Build, Featured, Landscape, Shops, Style

Owners of Serge + Jane Live the California Dream in Edina

by Feroza Mehta | May 2024

Model: Reily Werness; Apparel and accessories: Serge + Jane; Wardrobe styling: Carol Werness. Photos: Chris Emeott

Backyard renovation brings Beverly Hills to Edina.

Oasis: Something provides refuge, relief or pleasant contrast.

That Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines the very essence of Jamie and Casey Carl’s backyard. Once you pass through the horizontal-slatted fence of this home in Edina’s Morningside neighborhood, you are instantly transported from a suburban street to Beverly Hills. The focal point is a white, pristine pool that sits flush to the ground surrounded by a foot of white sparkly marble-like framing on an elegantly manicured lawn. A large deck sits in the background which leads to a beautiful all-season porch with floor-to-ceiling glass accordion doors. The overall effect is jaw-dropping.

The overall vision for the backyard was achieved with the help of Jason Strodl of Adapture Design Studio. Originally from Las Vegas, he lives a few blocks away from the Carls, and works in Minnesota, Las Vegas and California. The Carls say he was the ideal person to achieve their vision of bringing the Southwest to the Midwest. “We thought he was a great partner to try and understand what we were trying to look for in the green simple yard and the flat pool, the cement look to the pool,” Jamie says. The tile around the pool gives a marble effect, but it’s made of cement. “It is just colored cement. It’s meant to look as white as we could get it,” she says. “When you look close, it’s got a little bit of sparkle to it to give it a little bit of texture but to try to make it look cleanly white from a distance.”

“We spent a lot of time in California for spring breaks and breaks from school,” Jamie says. “So we decided to recreate the pieces of California that we love here, even though we can only use them for three months at a time.”

That sentiment is a testament to Jamie and Casey’s personality. The owners of Edina’s Serge + Jane boutique have a certain joie de vivre and live each day to its fullest. Why not build your dream backyard even if you can’t use it in the winter? What matters is it can be used and enjoyed to the fullest in the summertime. Their main source of inspiration was the Beverly Hills Hotel and its iconic palm tree wallpaper.

The Carls love the Beverly Hills Hotel so much that they used the hotel’s licensed wallpaper. “I knew I wanted to use the wallpaper either just in the bathroom if we didn’t have a big enough wall space,” Jamie Carl says. ”But then when we got the wall out there, and that quickly became the wallpaper wall for the palms.”

“The Beverly Hills Hotel’s pool is definitely one of my happy places,” Jamie says. “Casey and I spent a lot of time out there. That hotel and pool is what I was trying to recreate when we started the project.”

It was a project that was years in the making.

“We wanted it to feel like it was a concrete floor a little more to tie into the concrete of the pool, a little more Southern California vibe,” Jamie says. “But we knew we couldn’t do concrete in here and keep it from getting slippery.” Varnish Design determined a chunkier tile wouldn’t have that issue and would give the vibe the Carls wanted.

“We bought the house 17 years ago,” she says. She always wanted a pool, but they kept putting off the decision to install one. “We had a big backyard. During [COVID-19], like most people, we decided to do this … We should have done this 10 years ago. We decided to go for it because this is our forever home.”

Jamie is so happy with the results that she encourages other people who dream about their ideal yard to make it happen. “I wish I would have done it sooner. I definitely would encourage anyone who wants to do it, to do it. It’s been totally worth it.”

Summer Style Trend

Red, White and Blue

“Where 2023 was more about the pastels and definitely transitioning to bubble gum pink with the Barbie movie, 2024 is saturated primary colors—blues, yellows, reds,” Jamie Carl, owner of Serge + Jane, says. “From Memorial Day into the Fourth of July, closing it out with Labor Day, we as Minnesotans get such a short summer period that we always just want to wear the red, white and blue because it feels so summery. That’s a staple for us.”

Chains and Metal

“The ’90s still continues with some of the trends: the low-rise jeans and the belly chains,” Jamie says. “We’re interpreting that as chained belts [and] chunkier chain necklaces. We’re not leaning fully into the belly chains as yet. We find a lot of people don’t want to show their midriffs, so we’re doing it on the outside of the denim.”

She also says mixed metals are in. “In the past, people have been all gold or all silver jewelry,” she says. Look for subtle and delicate bracelets that have a mixture of silver and gold beads.

Serge and Jane Yellow Trench Coat