with terrazzo, BobVila.com states, “Originating in the Mediterranean region several hundred years ago, terrazzo—which means ‘terrace’ in Italian—was made by pressing stone chips into the surface of natural clay and then sealing it with goat’s milk for mosaic-like appeal. Eventually, cement replaced clay, and bits of glass and painted tile found their way into the surface of this ornate flooring.” 

You’ve likely seen terrazzo surfaces in some midcentury modern homes, but also hospitals, schools, and even vet offices. The finish is durable and easy to clean. BobVila.com further states, “Terrazzo floors are nothing short of stunning, as bits of shiny aggregate catch the light and create a shimmering effect. Natural stone chips, such as marble, granite, and quartz, are top choices for a terrazzo finish, but other types of aggregate are also used, including glass pebbles, synthetic chips, and silica bits in an endless array of colors.” 

Because of the palette in Katie’s house, she wanted fun, bright colors for her confetti/aggregate/paint chips. What she found online was mostly for garages, so it was typically masculine colors, like greens, browns, and blacks. She finally found someone in Canada who made some custom paint chip mixes for terrazzo floors. 

However, most terrazzo has a shiny element to it, too. So, Katie decided to add bits of shell, like abalone or mother-of-pearl. She started calling professional garages to ask about their paint chip suppliers. Then, she had the idea to contact nail supply stores, because when you get your nails done, they sometimes add these chips to the polish. However, the stores didn’t have enough stock for her project. 

Still determined, Katie realized she needed to contact the suppliers for the nail salons. Finally, she found enough shell chips to add to her terrazzo confetti.

Then she found her paint color, Bubble Turquoise by Behr. She did three coats of turquoise floor paint. Then, a friend from her pandemic pod helped her paint the fourth coat and add the confetti. Basically, they painted a line, then chucked the paint chip/confetti in the air, then added another line of paint, and threw more confetti mix in the air. 

“You have to be so careful, so you don’t literally paint yourself into a corner,” says Katie. 

The mural on Katie’s floor with the DIY terrazzo floor. Photos by Jon Carnes

It took them about a day. Next, they did two coats of ultra-matte polyurethane, let it dry, and then sanded it. Then, two more coats of poly. Katie also saved a small strip near the stairs to paint a mural on. She used tape to keep the edges clean and put a gloss poly coat on top. The whole process took her about 4-4.5 months.

Katie’s amazing DIY terrazzo-style floor in her main bedroom. You can also see a splatter-painted floor vent, another Katie DIY. Photos by Jon Carnes

Only DIY if it’s a fun project

If you’re thinking about tackling a DIY project, Katie recommends you reflect on your motivation for the project. Are you excited to tackle the project and use your creativity? If so, do it. If you’re not excited, can you outsource the project, or skip it entirely? Maybe enlisting the help of a friend or family member would help it seem more fun?

Katie also recommends keeping the style of your home in mind. Katie’s remodeling and DIYing has added midcentury character back to her home. She had her main bathroom remodeled with vintage pink and black tile and added a period-correct medicine cabinet. 

The vintage medicine cabinet and peek of the pink and black tile. The pink prism shower curtain is from Quiet Town. It’s sold out in pink currently, but Quiet Town has green and clear. Photos by Jon Carnes

That’s not to say you can’t add more modern elements. Certainly, Katie’s house is a mix of styles and eras. In her bathroom, she had her handywoman add a modern niche to house her shampoo and soap. 

Katie’s shower niche and her beautiful vintage-inspired tile installation. Photos by Jon Carnes

Skip the dining room table, so you can dance

Which brings us to Katie’s next piece of advice, it isn’t novel, but it doesn’t make it any less true: think about how you’re going to use your space. Katie’s dining room floor is open; there’s no dining table. It was a deliberate decision Katie made. 

The gorgeous built-in buffet and Murano glass chandelier in Katie’s dining room. Katie can still dance freely and do handstands under the chandelier. Photos by Jon Carnes

“I thought how annoying it would be walk around a table all the time. I live in this space, and I want it to work for me,” Katie says. “I knew I wanted a space for dancing. The dining room is where I dance. I have a table downstairs that I bring up when friends come over to eat.”

The gorgeous Murano glass chandelier in the dining room was also selected to accommodate Katie’s dancing. 

“Even with that chandelier, I get a little nervous doing a handstand underneath. But I knew I was going to do handstands, which is why I picked a flush mount chandelier,” says Katie. 

The acrylic bar cart. Photos by Jon Carnes

The chandelier is one of her favorite items in her home. She also loves the built-in buffet, the slat mirrors, the Lucite bar cart, her refurbished fridge, and the window plant shelves.

Katie painted this vintage fridge herself. Photos by Jon Carnes

“I get a lot of compliments on the window shelves. I bought them from a wonderful seller on Etsy,” says Katie.

Katie bought her acrylic window shelves from a seller on Etsy. Photos by Jon Carnes

Good neighbors and green space are important 

Community is important to Katie. She enjoys having people over and spending time with her friends and neighbors. Though she was new to Minnesota when she moved into her home, she landed in a wonderful neighborhood. 

“Everyone is super connected, engaged, and kind,” says Katie. 

During the pandemic, they gathered to sing outside nightly. They also have a monthly sauna night at Lake Nokomis in the winter. One neighbor is an opera singer, and the neighbors try to attend a performance together every year. 

“It’s a cool neighborhood, near parks and transportation,” says Katie. “It’s also close to vintage stores and other queers, what else do I need?”

A few nearby vintage stores Katie likes are Southside Vintage and Carousel & Folk. She also shops at Find Furnish in Northeast Minneapolis and Wild Things Collective in Fridley. The vintage lover has also found many treasures at estate sales, Facebook Marketplace, Legacy Thrift, and Empty the Nest. 

The picture on the left is Katie with her beloved, Willie, and on the right, a painting of Willie. Photos by Jon Carnes