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Houzz Tour: A Comfy Lakefront Cabin Filled With Natural Materials
A newly built lake house in central Minnesota, USA, with an earthy, pared-back palette and refined vintage vibes
Many lake cabins in central Minnesota go all in on rustic style. But when interior designer Kelly Caruso of Regarding Design had the chance to help a longtime friend design a new-build house on Clamshell Lake, they opted for classic and subtly patinaed instead of plaid-filled and antler-accented. The result is a house that feels at once cosy and sophisticated, with space that works as well for two as it does for 22.
This is the street-facing side of the house, which was designed and built by Lands End Development. It has a traditional architectural style, with covered verandas on the front and back and a three-season screened-in veranda on one side. A black-and-white palette and metal roof fit the home’s simple form.
A separate three-car garage (not pictured) could someday accommodate an upstairs apartment.
A separate three-car garage (not pictured) could someday accommodate an upstairs apartment.
The front door (to the right of the steps in the previous photo) opens into a hardworking boot room that doubles as a landing pad for cross-country and water skis, snowshoes, cool boxes, fishing gear, suitcases, groceries and other various and sundry items needed for holidays on the lake throughout the year.
Reclaimed bricks laid in a herringbone pattern create a durable floor that can withstand the salt that gets tracked in with the snow.
Reclaimed bricks laid in a herringbone pattern create a durable floor that can withstand the salt that gets tracked in with the snow.
Through a door next to the fridge, the boot room flows into a generously sized living room that faces the lake. Like the home’s exterior, the interior has classic cabin elements, but with an air of refinement. Kelly picked up where Lands End’s interior designer left off, giving input on interior architecture choices, selecting the furnishings and styling the finished home.
“In our neck of the woods, there are a lot of rustic looks,” Kelly says. “There are a lot of log cabins with plaid and antlers and all of that, which is lovely, but it was not what we wanted for this. So any elements that give a little bit of a sense of rustic are really meant more to add vintage vibes [and] patina.”
For example, a reclaimed-wood ceiling spans the main floor, but the panelled walls are painted crisp white. And the palette, which is mostly shades of blue, green and brown, is pared-back and cohesive throughout the home.
Walls painted in Swiss Coffee, Benjamin Moore.
“In our neck of the woods, there are a lot of rustic looks,” Kelly says. “There are a lot of log cabins with plaid and antlers and all of that, which is lovely, but it was not what we wanted for this. So any elements that give a little bit of a sense of rustic are really meant more to add vintage vibes [and] patina.”
For example, a reclaimed-wood ceiling spans the main floor, but the panelled walls are painted crisp white. And the palette, which is mostly shades of blue, green and brown, is pared-back and cohesive throughout the home.
Walls painted in Swiss Coffee, Benjamin Moore.
The roughly 15 sq m kitchen has perimeter cabinets painted a dark, smoky green. The contrasting island unit is stained rustic white oak, which coordinates with the cooker hood trim.
The 90cm gas range cooker’s splashback is made from handmade tiles in a creamy white similar to the panelled cooker hood and walls.
Golden veins in the quartzite worktop pick up the warmth of the stained wood.
Cabinet painted in Vintage Vogue, Benjamin Moore.
The 90cm gas range cooker’s splashback is made from handmade tiles in a creamy white similar to the panelled cooker hood and walls.
Golden veins in the quartzite worktop pick up the warmth of the stained wood.
Cabinet painted in Vintage Vogue, Benjamin Moore.
To maximise storage, the wall cabinets extend to the ceiling. Kelly used reeded glass fronts on the middle section to keep the cabinets from looking too heavy. The client is incredibly neat and tidy, she says, so keeping the contents looking good through the glass isn’t much of a challenge.
Across from the cooking area, a coordinating L-shaped banquette has plenty of drawers for storing blankets, linens and board games. The heavy, rectangular wood table isn’t just for casual dining – it’s also a great spot for playing cards and board games.
This screened-in veranda is just off the kitchen and banquette area. Sliding vinyl window panels make it comfortable in three seasons.
The couple are empty nesters, with children who have graduated from college. But they’re extroverts and have a large extended family, Kelly says, so they often have a houseful.
