Build, Featured, Interior Design, Landscape

Fluidesign Studio Creates Serenity on the Shore

by Jennifer Pitterle | Sep 2025

Left: On the main level, floor-to-ceiling windows bring the outdoors in.

On the main level, floor-to-ceiling windows bring the outdoors in. Photos: Fluidesign Studio

Peek into a Dellwood family’s year-round home and lakeside retreat, all in one.

When Jake and Patty Gibbs started designing their lake home in Dellwood, they had a unique advantage: They intimately knew the land. “About 12 years ago, we bought our lakefront property,” Patty says. “We primarily used it as our summer cabin.” The couple, who lived in nearby Hugo, loved that they could drive just 10 minutes for a getaway—including sailing, swimming, wake surfing and waterskiing—with their now 18-year-old daughter, Georgia.

In 2020, the family decided to sell their home in Hugo and move to Dellwood full time, knowing they’d need a full teardown to bring the home into the 21st century.

Patty and Jake reached out to Mahtomedi’s Fluidesign Studio to get the project started in early 2021. Fluidesign is an intentionally small firm, so owner Shelly Lindstrom and design partner Carrie Steiger can be hands-on with every project. “We start from the initial design concept, work with the architect, work with the landscape architect, work with the builder,” Lindstrom says. “We’re designing the whole building with details in mind.”

Initial Challenges

Before any design work could be done on the Gibbs home’s interior, it was all hands on deck to figure out the footprint of the house. Landscape designer Alyson Landmark, of Southview Design, had the daunting task of fitting the house “into a site with an almost 20-foot grade change and numerous restrictions,” she says. Because the property needed a new septic system—and had to conform to modern building codes—it was a true puzzle.

A cozy fire pit looks out onto White Bear Lake.

Once those initial storms were weathered, Landmark took pride in designing the home’s hardscaping and gardens. Unable to build a patio due to hardcover surface limits, the team opted for artfully placed Adirondack chairs around a fire pit, making a cozy seating area in the backyard. A terrace extends from the home’s lower level into the yard, making a smooth transition from indoor to out and hiding the septic field.

Life on the Water

That indoor-outdoor connection became the focus of the home. Lindstrom says the main “function question” was, “How does this house take in guests and funnel them out to the lake?” Entering the home on the nonlake side, visitors can immediately take the stairs down to the lower level, which opens to the backyard and the lake. “There’s a mudroom down there with a washer and dryer for towels and swimsuits and a kitchenette,” Lindstrom says. A bathroom with a full shower allows guests to rinse off sand and sunscreen. Penny round floor tile and sea-blue cabinets give the bathroom a classic feel.

The home embraces a neutral and elevated take on the nautical theme.

Nautical touches are woven through the lower level: deep blue cabinets in the bar area and accent pieces—like a brass fish sculpture and a painting of a girl near the water—that nod to the lake itself. In the bar, the design team chose a whitewashed wood ceiling, which turned out to be one of Lindstrom’s favorite features. To avoid the nautical aesthetic feeling too “theme-y,” Lindstrom and Steiger focused on subtle details and a bit of local history. “The house isn’t far from the White Bear Yacht Club, so we borrowed some of those traditional blues and whites and wood tones,” Lindstrom says. Brass light fixtures echo boats’ swinging lanterns.

The design of the lower level bar area nods to White Bear Yacht Club, with deep blue cabinets and brass accents.

Rooms With a View

On the main level, floor-to-ceiling windows are a centerpiece. “For guests, [the windows] provide a panoramic lake view from the minute they come in the front door. For our family, it allows us to enjoy the lake all day, every day,” Patty says.

The kitchen features warm wood tones, with wooden posts and beams made from rift-sawn white oak.

The living room, dining area and kitchen are delineated by wooden posts and beams, made from rift-sawn white oak that’s cut so the grain is tight and subtle. “The main level has those clean lines and warm wood tones,” Lindstrom says. “We also focused on texture in the trim details.”

A three-season porch creates an intimate gathering area for lakeside lounging.

A three-season porch is Jake’s favorite space in the house. “It’s just the perfect place to work or relax,” he says. “It has a great view of the lake but provides privacy as well.”

“The porch is amazing, but I love my pantry,” Patty says. The pantry features classically milled cabinets in a deep blue and a combination of closed and open shelving and drawers.

The pantry is owner Patty Gibbs’ favorite part of the home and features classically milled cabinets.

Upstairs, one bedroom features a cozy reading nook with windows that overlook the lake and a cottage-style pitched roof. Spots like these allow the Gibbs family to find the tranquility they dreamed of in a lake home. “The house provides spaces where we can spend time together as a family and also spaces we can each escape to,” Patty says. “Lake life is active and social, and there’s a great sense of community. We enjoy being a part of it.”