Houzz Tour: Sweden Meets Norway in Wisconsin
Renovation preserves the wonderful spirit of a cottage on Lake Michigan
Nestled between the woods around Lake Michigan and the lake’s sandy shores, this home made up of three old Boy Scout log cabins was delightfully charming. But after years of neglect and because of shortcuts taken during construction, it needed major renovations. Also, the homeowners wanted to be able to accommodate as much of their extended family as possible. Architect Virge Temme treated the home with the love it deserved, respected its wonderful rustic style and maintained its distinctive Scandinavian personality while updating it with modern comforts to accommodate her clients and their many guests.
AFTER: To create a home large enough for the homeowners and their relatives, Temme built a breezeway that connects to and incorporates the once-detached cabin, on the right side of the photo, into the main house’s plan. She also added a second story. Overall, the renovation doubled the size of the house. The new materials added to the exterior blend right in. Temme used locally harvested cedar logs that match the originals and stud walls with rough-sawn pine board-and-batten. The roof’s red asphalt shingles are a Scandinavian touch.
Temme also updated all the home’s systems and insulated the house to make it energy-efficient. She repurposed as much as possible. For example, you can see that she reused the balustrades from the exterior railing in the previous photo as balcony railings.
Temme removed a large hedge and replaced the landscape with a naturalized low-maintenance butterfly garden. The cedar trees to the left are “kissing trees,” planted to resemble a couple smooching. The excavator hand-dug the foundation near these trees to protect their root systems.
Temme also updated all the home’s systems and insulated the house to make it energy-efficient. She repurposed as much as possible. For example, you can see that she reused the balustrades from the exterior railing in the previous photo as balcony railings.
Temme removed a large hedge and replaced the landscape with a naturalized low-maintenance butterfly garden. The cedar trees to the left are “kissing trees,” planted to resemble a couple smooching. The excavator hand-dug the foundation near these trees to protect their root systems.
The new breezeway serves as the main entry. One of the homeowners’ parents immigrated to the U.S. from Sweden and the other’s immigrated from Norway. Temme did extensive research on Swedish and Norwegian design as part of the project. “They are actually quite different,” she says. “Swedish style tends to be light and colorful while Norwegian is darker and more somber. I decided to let Norwegian style inspire us to go darker downstairs and Swedish design to inspire us to go lighter upstairs.”
For the new staircase, Temme replicated the exterior balustrade’s silhouette. During her research, she noticed a lot of clay hexagonal tiles like these in photographs of homes in Norway. The home is full of Swedish furniture that one of the homeowners inherited from her family.
For the new staircase, Temme replicated the exterior balustrade’s silhouette. During her research, she noticed a lot of clay hexagonal tiles like these in photographs of homes in Norway. The home is full of Swedish furniture that one of the homeowners inherited from her family.
The biggest inspiration for the interiors didn’t come from research but rather from the existing details. All the colors were inspired by a decorative style of Norwegian folk painting called rosemale, which the previous owner had used to embellish the home. This beautiful millwork around the entry to the kitchen and on the other side of the room are original to the house.
The rosemale inspired the kitchen’s color palette. “You see rosemale on items like plates and on furniture, but I’ve never seen it on a house the way you see it all around this one,” Temme says. The kitchen’s footprint remained the same, but Temme reconfigured it to provide more counter space and an easy flow.
The rosemale inspired the kitchen’s color palette. “You see rosemale on items like plates and on furniture, but I’ve never seen it on a house the way you see it all around this one,” Temme says. The kitchen’s footprint remained the same, but Temme reconfigured it to provide more counter space and an easy flow.
The existing millwork in other rooms also inspired the shapes and colors in the kitchen. Temme had the cabinets painted using a hand-rubbing method to give them an antique look. Their paneled doors are new but were inspired by existing paneling in the house. She borrowed the scalloped millwork detail from existing trim in the living room. Other details like the hardware, drawer pulls, backsplash and vent hood were all inspired by Norwegian design.
Temme saved as much of the home’s original flooring as she could, filling in with coordinating 2.5-inch maple floorboard where needed.
Temme saved as much of the home’s original flooring as she could, filling in with coordinating 2.5-inch maple floorboard where needed.
A curtained sink cabinet and coordinating fabric on the windows are charming finishing touches.
The fireplace, beams, pine paneling and chandelier in the family room are all original. The fireplace is a mix of local granite and brick. If you look closely at where the paneling meets the ceiling, you’ll see the original scalloped molding that Temme used as a template throughout the house. “This molding is practically a signature of Door County,” she says. “You see it all over the cabins in the area.”
When you want to maximize the number of guests a weekend house can hold, you have to get creative. This built-in daybed in the living room is original to the home, as is its rosemale ceiling.
The dining room, which was added in the 1970s, presented some of the worst examples of shoddy construction and the best examples of the personality the original homeowner had added. Its current state is the result of some heroic preservation efforts.
