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FeedSweet Spot
Madeline Island simplicity beckons Minneapolis couple
By Alecia Stevens
Photo by John Gregor/Coldsnap Photography
The husband spent childhood summers at his family’s cabin on the enchanted island, which is celebrated as sacred ground for many Native Americans. The wife was introduced to Madeline’s seaside charms when the couple began dating in college—camping, hiking, biking, and exploring the outreaches of the other pristine and protected Apostle Islands. They even honeymooned in the old cabins across from the golf course. At some point, they realized, “We have to have a house on this land,” she recalls.
In the 1970s, the couple purchased a simple cabin, separated from the lake by a dirt road. The cabin began to burst at the seams with the addition of three children, and the road was paved, adding traffic to the area. The couple decided to find a new piece of land on the island—this time without the threat of cars interrupting their calm—and dreamt of building a cabin for their growing family when the time was right.
In the late 1990s, the couple began planning in earnest. They wanted something simple, filled with light to overcome the wooded property. It also needed to be low maintenance, given the challenges of simply getting to and from the island. They hired architect Jim Dayton, principal of James Dayton Design, whom they had known for years. They knew that the project would be infused with his preference for modern, given his professional history with Frank Gehry in Santa Monica. “The idea was to create a series of spaces that were cabin-like without being too literal,” Dayton says. “I wanted to reference the vernacular architecture of the (Wisconsin) region, agrarian, farm-like outbuildings.”
He addressed this playfully, designing two “huts” across a ravine that provide guest spaces for children and friends. Although they both have wood stoves, there is no running water or electricity. Middle-of-the night calls of nature are met at the outhouse. The main house, with two bedrooms, is built around a massive central fireplace of buff brick that “recalls the native limestone,” says Dayton. The corrugated siding is easy to care for and reminiscent of metal farm outbuildings used to store grain and equipment. Interiors are open, simple, and light-filled. “I was worried that the house would be dark because of the heavily-wooded property, but it is not,” says the wife. “[Bringing in the light] is something Jim is very good at.”
Photo by John Gregor
Tom Gunkelman, principal of GunkelmanFlesher Interior Design, had worked with the couple for years in Minneapolis, and was the obvious choice to help with interiors. His light touch, abiding respect for the homeowner’s talent with textiles and knowledge of how the couple likes to live, made this project more play than work. “The homeowners have such a wonderful sense of style and way of living,” Gunkelman says.
Gunkelman also deeply understands the modern aesthetic in furnishings, which clearly complements Dayton’s architecture. But he does not lead with clichés. Instead, he draws from the spirit of the place by using sensual, neutral materials. He includes Christian Liaigre in traditional forms, slip-covered in natural linen in the main living room. A rocking chair sits near a pot-belly wood stove and antiques cozy up to custom, modernist day beds.
The owner’s textile collection supplied the accessories. “I went to Guatemala before I was married and fell in love with the textiles there,” says the wife. “I’ve also been a weaver. Today I’m involved with a group of women who support the work of Guatemalan weavers.” Together, she and Gunkelman used various textiles to personalize the space and bring color to the otherwise neutral palette.
For all the charm and sophistication of the buildings and interiors, the point really is the place itself, something both Dayton and Gunkelman understood. When asked what she most loves about the cabin on Madeline Island, the wife says without hesitation, “The view from my window.” She pauses. “And that it was the center of family life for years, when the children were home. We spent every New Year’s Eve here. We ski in winter and pick blueberries in the bog in summer.” The place that called them years ago, and kept calling them, is now a “home…sweet home.”
Alecia Stevens is a Minneapolis writer and interior designer.
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