Log cabin update

May 19, 2023

It all started with a broken stove.

Erin and Ryan Davelaar fell in love with their log cabin nestled in a small neighborhood in Arnolds Park more than a decade ago. Ryan bought the house 15 years ago and when the two fell in love and got married 1 years ago, Erin also fell in love with its unique architecture.

Ryan first happened upon the house by pure luck.

"There was a house down the street that was for sale and when I drove by to look at it we saw the for sale sign in this yard," Ryan said. "I was like, ‘Oh, I like the looks of that.’"

But sometime over that decade they began to fall out of love with the home that was originally built in 1976.

In short, there were certain things they wanted to change.

"It was very dark. There's obviously a lot of wood in the house with the beams and the ceiling but the walls were dark, the kitchen cabinets were all dark wood and the island and the countertops were a darker color," Erin said.

The kitchen and the layout didn't really work for the couple. They also had issues with the main floor bathroom after they had to get a new washer and dryer and they no longer fit in the old space that housed them.

But as much as they wanted to change the space, they also wanted to maintain the characteristics of the home that are special and unique.

They were a bit stuck on exactly how to do that so they would go back and forth for a few years as to what to do.

"We just really talked about wanting to lighten it up and brighten it, while still maintaining the log cabin feel at the same time," Erin said.

"There wasn't a lot of lighting in there either compared to what we have now," Ryan said.

Then fate intervened and they had to make a decision.

Their oven broke.

"That's actually literally what started the renovation; our oven quit and we couldn't get parts for it. So, we decided that, well, we’ll have to order a new oven, but we were talking and didn't really want to put a new oven back where it was located in the island," Erin said "We didn't really like the shape of the kitchen. We knew we wanted to move it and so then it all snowballed from there."

They still had a lot of questions as to how to best go about accomplishing everything they wanted. So they turned to Katie Hansen with Revive Interiors for help navigating the possibilities.

The balancing act was always how to lighten, brighten and reconfigure the first floor while adding storage, increasing functionality but also highlighting the unique architecture they loved about their log cabin home.

"[What struck me first was] the character! The log cabin features of this home make it unique, warm and inviting. The original fireplace in the center of the space combined with the rustic wood beams and log walls all gave the space character, and I knew we needed to find a design that would keep these elements a focal point," said Katie Hansen.

Demolition started in the fall of 2021 and continued through spring 2022.

The entire kitchen and bathroom on the main floor were gutted. The kitchen was reconfigured and features new light colored cabinets and a light Cambria countertop. They also opened up head space in the kitchen and made everything function better.

"We love to cook. And so, the renovation has made that a more enjoyable experience, as well," Erin said. "We added some things that make it more convenient for us to cook like this special pull out drawer that has a knife block in it so it's not on the counters."

They added new flooring on the main floor and painted the walls a light color. They kept the beams, but refinished them along with the fireplace mantle. The ceiling and stained glass window were left, and the brick fireplace was given an update with a new hearthstone and built-ins to add storage and balance the space.

The bathroom was given updated lighting, beautiful new tile on the backsplash as well as a new shower. A little extra space was taken from a guest bedroom and given to the washer and dryer area so they no longer protrude into the bathroom.

"As with any design, functionality is always where we start. There were several pain points of their kitchen and bathroom that we were able to eliminate and make everything work so much better," Hansen said. "Another goal was to freshen up and lighten the feel of the spaces. With the existing heavy wood beams and brick elements staying put, we wanted to introduce much lighter materials and finishes for contrast. We also kept their love of entertaining in mind in the main living space especially, aiming to make this the perfect space to enjoy with friends and family."

The color palette for the space was actually drawn from a piece of the original architecture — a stained-glass window high in the wall in the main living area. The main color was blue with touches of yellow and red.

At first, Erin wasn't sold on the colors.

"I didn't think that I am hugely in love with yellow, but we have these paintings that we have gotten on different vacations that we’ve taken and I wanted to use them in the space," Erin said. "I was looking at them and I realized that there actually is quite a bit of yellow in each of these paintings so it all came together."

The Davelaars have been enjoying their renovated space since finishing work a year ago.

"I just love the overall feel of it, I guess. It just feels so much cleaner and brighter and welcoming, I guess, as opposed to the kind of dark heaviness that was there," Erin said. "And it functions so much better for us. We added some storage, which has been really helpful. We added some built-ins in the living room and actually added a closet under the stairs as well."

Next up is phase two where they will tackle the second floor of the home. But that's a ways down the road.

Now thanks to a broken oven, the Davelaars have been given the opportunity to fall back in love with their home — and they give a lot of the credit to their designer, Katie Hansen

"She just really made us love the house again. We’ve always loved being here because we’re in the center of the action. I mean, it's a five-minute walk to the Park. I mean, just the golf course is right there. The lakes are so close, and we still have this private little community back here." Erin said. "So it really brought us all back together."

Design- Katie Hansen, Revive Interiors

General Contractor — Cassidy Howard (Howard Construction LLC)

Cabinetry — Joens Woodworking (Wilmont, MN)

Tile (backsplash in kitchen & shower tile) — Josh Lorzel (Tribal Tile)

Flooring — Ben Zenor, Okoboji Tile Shop

Electrician — Gerald Murphy, Murphy Electric

Countertops — Cambria Surfaces

Becoming partly cloudy after some morning rain. High 73F. Winds SE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch..

A few clouds. Low 57F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.

Updated: June 8, 2023 @ 4:35 am