The addition had been built right atop the dirt — no basement, no concrete slab. “The carpet glue was the only thing holding this floor together,” Temme says with a laugh. “You could stick your fingers right through floorboards to the dirt in some places.” That meant the bottoms of the studs were completely rotted, so the walls needed to be replaced.
The previous homeowner had gathered four of her friends together and, over several visits, they painted this charming rosemale ceiling — each panel is signed and dated by members of the group. Unfortunately, the other side of each ceiling panel served as the exterior of the roof, which presented a major challenge.
“The contractor told me there was absolutely no way to save the ceiling and still be able to insulate the roof, that it was rotting and that it had to go,” Temme says. “I told him there were no other options — we had to save it.” This proved quite an undertaking. Temme had a crane lift the roof off the walls to preserve it. Rotted pieces were repaired, rafters were pinpointed to avoid putting nails through the rosemale and the roof was covered in plywood decking. This allowed for rigid foam insulation between the rosemale ceiling and the new roof.
The addition had been built right atop the dirt — no basement, no concrete slab. “The carpet glue was the only thing holding this floor together,” Temme says with a laugh. “You could stick your fingers right through floorboards to the dirt in some places.” That meant the bottoms of the studs were completely rotted, so the walls needed to be replaced.
The previous homeowner had gathered four of her friends together and, over several visits, they painted this charming rosemale ceiling — each panel is signed and dated by members of the group. Unfortunately, the other side of each ceiling panel served as the exterior of the roof, which presented a major challenge.
“The contractor told me there was absolutely no way to save the ceiling and still be able to insulate the roof, that it was rotting and that it had to go,” Temme says. “I told him there were no other options — we had to save it.” This proved quite an undertaking. Temme had a crane lift the roof off the walls to preserve it. Rotted pieces were repaired, rafters were pinpointed to avoid putting nails through the rosemale and the roof was covered in plywood decking. This allowed for rigid foam insulation between the rosemale ceiling and the new roof.
Temme hired a local artist who specializes in rosemale to create this pattern on the staircase pickets. She designed the custom bookcases that stand at either end of the landing. They resemble the kitchen cabinetry and, along with the spindles, carry the home’s signature blue upstairs. Just out of sight to the right is a game table that looks out over Lake Michigan.
“All of the lights throughout the house are the original ones that we had refurbished, or these $3.98 jelly jar lights I bought at Menards,” Temme says. Originally, she put the cheap lights in as a filler while the homeowners looked for replacements, but they fell in love with them. They’ve even spread to their other home and become trendsetters among some of their friends and family who admired them here and added them to their own decor. “Everyone has fallen in love with the jelly jar sconces. It’s really funny!” the architect says.
“All of the lights throughout the house are the original ones that we had refurbished, or these $3.98 jelly jar lights I bought at Menards,” Temme says. Originally, she put the cheap lights in as a filler while the homeowners looked for replacements, but they fell in love with them. They’ve even spread to their other home and become trendsetters among some of their friends and family who admired them here and added them to their own decor. “Everyone has fallen in love with the jelly jar sconces. It’s really funny!” the architect says.
The master bedroom opens to one of the balconies on the front of the house. Even though the house doubled in size, it maintains its coziness. For example, in here, the slanted beadboard ceiling, butter yellow shiplap walls, quilt and painted Swedish furniture give the room a homey cabin feel.
This guest room also has access to a balcony. A new built-in bed has a trundle tucked underneath. It’s all about how many people can be hosted here. Temme estimates the house can now sleep about 23 people. “The homeowners are so generous and love spending time with extended family. They wanted to fit as many of them in as possible,” she says.
Did you catch the Norwegian phrase painted across the rafters over the dining table in an earlier photo? The translation is “The greatest pleasure is in making others happy.” This has always been the spirit of the house, something its renovation and subsequent gatherings will foster. “There was so much love put into this house over the years,” Temme says. She and the current homeowners say they were honored to be part of carrying on that tradition.
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Did you catch the Norwegian phrase painted across the rafters over the dining table in an earlier photo? The translation is “The greatest pleasure is in making others happy.” This has always been the spirit of the house, something its renovation and subsequent gatherings will foster. “There was so much love put into this house over the years,” Temme says. She and the current homeowners say they were honored to be part of carrying on that tradition.
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: This is the coastal home of a couple with teenagers and a large extended family
Location: Door County, Wisconsin
Size: 3,400 square feet (316 square meters); six bedrooms, four bathrooms
Designer: Virge Temme Architecture
BEFORE: The home was originally composed of three cabins from a local Boy Scout camp that were moved here and pieced together in the 1960s. Two were attached to each other and other additions, while the third was a separate small guest cabin. The property was so charming that it was featured in Romantic Homes magazine in the early 1990s. But unfortunately, after one of the former homeowners passed away, it fell into disrepair. Problems included rotting logs, rotting studs and drainage issues.
The new homeowners are close to their extended family and wanted to host overnight groups of 20 or more. When they first bought the house, their teenagers and guests had to use this exterior staircase to reach the cramped attic, where they would sleep. “It was crazy — it was maybe 5 feet high at its highest point,” Temme says.