A DIY Farmhouse in Minnesota

Written by Emily Irby

Photography by Andrea Rugg

Styling by Sarah Pollio

This Minnesota country home proves that DIY simplicity can be striking.

Blogger and designer Sarah Pollio of Joinery & Design Co. and her husband Dan’s DIY farmhouse bears the stamp of their design and creativity. When Sarah and Dan designed their dream home west of the Twin Cities, they were the perfect team for the project. To bring their vision to life, they used their creative genius—Sarah’s eye for design and Dan’s woodworking skills. There’s very little in the home that they didn’t have a direct hand in. Their motto, “Creating inspiring spaces together,” rings true throughout each room.

living room with fireplace in Minnesota farmhouse — “This living room is where we spend the most time as a family,” Sarah says. “It gets the most love.” The plush seating and earthy tones of the wood tables and tan leather sofa create a comfortable place for the family to congregate. Ever the smart designer, Sarah hides the television in a built-in cabinet. When not in use, it’s cleverly out of sight.

Earthy Adornments in the DIY Farmhouse

Although their home has modern elements, like the sleek black window frames and concrete fireplace, it never feels cold or too contemporary. In fact, it’s the design’s simplicity that allows for the natural, warm elements to shine through, like the recurring white oak and leafy greenery that often comes directly from the property. “I love going out and cutting branches,” Sarah says. “I try to bring in as much real greenery as possible.”

den seating area high contrast in minnesota diy farmhouse — Sarah and Dan use this den as their main office, and it’s not hard to see why—the bright morning sun through the tall windows makes the room cheery and inviting. Because the space gets so much natural light, Sarah played around with a darker accent wall color. “We thought it added charm and warmth to the room,” she says.

kitchen with large window in minnesota diy farmhouse — The home’s open concept allows the kitchen and living room to flow seamlessly into each other. “It allows light to move in,” Sarah says. “We love windows and light.” The grand eight-foot-wide window over the kitchen sink offers views of the back of their picturesque property.

Reworking it in a DIY Farmhouse

In the dining room, a light oak table shows off a few ceramic jugs, and a single plant and cool-toned rug account for the entirety of the floor décor. The walls are simple, and Sarah goes with a neutral color scheme that plays with texture and dimension. The two twin paintings in the room are DIY artwork by Sarah herself. She repurposed two canvas paintings she no longer cared for and painted over them with white.

minnesota farmhouse dining room wooden beams and wishbone chairs — The dining room is understated and timeless. With minimal décor, the eye goes right to the striking architectural details, like the floor-to-ceiling planking and centered window. “One of the things we love is the big black window that pulls your eye through the whole room,” Sarah says.

Her ingenuity for repurposing doesn’t stop at artwork. In the kitchen, Sarah took an old metal console table and turned it into a shelf that now hangs on the wall and holds dishes. The dark metal accents in the home don’t feel harsh because the rest of the details, like clay pots, light wood and perfectly worn vintage rugs, balance the cold with warmth.

Of course, Sarah’s choices aren’t just for aesthetics. As a mother of four, she has to keep practicality in mind as well, which is why the kitchen island is not only eye-catching but large enough to seat the entire family and has handy drawers crucial for extra storage space.

Dan designed the large white-oak kitchen island so it would fit all six family members. The bright white tiled walls and Carrara marble countertops balance the darker brass and black hardware details.

Shaping Up

In the same way that Sarah blends cool with warm and light with dark, she also plays with a variety of shapes and patterns. The planks of the patio deck and the handmade tile backsplash in the primary bathroom couldn’t be more different. Yet they’re both herringbone, a pattern that Sarah considers “a staple in our home.”

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Because of Sarah’s cohesive design, the deck is a clear extension of the rest of the home. “We decided to go with a nontraditional approach with the herringbone design and modernized it with the black metal railing,” she says.

The black ceramic tile of the mudroom has very little resemblance to the white tiled floor of the bathroom, except that they both are made of hexagonal shapes, again showing Sarah’s creative use of pattern. It’s a subtle way to tie a home’s design together while also mixing up the design in each room.

mudroom in minnesota diy farmhouse — The mudroom is practical, and as Sarah puts it, “a space that our family uses for unloading.” A bench for pulling off boots and handy coat hooks was a DIY project. The ceramic hexagon tile and steel door with the gold kick plate, also a DIY project, ensure that the room is anything but ordinary.

master bedroom with shiplap walls and elk antler decor — Sarah and Dan’s bedroom is comfy with a hint of country. She thrifted the elk antlers from an antiques store, and they go perfectly with the shiplap walls.

If Sarah’s DIY chicken coop seems as attractive as her home, it’s no accident. “We worked in similar design elements that we used in the house,” she says. She’s even shared the plans for her design with her online followers to recreate in their own yards.

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