“Having spent a lot of time there, it always feels so intimate when it’s just two or three of us there, but then I’ve seen when they’ve hosted – I’m not kidding – 22 people, and it feels just as comfortable, so it flexes really well,” Kelly says.
The screened-in veranda is perfect for accommodating those crowds while keeping out tiny, unwanted “guests”, such as mosquitos. It’s also a lovely place to unwind with morning coffee or evening wine after hosting, Kelly says. It has composite flooring, a wood-burning fireplace and mix-and-match furniture pieces, some of which came from the client’s existing collection.
The couple are empty nesters, with children who have graduated from college. But they’re extroverts and have a large extended family, Kelly says, so they often have a houseful.
“Having spent a lot of time there, it always feels so intimate when it’s just two or three of us there, but then I’ve seen when they’ve hosted – I’m not kidding – 22 people, and it feels just as comfortable, so it flexes really well,” Kelly says.
The screened-in veranda is perfect for accommodating those crowds while keeping out tiny, unwanted “guests”, such as mosquitos. It’s also a lovely place to unwind with morning coffee or evening wine after hosting, Kelly says. It has composite flooring, a wood-burning fireplace and mix-and-match furniture pieces, some of which came from the client’s existing collection.
Like the smaller banquette inside, the large dining table on the veranda doubles as a games table.
This is the view of the house looking back from the shore. The screened veranda’s large stone fireplace is on the far left.
A covered veranda extends along the back of the house, furnished with thick-cushioned outdoor chairs that invite lake-gazing.
Large sliding doors between the dining nook and this living room allow for easy flow between the indoor and outdoor spaces. Kelly furnished the living room with durable, comfortable furniture, including leather recliners and a sofa covered in performance fabric. A wool rug softens the oak flooring that flows throughout the first floor.
The contemporary low coffee table and open metal chandelier have a presence without being chunky, which preserves sightlines to the lake. Similarly, Kelly opted not to use window coverings to ensure the view is open year-round. (The location is very secluded, so privacy wasn’t a concern.)
Black-painted window and door frames coordinate with the black metal chandelier.
The contemporary low coffee table and open metal chandelier have a presence without being chunky, which preserves sightlines to the lake. Similarly, Kelly opted not to use window coverings to ensure the view is open year-round. (The location is very secluded, so privacy wasn’t a concern.)
Black-painted window and door frames coordinate with the black metal chandelier.
A second wood-burning fireplace that mirrors the one on the veranda anchors the back wall. Both fireplace surrounds are clad in rough-cut stones – not huge, rustic-style boulders, Kelly points out – and have hefty, rough-hewn wooden mantels.
The door to the left of the fireplace leads to a small corridor and this cloakroom. The lower half of the wall is covered in board-and-batten panelling, and Kelly had a whimsical Milton & King wallpaper featuring woodland birds installed above it.
Paneling painted in Abalone, Benjamin Moore.
Paneling painted in Abalone, Benjamin Moore.
The entrance to the main bedroom is across from the cloakroom. Look back at the lake-facing view of the house and covered veranda and, on the far right, you’ll see the outside of the bay window pictured here.
Kelly found a little desk at a Parisian flea market that fitted perfectly in the bay, so her client can enjoy a lake view when she’s working from home. “It’s a Hungarian butcher’s table from the 18th century, and you can see the cleave marks on it,” she says.
Kelly found a little desk at a Parisian flea market that fitted perfectly in the bay, so her client can enjoy a lake view when she’s working from home. “It’s a Hungarian butcher’s table from the 18th century, and you can see the cleave marks on it,” she says.
Kelly had the main bathroom’s knotty alder vanity unit stained onyx and the walls stained to match Benjamin Moore’s Newburyport Blue.
“The blue stain was the bold move for us,” Kelly says. A white quartz top and windows that let in plenty of sunlight keep the dark and moody room from feeling dingy.
“The blue stain was the bold move for us,” Kelly says. A white quartz top and windows that let in plenty of sunlight keep the dark and moody room from feeling dingy.
At the top of the stairs to the second floor, a side-by-side washing machine and dryer hide behind a barn-style door.
This bedroom, which is one of two upstairs, is used by the clients’ daughter when she’s staying at the house. It has a queen-size bed dressed in neutral bedding, and it has the same woven window treatments in a midtone oak finish that are used elsewhere in the house.
