
From Builder-Basic to Gathering Place: Hidden Creek’s Main-Level Refresh
Some homes ask for a full gut renovation, others simply need the right rooms brought up to the way a family lives now. Our Hidden Creek project in Mendota Heights fell into the second camp, with a scope centered on the three spaces that carry the main level: the kitchen, the powder bath, and the living room fireplace. All-new custom cabinetry runs through each of them, tying the rooms together with a shared palette of warm wood, soft taupe, and aged brass.

The Kitchen



The kitchen sets the tone for the whole project with a two-finish cabinetry story. Perimeter cabinets and the custom hood are painted in Sherwin-Williams Taupe of the Morning, a soft, warm neutral that reads almost creamy against the honed stone. The island brings in contrast with our custom Pecan stained finish on rift white oak, a mid-tone wood that grounds the room, and the same finish carries onto the open gallery rail shelves on the full height cabinet wall.
We trimmed the shelves with Rejuvenation’s traditional gallery rail, with solid brass hand-cast brackets below, so everyday dishes and favorite objects stay put while still feeling collected rather than staged. Cabinet hardware follows the same thread: Royal knobs with rectangular backplates from Tradition Hardware, chosen for their slightly old-world profile.
For the backsplash, we ran Riad Tile’s Natural White 2×6 Bejmat Zellige up the range wall and the coffee station wall, finished with mitered edges for a clean return. The handmade clay tile catches light differently across every piece, which keeps the largely neutral palette from ever feeling dull.
Countertops mix two stones. The perimeter is honed Jet Mist granite, a deep charcoal that anchors the painted cabinetry, while the island and the range wall (including the shelf above the range) are Taj Mahal quartzite, a warm ivory stone with soft movement. Walls throughout the kitchen and adjoining living spaces are Benjamin Moore Baby Fawn.
The Fireplace


In the living room, the fireplace went from afterthought to centerpiece. The new painted stack is finished in Color Atelier lime wash in Old White + Chevre, a matte, velvety treatment that gives the surround depth without pattern, and it sits above a cast stone hearth. On either side, new built-in cabinetry painted in Sherwin-Williams Urbane Bronze frames the fireplace in a deep, smoky bronze that makes the lime-washed plaster feel even softer by comparison.
The Powder Bath

The powder bath is the jewel box of the project. Walls are wrapped in Borastepeter Myrten Wallpaper in Olive, a trailing botanical that gives the small room a point of view. The custom vanity repeats the kitchen island’s Pecan finish, topped with Silestone’s Helix Quarts, so the space feels connected to the rest of the main level rather than an afterthought behind a closed door.
Thank you for following along, we hope you enjoy this reveal as much as we do!
If you’re looking at your home this season and wondering what’s possible, we’d love to talk. Jesse and Katie are now offering 1:1 fifty five minute consulting sessions, to answer all your questions pre demo, or during your big project. Find us here on Build Bar.
If you’re eager to explore even more possibilities for enhancing your home, consider contacting our team to learn more about our design-and-build services.
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