Houzz Tour: Charming, Rustic Lakefront Cabin in Minnesota

The walls, ceilings and floors throughout the cabin are pine. "Since there's so much wood, we put a stain on the beams so they would stand out," says Fries. "We pulled out some of the color from the floor and also used the same stain on the fireplace mantel. Overall, it provides a more layered feel when you walk into the house." A map of Woman Lake hangs above a mantel decorated with items such as a red candle lantern and an old wicker fishing basket. On the left, a coatrack has been fashioned out of oars.

The sleeper sofas were purchased from Slumberland for the original cabin, and the pillows are from Pottery Barn.

The kitchen was purposely designed with a combination of cabinet fronts to add to the house's collected look. "When I was growing up, you'd walk into someone's cabin and there would be a random mix of kitchen cabinets," says Fries. "Nothing matched; it was all about function. This is a modern take on that same sort of feeling." The cabinets are knotty alder, and the darker-stained ones to the left of the stove conceal the refrigerator. "The Jacobs had the Elmira stove in their heads from the beginning of the project, and that also drove the overall look of the room," says Fries.

An old ladder hangs above a dining table built by Lands End Development. Dana attached ropes to candleholders and then hung them from the ceiling. She switches out the candles and decorations to match the season. To the right, a buffet tops a built-in wine rack.

The Saturnia granite countertop surrounding the sink was given a chunky look with a 2½-inch rock-face ledge. The counters by the stove and on the buffet are wood, another contrasting element that adds to the pulled-together-over-time look of the room. A lot of the cabinetry hardware was left over from the old cabin and then supplemented with pieces found online.

"There are red accents throughout the home," says Fries. "It's very 'up north Minnesota' to see a lot of red in cabins, along with plaids. It's the mark of a lakeside cottage." That spirit is alive and well in the master bedroom, which has a small nightstand that Dana Jacob already owned, striped drapes from Bed, Bath and Beyond, and bedding from JCPenny. The bed belonged to a close family friend of the Jacobs'.

The charm factor continues in the bathroom, where a sewing table that had been in Dana Jacob's family for years was transformed into a vanity. The Murano vessel sink from Thompson Traders and a long-neck faucet from Delta Victorian add some height. Vertical beadboard walls and swinging shower doors contribute to the homey atmosphere of the room. "We wanted to stick with a quirky cottage feel, so a frameless glass door didn't fit in," says Fries. "And we also wanted light to flow into the shower." The tumbled travertine tiles were chosen to add texture to the space.

The mirrored medicine cabinet was made from one of the old cabin's windows, and the antique claw-foot tub was restored by Lands End Development. The light fixture is from Murray Feiss.

Each of these cozy sleeping nooks has its own window and is illuminated by a fixture that was made out of old fish lights purchased from Christmas Point. Fries explains that "because of the way the lot is graded, we had to gain elevation when we added the guest bedroom [accessed through the door at the rear of this photo]. So stairs were necessary, and the concept we decided on was to create a bunk hallway. It accomplishes the practical need for the stairs and adds extra sleeping space." The bedding is from Northern Exposure, and the pillows were given to the Jacobs as gifts.

Set on an acre of land, the log-sided cabin features a covered porch. The entrance leads into the living room. The guest bedroom and bunk hallway are to the left.

French doors on the lake-facing side of the cabin open into the living room, and the kitchen is to the right. Dover post fixtures from Troy Lighting sit on stone columns. The building in the rear is currently used for storage, but the Jacobs plan to turn it into a sauna.