Photos: Chris Emeott
A Stillwater artist and her family design a grand experiment in multigenerational living.
Debra Korluka is an expert at weaving together spirituality, experiences and art. In fact, her art is specifically spiritual. The Stillwater artist specializes in Byzantine iconography, an art form that features images (icon is a Greek word for “image”) of Christ and other sacred figures, typically painted with rich colors and intricate patterns. “Being an Orthodox Christian, I prayed before the icons and felt the mystery of holiness in the personages depicted,” Korluka says. She started learning about the practice of iconography in the 1970s, first studying under a priest at St. Mary’s Orthodox Church in Minneapolis and then abroad in Eastern Europe.
Korluka, a second-generation Slavic American, has a bachelor’s degree in medical technology (plus a minor in art history) and worked for many years as a medical technologist. In the late 1990s, she decided to pursue art full time, leading pilgrimages to Russia and Ukraine and painting commissions for various churches and private clients. She also teaches classes from her home studio and at St. George Greek Orthodox Church in St. Paul and the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis.
The process of creating (or “writing”) an icon is a deeply spiritual practice. “I can’t use my own liberty for creation,” Korluka says. “I have to work on becoming more empty to the energies of God and work within the traditional elements of Byzantine iconography.”
Now, Korluka is weaving new generations into the rich fabric of her home life, as she embarks on a multigenerational living adventure.
Her studio—part gallery, part workshop, part classroom—is one of the beautiful spaces in the Stillwater home she shares with her husband, Alexander, and the next generations of their family: daughter Nicole Emmanoulakis and her husband, Ronnie Emmanoulakis, and their three sons, Alexander (8), Anthony (7) and Andreas (4).
“My son-in-law, Ronnie, really fell in love with our place and wanted it to stay in the family,” Korluka says. “That’s when we started investigating the possibility of rebuilding this into a multigenerational home.” Could they design a house where grandparents, children and grandchildren could all coexist, reaping the benefits of caring for each other and making memories?
The answer was yes.
A Lasting Home
The 1989 Stillwater property, where Nicole and her brother, Robert, were raised, is more than just a home for humans. “We have horses,” Korluka says with a smile. The family enjoys riding and caring for the creatures together—and Korluka has even worked on equine art. One of the perks of building a home for three generations, she says, is the security in knowing someone will always be there to care for the animals. “We can travel, or [Nicole and Ronnie] can travel, and things are taken care of at home.”
Nicole and Ronnie had dreamed of calling Stillwater home again. They met at a friend’s wedding in town, but Nicole was living in Chicago, and Ronnie in his native Sweden. When they married and started their own family, they built a smaller home in Stillwater. “But I realized we were having dinner with my parents four days a week,” Nicole says with a laugh. “Eventually, we decided to figure out an addition and end up here all together. My parents do not ever have to leave.”
Collaborative Living
The two couples worked with an architect to design the new home, using much of the existing footprint, while adding more than 2,000 square feet. Construction took a little over a year, and all seven members of the household officially moved in together in May 2022. Ronnie and Nicole were primarily in charge of the new layout, since they plan to stay rooted for many decades to come.
Most of the living spaces, including the kitchen, are shared, while there are separate bedroom wings for Debra and Alexander and for Nicole, Ronnie and their sons. “We didn’t want my in-laws to feel removed,” Ronnie says. “We didn’t want their space to have a separate entrance or anything. This is still their home.” An open staircase helps the spaces flow together seamlessly, and the younger family unit was able to build some more intimate living areas (like a TV space and a playroom for the children) into their own wing.
From left to right: Nicole and Ronnie Emmanoulakis, Alexander and Debra Korluka, Andreas, Alexander and Anthony Emmanoulakis with their dogs Bentley, Rhea and Zephy
Day-to-day life in the multigenerational home has been fairly easy to navigate. “Nicole cooks, and I clean the house,” Korluka says. “It naturally fell into place.” On most days, everyone gathers for meals, and grandma and grandpa provide childcare a couple days a week. Nicole, who works in market research, and Ronnie, a risk operations director, often work from home, so they have office spaces that are set apart from the main living areas.
The children get plenty of opportunity to freely play in nature, something Ronnie says he relished during his own childhood in Sweden and Greece. They help with the horses and explore the woods and pastures on the property.
Blending the styles and preferences of two couples—and four individuals—into one home was occasionally a challenge, but Nicole says it ultimately came together. “We really tried to collaborate and keep the things that were important to my parents,” she says. She calls her design style “a bit more rustic farmhouse,” while Korluka says her own style leans “European or classical.”
One thing everyone agrees on? Korluka’s beautiful art collection. “The art I’ve collected during my travels is scattered throughout the whole house, partly because my kids received many pieces,” she says. “The kids were raised around art.” Some of her favorite pieces are by Vasily Bratanyuk, a Ukrainian oil painter whom Korluka calls a friend. The home spotlights works by other Eastern European artists (many of whom Korluka also knows personally), like watercolorist Natalya Maltseva and iconography from throughout the region.
A glimpse into Debra Korluka’s art collection, one of the defining features of the family’s multigenerational home.
Where the Heart Is
Ask members of the Korluka/Emmanoulakis family what their favorite part of multigenerational living is, and they’ll speak in harmony: togetherness. “The house is a gathering point for our family,” Ronnie says. “I want the kids to have as close a relationship with their grandparents as possible.”
“We have two additional adults to rely on,” Nicole adds. “When life gets busy or challenging with the kids, we have that resource.”
“Being together with my grandchildren is a highlight,” Korluka says. “We all learn a lot from cooperative, shared living like this.”
Find Debra Korluka’s portfolio and information on upcoming shows, classes and guided trips at korlukastudios.com.
