Houzz Tour: Farmhouse Simplicity on the Lake
A north Minnesota lake house is a comfortable getaway for family and friends
Interior designer Michelle Fries grew up vacationing with her family along Minnesota’s Whitefish Chain of Lakes and wanted to create a welcoming lake house that would bring everyone together. “The overall design goal was to create a Minnesota farmhouse-cottage,” she says.
Crisp white board and batten siding, black metal roofing, classic brick accents and a wraparound porch create a pleasing simplicity on the exterior, while antique finds and warm wood provide a comfortable ease inside. Extensive porches and a rehabilitated boathouse overlook the lake, and there’s plenty of room for family and friends.
Crisp white board and batten siding, black metal roofing, classic brick accents and a wraparound porch create a pleasing simplicity on the exterior, while antique finds and warm wood provide a comfortable ease inside. Extensive porches and a rehabilitated boathouse overlook the lake, and there’s plenty of room for family and friends.
To get the Minnesota classic farmhouse-cottage look, Fries went with board and batten siding painted with Benjamin Moore Simply White. Black metal roofs and barn lights add to the vernacular farmhouse feel, and a low porch wraps around the house. “The porch offers shade and interesting transitions to the interior,” she says. Classic red brick is used on the chimney and fireplace.
The couple designed a house that can accommodate visits from family and friends. The green Dutch door on the right is the entrance to a separate one-bedroom, one-bathroom space with a small kitchen. “We needed to contain the guest quarters under the same roof as the cabin but chose not to connect the two sides through the interior,” Fries says. “Instead, each side of the cabin is entered through exterior doors for added privacy.” This also means they can shut off the heat and air conditioning in the guest area when it is not in use.
Fries’ extended family has a strong connection to the lake. “Every Fourth of July my uncle Donny throws a big party on his beach for family and friends to watch the huge fireworks display put on by the town of Crosslake. Over a hundred boats pull into the bay in front of his cabin to see the show,” she says. And while she loves spending time with her family up here, her friends get a turn as well. “I’d have to say one of my favorite traditions is my college girlfriends’ weekend. We do one in the winter and one in the summer. Lots of laughing and dancing and good wine and food,” she says.
The couple designed a house that can accommodate visits from family and friends. The green Dutch door on the right is the entrance to a separate one-bedroom, one-bathroom space with a small kitchen. “We needed to contain the guest quarters under the same roof as the cabin but chose not to connect the two sides through the interior,” Fries says. “Instead, each side of the cabin is entered through exterior doors for added privacy.” This also means they can shut off the heat and air conditioning in the guest area when it is not in use.
Fries’ extended family has a strong connection to the lake. “Every Fourth of July my uncle Donny throws a big party on his beach for family and friends to watch the huge fireworks display put on by the town of Crosslake. Over a hundred boats pull into the bay in front of his cabin to see the show,” she says. And while she loves spending time with her family up here, her friends get a turn as well. “I’d have to say one of my favorite traditions is my college girlfriends’ weekend. We do one in the winter and one in the summer. Lots of laughing and dancing and good wine and food,” she says.
Inside, she continued the rustic board and batten on the walls, but this time she thinned out the Simply White paint to give it a whitewashed look. She then ran a custom-stained wood ceiling with rough-sawn beams throughout the entire house and installed wide-plank reclaimed pine floors, which add cozy-cabin warmth. The windows in the living room are dressed with simple heavy-linen Roman shades to keep the focus on the lake views.
Photo by Rick Hammer
Over the fireplace, matching board and batten doors conceal the TV. The brick fireplace surround maintains the farmhouse simplicity. A window seat on one side and a bar on the other add all the creature comforts anyone could want in here.
Over the fireplace, matching board and batten doors conceal the TV. The brick fireplace surround maintains the farmhouse simplicity. A window seat on one side and a bar on the other add all the creature comforts anyone could want in here.
“Small private nooks are found throughout the house,” Fries says. The built-in bench seat next to the fireplace takes advantage of one such nook and provides storage underneath for audio-visual equipment. The designer switches out pillows and blankets to create different looks through the seasons.
Another way she changes things up is with slipcovers. “While living in Shanghai several years ago, I had the dining room chairs made with a variety of slipcovers to create different looks,” she says. She commissioned the same artist who made the gate to make this dining room table, which can expand to seat 12.
The soft backdrop of wood and whitewashed walls allowed Fries to go with some color surprises in the kitchen — cabinets painted in Benjamin Moore’s Silvery Blue and a red Bertazzoni range give Americana style a twist. Bamboo Roman shades add texture and can be tucked up behind the open shelf to let in the light.
