The stateside office of Norwegian modified wood producer Kebony has shared a recently completed renovation that breathed new life into an early-1970s kit home. The singular cabin is described as “one part cedar-clad chalet and a couple parts A-frame” in Minnesota’s rugged North Shore region along Lake Superior.
Although cedar was once the defining exterior material of the rustic Northwoods vacation getaway, the overhaul, led by local firm Taiga Design+Build, did away with the cabin’s rotting wood siding in its entirety and replaced it with Kebony. The sustainable and low-maintenance tropical hardwood alternative first developed in Oslo harnesses a bio-based fluid to improve the existing qualities and characteristics of wood. While Kebony’s American operations also happen to be based in Minnesota, other notable projects incorporating the AN Best of Product-winning modified wood, particularly popular for decking and cladding across a range of (often harsh) climates, can be found everywhere from Houston to Washington’s Olympic Peninsula.
Back in Minnesota, Taiga’s exhaustive renovation also entailed swapping out the original A-frame roof; structural insulated panels were added for improved insulation/energy efficiency while Awaken skylights were punched into the new roof for improved natural lighting. In addition to the skylights, new windows from Marvin, including a Marvin Skycove, were also installed throughout the compact cabin. Owners Melissa and Kevin Coleman, a designer and lifestyle blogger and child psychologist, respectively, outfitted the space with furniture from Room & Board. The cabin’s Kebony-decked exterior spaces were populated with furnishings from Loll Designs.
However extensive, Taiga founder Anton Moody noted in a press release that around 90 percent of the original 1970s kit home was retained during the top-to-bottom refresh, including the spruced-up western red cedar paneling that lines the cabin’s cozy interior.
“I turned the Colemans on to Kebony, which performs better over time than cedar,” said Moody. “It’s aging and weathering nicely.”
The Colemans have christened their restored rustic retreat as the Minne Stuga House and made it available as a vacation rental with a three-night minimum (when they’re not actively using it). Overlooking Devil Track Lake on a heavily wooded 2-acre plot just outside of the small but bustling city of Grand Marais in Cook County, the Minne Stuga House is a little under 5 hours north of the Twin Cities and serves as a place where guests can “get lost and then found, to be bored and get inspired” amidst some truly stunning (and remote) natural surroundings.
