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lthough it spans 14,528 acres, Lake Minnetonka fits neatly inside this cottage bathroom, thanks to the ingenuity of designer Lucy Penfield and the adventurous spirit of her accommodating clients. “Ellie and Bill are empty nesters who have been dreaming about owning a place on the lake for 20 years. We were honored when they asked us to help them design it,” explains Penfield, principal of Lucy Interior Design of Minneapolis. As a gift of thanks, Penfield presented her clients with a vintage map of Lake Minnetonka that she’d found quite fortuitously – and from there, things began to unfold. “It didn’t occur to us at first, but then the idea hit to turn the map into a one-of-akind design feature as a whole-wall mural in the main floor bathroom.” Working with a Minnesota-based mural workshop, the map was scanned and scaled up before a 3D model of the bathroom was made to ensure proper placement of the legend as well as special locales – including the cottage owners’ bay and the
sites of friends’ nearby homes. “It was important that we didn’t leave out or misfortunately place a spot that was important to them,” Penfield explains. “We cut out the doors and the cabinet to best position their bay so that it would be prominent on the wall.” The mural was printed on highdefinition vinyl for durability, especially important considering the cottage’s proximity to water and its placement in the bathroom. “We chose the highest density, commercial-weighted vinyl so that it would hold up,” she says. “And although it is in a full bathroom with a working shower, it is a secondary bath. It doesn’t get quite the same use as an everyday master so we weren’t as concerned about continual exposure to moisture.” Aside from its Lake Minnetonka map showstopper, which earned Penfield’s firm first place in the specialty room category at the American Society of Interior Designers’ 2016 ASID awards, the cottage also utilizes interesting wallcoverings in the mudroom and the powder room.
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