The kitchen is a balance of rustic and refined. Wood mullions, a butcher-block counter, board and batten siding, a farmhouse sink and iron-cup drawer pulls bring in the farmhouse style, while honed Carrara marble countertops, amber glass knobs and the snazzy range add sophistication.
Sink: Shaw’s Original Fireclay Apron Front, Rohl; bridge faucet: Danze; pendant lights: Quoizel
Sink: Shaw’s Original Fireclay Apron Front, Rohl; bridge faucet: Danze; pendant lights: Quoizel
Here’s a glimpse of the lake-facing side of the house. The guest quarters are on the left side and share the wraparound porch.
The screened-in porch provides a breezy eating spot. Sunbrella window treatments block the wind and rain when needed.
Furniture: Teak Patio Furniture Sales
Furniture: Teak Patio Furniture Sales
“The lounging porch is probably everyone’s favorite part of our cabin,” Fries says. “Family and friends usually grab a drink on their way through the house and head straight to these chairs to watch the kids fishing off the dock or pontoons driving by.” On hot, buggy nights, ceiling fans provide a breeze and keep the insects away. She dresses the chairs with Minnesota’s Faribault Woolen Mill Co. blankets on chilly nights.
Teak chaise longues and cushions: Teak Patio Furniture Sales; ceiling fans: Creative Lighting
Teak chaise longues and cushions: Teak Patio Furniture Sales; ceiling fans: Creative Lighting
The last of the project was completing two bedrooms on the lower level for overflow overnight guests. Fries covered the walls in nickel-spaced butt boards and the ceilings in stained pine boards like the ones used throughout the rest of the house.
“I used a mix of textures and colors, with fabric and furniture I found in antique shops and funky local stores,” she says. Finds include a Jenny Lind bed and an antique blanket. Accent pillows from Anthropologie add whimsy.
“I used a mix of textures and colors, with fabric and furniture I found in antique shops and funky local stores,” she says. Finds include a Jenny Lind bed and an antique blanket. Accent pillows from Anthropologie add whimsy.
The second lower-level bedroom has an all-American design mostly in white with punches of navy and red.
There was an existing boathouse that had been neglected. The couple rebuilt it and gave it the same crisp style as the farmhouse with a few twists. For this structure they used white lap siding and a red metal roof, which ties into the shades on the porch.
Inside, the boathouse has a sauna, changing room and water toy storage room. “It was pulled together using a mix of leftover barn wood from other projects,” Fries says. The structure is a cozy space right on the water.
Photo by Michelle Fries
When the lake becomes a skating rink during the winter, the boathouse becomes the warming house. The couple strings holiday lights over the area so everyone can enjoy the winter wonderland at night.
When the lake becomes a skating rink during the winter, the boathouse becomes the warming house. The couple strings holiday lights over the area so everyone can enjoy the winter wonderland at night.
Photo by Michelle Fries
“There are never enough days in the summer in Minnesota. We feel really lucky that when we go to the cabin, we get to be with extended family. In fact, we see them far more ‘Up North’ than we do when we are home throughout the rest of the year,” Fries says. “I get to go to that place that is so nostalgic for me and experience it again and again with my kids.”
Design-build firm: Lands End Development
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“There are never enough days in the summer in Minnesota. We feel really lucky that when we go to the cabin, we get to be with extended family. In fact, we see them far more ‘Up North’ than we do when we are home throughout the rest of the year,” Fries says. “I get to go to that place that is so nostalgic for me and experience it again and again with my kids.”
Design-build firm: Lands End Development
Browse more homes by style:
Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Michelle Fries of BeDe Design; her husband, David Fries; their children, Declan, 14, and Betsy, 12; and their two dogs, Jimmy and Cookie.
Location: On Cross Lake in Crosslake, Minnesota, about a 2½-hour drive from St. Paul-Minneapolis
Size: 4,200 square feet (390 square meters); five bedrooms; five bathrooms; plus boathouse
Designer: Michelle Fries
“My family went up to the Whitefish Chain of Lakes every summer and rented a cabin in one of the many small, quaint resorts. Some of my favorite memories of growing up were fishing and swimming off the dock with my sisters and friends,” Fries says. “Both my sister and uncle have cabins on Cross Lake as well, so it’s always a built-in party.” Fries’ parents and another sister and her family visit frequently.
A corrugated metal fish greets guests at the end of the driveway. The designer commissioned local artist Tim Kulseth to craft the gate. He added a giant fishhook that serves as the latch.