North Shore remodel gives couple contemporary lakeside cabin home

By Alison Stucke

An extensive remodel gave this husband-and-wife couple just what they wanted in a home set only 40 feet from Lake Superior in the Two Harbors area. They demolished everything but the outline of the existing house and worked with architectural designer Heather Hiner and Tim Anderson Construction of Knife River to create a space that brought in lake views and light.

Attracted to the quieter lifestyle of northern Minnesota, the couple had been living in the Twin Cities when the husband took a job in Duluth. The wife is a professional artist who was inspired to establish a studio in a Lake Superior residence.

They had looked at many North Shore properties when they found the right spot to call home.

“It’s very private, just under 10 acres, with flat topography,” said the wife. “You can walk onto the water without scaling huge cliffs.”

Their newly-remodeled single-level home on the property is contemporary in style yet traditional in its peaceful, natural environment.

“I call it ‘contemporary lakeside cabin,’” she said. “It has that sort of feel to it.”

Anderson said.

Lake Superior provided surprises of its own throughout the building process.

“Working right next to Lake Superior presented us with challenges,” Anderson said. “There were huge

An extensive remodel

The original house the couple found on the property needed work — so much that they decided on an extensive remodel. The remodelers/owners kept the footprint (i.e. the outline) of the existing house and remodeled with a design based on their wishes to capture as much natural light and as many lake views as possible.

“We kept the shape of the house, and we did an addition,” the wife explained. “Heather Hiner walked through the existing house. We said what we wanted to happen. We wanted the side facing the lake to be open. She did a beautiful job with that. The bedrooms and baths have doors, but everything else is open.”

“This home sits on a beautiful stretch of Lake Superior shoreline,” said Hiner. “The existing layout did little to capture the amazing lake views. Along with the dated interior, the homeowners were receptive to a major renovation.”

Building on

Lake

Superior Building began. The husband was living on the property in another building, so he was there to provide support and answer any questions that Anderson had.

“Working with Ed, who is quite a craftsman himself, not only was enjoyable but he was able to address any questions quickly which helped the project move smoothly,” storms and it was very cold. As soon as we started the addition to the existing building the weather changed drastically.”

However, teamwork overcame all obstacles and challenges.

“Some obstacles we came across with using the original footprint were installing in-floor heat, insulating crawl spaces, and redesigning the roof,” Anderson said. “To create the beautiful home as it is now, the homeowners, Heather and I were able to work together to utilize the existing structure.

In their extensive remodel, the homeowners kept the original footprint of the home but increased the square footage with an addition for studio space and enlarged garage. The front entry was completely rebuilt and features exposed wooden beams. They used all new materials for the exterior and installed a metal roof.

“The addition was a studio with an expanded garage,” he continued. “The front living area was redesigned and rebuilt as well as front entry.”

An open-concept space

The divided spaces of kitchen, living room and dining room in the original structure needed updating.

“The kitchen was closed off from the rest of the house with only a small cutout at the sink looking through the adjacent living room toward the lake and only a narrow door opening into the dining room,” Hiner said.

A major goal of the remodel was to create an “openconcept” space to bring together all three rooms into one large area.

Quarter sawn white oak floors and peaked ceiling in the living room provide additional unity.

Light fixtures and ceiling fans are contemporary and simple in design, featuring mostly black wrought iron and glass. All the windows have black trim surrounding. Walls are painted in blues (reminiscent of the lake and sky) and taupe colors. These colors reoccur throughout the home.

“It’s very calming,” said the wife. “My husband and I selected all the materials — sinks, outlet covers, everything.”

The dining room is a lovely open space facing the water. The enlarged living room includes an area with a gas stove that looks like a wood stove with a black pearl granite base on the wood flooring.

Off the kitchen is a walk-in pantry and an open office space.

A wall of windows with focus on Lake Superior

Another dream was to place a wall of windows on the lake side of the living room.

Continued on page 44

The master bedroom, which faces Lake Superior, features recessed lighting, oak floors and a large walk-in closet. The contemporary bathroom has a large concrete sink that sits on a cabinet made by the homeowner and flanked by two floating cabinets. It also features a spacious walk-in tiled shower and separate toilet space.

A spacious office painted a calming blue, to mimic the lake and sky, is located just off the kitchen, while the newlycreated artist’s studio has plenty of space for the homeowner’s printmaking equipment. It’s infused with natural light and inspirational views of the big lake.

“The project also involved removing interior walls to create an open layout with expansive windows to achieve the amazing lake views that the house deserved,” Hiner said “Amazing sunrises, rainbows, all the good,” said the wife, describing the views given by the windows that make the living room seem to extend outside to the ipe (Brazilian walnut) wood deck and then to the lake.

“You feel like you’re sitting outside when you’re in the living room,” she said. “It kind of extends out to the deck.”

An inspiring art studio for the wife

Near the kitchen of the home is the studio where the wife, an artist, creates her works. This studio was an important element of the remodel.

“In addition to opening up the floor plan, they had a unique request for a large art studio that would have views to the lake with lots of natural sunlight,” Hiner said. “The design solution that I suggested for the studio was to move the overhead garage door and driveway from the side to the front of the garage, which allowed for the new studio to be added where the garage entry and parking apron had been.”

The wife appreciates the design and the convenience of her studio, as well as the inspiration offered by the lake views.

“I’m a printmaker,” she explained. “Heather worked with me to design the studio, and it turned out very nice. It has a view of the lake, high ceilings, and a concrete-style tile floor. I don’t even have to walk down a hallway and I get to work.”

The couple enjoys featuring

Continued on page 46 works of art in their new home.

“We collect art, so we have sculptures and works of art from other artists intermixed with some of my works,” she explained.

Woodwork by the husband

The husband is a woodworker in his free time. Their home also showcases many pieces that he has created.

“My husband built the dining room table,” she said. “It’s a contemporary design with sculpted wrought iron legs, and the table surface has end grain wood on the sides and a large wood plank down the middle, with eight chairs all created by him.”

The kitchen island has a waterfall quartz countertop with a floating wood bar designed by the husband. The cabinets are a simple design that are an oak stained gray from Bertch. Kitchen appliances, including a gas stove, are by Wolf from Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery of Duluth.

Master and guest bedroom

Off the dining room, the master bedroom faces the lake side. It includes recessed lighting, a deck, a large walk-in closet, and a contemporary bathroom with a concrete sink (sitting on a cabinet made by the husband and surrounded by two floating cabinets), separate toilet room, and tiled walk-in shower.

The guest bedroom faces away from the lake and features an en suite bathroom with a walk-in shower, ceramic countertop with floating sink on a wood counter made by the husband.

The home also includes a two-car garage with decorative flake epoxy flooring, and a small basement with storage space, a workout area, and extra studio space.

Outside the home

“In addition to all new interior finishes that lend toward a more modern style, the exterior also got a facelift with new materials to replace the old cedar siding and forest green window cladding,” said Hiner. “A newly designed porch at the front entry welcomes guests as they enter this ‘old but new’ home!”

The wife said she has enjoyed watching the sun rise over the lake each morning since they moved into their home in September 2019. She said no matter what kind of dwelling they placed on this beautiful spot, they couldn’t go wrong. D