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Houzz Tour: Lakefront Cabin With Patina and a Three-Season Porch
A newly built lake house in central Minnesota has 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 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 cozy 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 design-build firm Lands End Development. It has a traditional architectural style, with covered porches in the front and back and a three-season screened-in porch 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 mudroom that doubles as a landing pad for cross-country and water skis, snowshoes, coolers, fishing gear, suitcases, groceries and other various and sundry items needed for vacations 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.
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
Reclaimed bricks laid in a herringbone pattern create a durable floor that can withstand the salt that gets tracked in with the snow.
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
Through a door next to the fridge, the mudroom flows into a generously sized great room that faces the lake. Like the home’s exterior, the interior has classic cabin elements but with an air of refinement. Caruso 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,” Caruso says. “There are a lot of log cabins, there’s a ton of plaid and antlers and all of that, which is lovely. But it was not what we wanted for this. And so any elements that give a little bit of a sense of rustic is really meant more to add vintage vibes [and] patina.”
For example, a reclaimed-wood ceiling spans the main floor, but the paneled 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.
Wall paint: Swiss Coffee, Benjamin Moore
“In our neck of the woods, there are a lot of rustic looks,” Caruso says. “There are a lot of log cabins, there’s a ton of plaid and antlers and all of that, which is lovely. But it was not what we wanted for this. And so any elements that give a little bit of a sense of rustic is really meant more to add vintage vibes [and] patina.”
For example, a reclaimed-wood ceiling spans the main floor, but the paneled 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.
Wall paint: Swiss Coffee, Benjamin Moore
The roughly 165-square-foot kitchen has perimeter cabinets painted a dark, smoky green. The contrasting island base is stained rustic white oak, which coordinates with the range hood trim. The 36-inch gas range’s backsplash is made from a handmade tile in a creamy white similar to the paneled range hood and walls.
Golden veins in the quartzite countertop pick up the warmth of the stained wood.
Cabinet paint: Vintage Vogue, Benjamin Moore; tile range backsplash: Bison Brick in Parchment, Wizard Enterprise
Golden veins in the quartzite countertop pick up the warmth of the stained wood.
Cabinet paint: Vintage Vogue, Benjamin Moore; tile range backsplash: Bison Brick in Parchment, Wizard Enterprise
To maximize storage, a second row of overhead cabinets extends to the ceiling. Caruso 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.
Appliances: Dacor; sink and faucet: Kohler
Appliances: Dacor; sink and faucet: Kohler
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.
8 Laid-Back Lakeside Cabins, Cottages and Retreats
8 Laid-Back Lakeside Cabins, Cottages and Retreats
The screened-in porch 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, Caruso 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,” Caruso says.
The screened-in porch 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, Caruso says. It has composite flooring, a wood-burning fireplace and mixed-and-matched 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, Caruso 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,” Caruso says.
The screened-in porch 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, Caruso says. It has composite flooring, a wood-burning fireplace and mixed-and-matched furniture pieces, some of which came from the client’s existing collection.
Like the smaller banquette inside, the large dining table on the porch doubles as a game table.
Pros Share 8 Design Tips for Screened-In Porches
Pros Share 8 Design Tips for Screened-In Porches
This is the view of the house looking back from the shore. The screened porch’s large stone fireplace is on the far left.
A covered porch extends along the back of the house, furnished with thick-cushioned outdoor chairs that invite lake-gazing.
Shop for outdoor furniture in the Houzz Shop
Shop for outdoor furniture in the Houzz Shop
Large sliding doors between the dining nook and this living room allow for easy flow between the indoor and outdoor spaces. Caruso outfitted the living room with durable, comfortable furniture, including leather recliners and a sofa covered in performance fabric. A wool carpet softens the stained quartersawn oak floors that flow throughout the first floor.
The low, contemporary coffee table and open metal chandelier have a presence without being chunky, which preserves sightlines to the lake. Similarly, Caruso opted not to use window coverings, to ensure that the view is open year-round. (The location is very secluded, so privacy wasn’t a concern.)
Black-painted window and door sashes coordinate with the black metal chandelier.