The clients’ son uses the other bedroom, which has the same wood-panelled, pitched ceiling as the daughter’s bedroom. It has twin beds with upholstered headboards.
“[My client] and I both share a love of mixing print and pattern and scale and stripes,” Kelly says. “She lived in India for three years, [and] a lot of this [bedding] is textiles that she’d purchased while over there and saved and we had converted in different ways.”
The framed Odyssey print, which features a boat on the water, is a nod to the lake and fits the room’s colour scheme, Kelly says. But it also refers to a journey that’s more personal for both Kelly and her client. “We talk often, she and I, [about] how grateful we are for where we are today,” Kelly says.
“[My client] and I both share a love of mixing print and pattern and scale and stripes,” Kelly says. “She lived in India for three years, [and] a lot of this [bedding] is textiles that she’d purchased while over there and saved and we had converted in different ways.”
The framed Odyssey print, which features a boat on the water, is a nod to the lake and fits the room’s colour scheme, Kelly says. But it also refers to a journey that’s more personal for both Kelly and her client. “We talk often, she and I, [about] how grateful we are for where we are today,” Kelly says.
An artwork made from bark that the homeowner brought back from India hangs above a dresser.
A shared bathroom at the end of the hall has two rooms or areas separated by a pocket door.
The first room has matching vanity units on either side of the entrance. (The second vanity unit is visible in the mirror.)
The first room has matching vanity units on either side of the entrance. (The second vanity unit is visible in the mirror.)
The room on the other side of the pocket door has a compact shower on one side and a toilet on the other. Between them is a window overlooking the lake.
“Honestly, there’s not a bad view in the home,” Kelly says.
“Honestly, there’s not a bad view in the home,” Kelly says.
Another set of stairs finished with a neutral plaid runner leads to the lowest level, which has Berber-style wool carpeting throughout.
A hangout zone downstairs has a striped modular sofa and the only TV in the house.
A long, narrow bunkroom downstairs, which was designed and built by Lands End, sleeps six. Another single bed that mirrors this one is at the other end of the horizontally orientated bunks, and each has a window at its foot for egress and sunlight. Each bunk has little niches with outlets to charge phones.
The lighting includes an industrial-style ceiling fan and marine-style bulkhead sconces.
The lighting includes an industrial-style ceiling fan and marine-style bulkhead sconces.
A bathroom with a plaid fabric-like tiled floor serves the bunkroom and another lower-level guest room.
“I guess you can’t entirely get away without ever using plaid within a cabin in Minnesota,” Kelly laughs.
Walls painted i Gull Wing Gray, Benjamin Moore. Tailorart tiles, Ceramica Sant’Agostino.
“I guess you can’t entirely get away without ever using plaid within a cabin in Minnesota,” Kelly laughs.
Walls painted i Gull Wing Gray, Benjamin Moore. Tailorart tiles, Ceramica Sant’Agostino.
Adirondack chairs surround a slate-and-stone fire pit in the garden.
The conversation area serves as a pit stop between the house and a half-moon-shaped sandy beach.
At one end, a dock has plenty of space for tying up a boat and other water toys – or pulling up a couple of more lounge chairs and soaking in the peaceful setting.
Tell us…
What do you think of this beautiful lakeside home? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
At one end, a dock has plenty of space for tying up a boat and other water toys – or pulling up a couple of more lounge chairs and soaking in the peaceful setting.
Tell us…
What do you think of this beautiful lakeside home? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
Who lives here? An empty-nest couple
Location Pequot Lakes, Minnesota
Size Five bedrooms and four bathrooms; 279 sq m, plus a 37 sq m three-season veranda
Interior designer Kelly Caruso of Regarding Design
Builder Lands End Development
Photos by Jasper Lazor
Kelly has been friends with her client since they were executives together at the same company many years ago, and they’ve long shared a love of all things interior design. So when the client and her husband built a getaway tucked into a cove of Clamshell Lake – a small link in the Whitefish Chain of Lakes, a 2½ hour drive from their home in Saint Paul – Kelly was the obvious choice to help her achieve the aesthetic she wanted.
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