Designer and lifestyle blogger Melissa Coleman turns an A-frame cabin built in the 1970s into a cosy, minimalist haven.
Tucked away in one of Minnesota’s many lakeside forests, the A-frame cabin was built in the 1970s and has been renovated by Minneapolis-based designer and lifestyle blogger Melissa Coleman alongside her husband Kevin, and the project was undertaken by Grand Marais-based Taiga Design+Build. The weekend retreat and vacation rental dubbed the “Minne Stuga House” is now open for guests to relax amidst the natural surroundings.
Where the original cedar siding was rotting, Taiga replaced it with Kebony, a global leader in the production of sustainable wood. “I turned the Colemans on to Kebony, which performs better over time than cedar. It’s ageing and weathering nicely,” says Anton Moody, Taiga Design+Build Principal. Inside, the original, fifty-year-old western red cedar panelling, bring the forestry landscape into the home. The opens out on to a gorgeous decking area, which was built with Kebony wood and furnished with Loll Designs.
From the decking, it is a short path through the trees to the shore of Devil Track Lake, where guests can fish, kayak or have a quick dip. As spring turns to summer, the cabin basked in natural light and the lakeshores become the perfect retreat. The Colemans use the Minne Stuga as a periodic weekend getaway for themselves and rent it out the rest of the time as a fully appointed vacation property through theminnestuga.com.
“We’re still pinching ourselves to believe we found this place. It’s our hope that our kids still have this cabin 70 years from now,” says Melissa Coleman.
