Portfolio"A collector's dream realized in Edina — a complete sunroom addition and whole-home skylight installation designed to bathe a remarkable ancient Chinese art collection in natural light. The homeowner had spent decades assembling rare porcelain, carved panels, scroll paintings, and rosewood furniture, yet the existing rooms were too dim to do the collection justice. MSP Homes designed a vaulted sunroom with floor-to-ceiling arched windows, a hand-crafted pecky cypress ceiling, and six VELUX skylights, transforming the space into a gallery-quality environment that honors both the art and the architecture. The Shannon project is a testament to what happens when architecture serves a specific human purpose."
Sunroom
A Collector's Request
The homeowner had spent a lifetime building one of the most remarkable private collections of ancient Chinese art in the Twin Cities — rare Qing-dynasty porcelain, hand-carved rosewood furniture, silk scroll paintings, and delicate blue-and-white platters that had survived centuries. The one thing the collection lacked was light. The existing rooms were warm and cozy, but the low ceilings and small windows cast everything in shadow. He came to MSP Homes with a single, clear request: bring in more natural light so the art can finally be seen the way it deserves.
Sunroom
Designing the Addition
Scott Palmer's solution was a full sunroom addition off the back of the home — a vaulted, gallery-quality space with floor-to-ceiling arched windows on three sides and a custom pecky cypress ceiling overhead. The arched window forms echo the existing architecture of the brick home, creating a seamless transition between old and new. The vaulted ceiling rises to nearly sixteen feet at the ridge, giving the room an airy, cathedral quality that makes every piece of art feel like it belongs in a museum.
Ceiling Detail
Six Skylights, One Vision
The signature element of the project is the bank of six VELUX skylights set into the pecky cypress ceiling — three pairs that track the sun from morning to late afternoon, flooding the room with shifting, diffused natural light. The skylights were positioned to avoid direct glare on the most fragile pieces while still delivering the luminosity the homeowner had always imagined. Looking up through the cypress planks and timber beams at a rectangle of blue Minnesota sky became one of the most talked-about moments in the finished space.
Living Room
The Living Room Transformation
The adjacent living room received its own skylight upgrade — four additional VELUX units cut into the vaulted ceiling, paired with new exposed timber beams and a refreshed interior. The room now anchors the collection's larger pieces: a monumental ink painting of elephants above the brick fireplace, carved lacquer panels flanking the windows, and a full suite of rosewood seating arranged around a hand-painted blue-and-white centerpiece bowl. The skylights transformed what had been a dark, paneled room into a warm, naturally lit gallery.
Art Collection
Art in Its Best Light
The finished project is a testament to what happens when architecture serves a specific human purpose. The ancient porcelain now glows on its display shelves. The scroll paintings read clearly from across the room. The carved rosewood catches the afternoon light in ways the homeowner had never seen before. What began as a simple request — more light — became a complete reimagining of how a home can honor the things its owner loves most.
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