I’m not sure what you mean when you say rewinding but will assume you mean creating a more natural habitat rather than sod. 

You may want to consider planting a bee lawn. There are mixes you can find at your local nursery to seed your own lawn. 

You cold also design garden beds that show visual interest and create some height including shrubs and small trees. 

Below are some links to help get you started. You might also want to hire someone to help you with the design aspect, even if you plan to do the work yourself. 

Good luck. This sounds like a fun project. 

https://extension.umn.edu/lawns-and-landscapes/landscape-design

https://extension.umn.edu/landscape-design/planting-and-maintaining-bee-lawn

https://bwsr.state.mn.us/l2l