The low, contemporary coffee table and open metal chandelier have a presence without being chunky, which preserves sightlines to the lake. Similarly, Caruso opted not to use window coverings, to ensure that the view is open year-round. (The location is very secluded, so privacy wasn’t a concern.)
Black-painted window and door sashes coordinate with the black metal chandelier.
A second wood-burning fireplace that mirrors the one on the porch anchors the back wall. Both fireplace surrounds are clad in rough-cut stones — not huge, rustic-style boulders, Caruso points out — and have hefty, rough-hewn wooden mantels.
The door to the left of the fireplace leads to a small corridor and this powder room. The lower half of the wall is covered in board-and-batten paneling, and Caruso had a whimsical Milton & King wallpaper featuring woodland birds installed above it.
Paneling paint: Abalone, Benjamin Moore
Paneling paint: Abalone, Benjamin Moore
The entrance to the primary suite is across from the powder room. Look back at the lake-facing view of the house and covered porch and, on the far right, you’ll see the outside of the bay window pictured here. Caruso found a little desk at a Parisian flea market that fit 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. And it just is the cutest thing ever,” Caruso says.
“It’s a Hungarian butcher’s table from the 18th century, and you can see the cleave marks on it. And it just is the cutest thing ever,” Caruso says.
Caruso had the primary bathroom’s knotty alder vanity stained onyx and the walls stained to match Benjamin Moore’s Newburyport Blue.
“The blue stain was the bold move for us,” Caruso says. A white quartz countertop 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,” Caruso says. A white quartz countertop 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 washer 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 in town. It has a queen-size Jenny Lind 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-paneled, vaulted ceiling as the daughter’s bedroom. It has two twin beds with upholstered headboards.
“[My client] and I both share a love of mixing print and pattern and scale and stripes,” Caruso says. “She lived in India for three years, [and] a lot of this [bedding] is textiles that she had 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 fit the room’s color scheme, Caruso says. But it also refers to a journey that’s more personal for both Caruso and her client. “We talk often, she and I, [about] how grateful we are for where we got today,” Caruso says.
“[My client] and I both share a love of mixing print and pattern and scale and stripes,” Caruso says. “She lived in India for three years, [and] a lot of this [bedding] is textiles that she had 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 fit the room’s color scheme, Caruso says. But it also refers to a journey that’s more personal for both Caruso and her client. “We talk often, she and I, [about] how grateful we are for where we got today,” Caruso 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 vanities on either side of the entrance. (The second vanity is visible in the mirror.)
Shop for bathroom vanities in the Houzz Shop
The first room has matching vanities on either side of the entrance. (The second vanity is visible in the mirror.)
Shop for bathroom vanities in the Houzz Shop
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,” Caruso says.
Floor tile: Star, The Tile Shop
“Honestly, there’s not a bad view in the home,” Caruso says.
Floor tile: Star, The Tile Shop
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 110-by-110-inch sectional 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 oriented 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 fandelier and marine-style bulkhead sconces.
The lighting includes an industrial-style fandelier and marine-style bulkhead sconces.
A bathroom with a fabric-like plaid tile 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,” Caruso says with a laugh.
Wall paint: Gull Wing Gray, Benjamin Moore; tile: Tailorart, Ceramica Sant’Agostino
“I guess you can’t entirely get away without ever using plaid within a cabin in Minnesota,” Caruso says with a laugh.
Wall paint: Gull Wing Gray, Benjamin Moore; tile: Tailorart, Ceramica Sant’Agostino
Adirondack chairs surround a slate-and-stone fire pit in the backyard.
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 pontoon and other water toys — or pulling up a couple of more lounge chairs and soaking in the peaceful setting.
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At one end, a dock has plenty of space for tying up a pontoon and other water toys — or pulling up a couple of more lounge chairs and soaking in the peaceful setting.
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House at a Glance
Who lives here: An empty-nest couple
Location: Pequot Lakes, Minnesota
Size: 3,000 square feet (279 square meters) plus a 400-square-foot (37-square-meter) three-season porch; five bedrooms, four bathrooms
Interior designer: Kelly Caruso of Regarding Design
Builder-contractor: Lands End Development
Caruso 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, Caruso says. 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 — Caruso was the obvious choice to help her achieve the aesthetic she wanted inside.
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