Wisconsin island home ‘in the middle of nature’ takes Home of the Month honors

In 2017, David and Stephanie Brule purchased a 6-acre island on the Spread Eagle Chain of Lakes in Wisconsin that the same family had owned since the 1870s.

Robbins Island, located near Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, was full of trees — except for a small cabin with no running water and a ramshackle red boathouse at the southern tip. A short, dilapidated causeway connected it to the mainland.

David Brule was familiar with the island, having grown up in nearby Iron Mountain, Mich. He and Stephanie returned there to raise their three children after several years on the West Coast. The Brules also had a small cottage on the lake and often cruised by the red boathouse.

“This chain of lakes rarely has properties come for sale. Usually, they get traded down multiple generations of family,” David Brule said, adding that this island only became available because the previous owners’ heirs lived out of state.

It was an opportunity the couple couldn’t resist.

The Brules were close to retiring and envisioned a year-round home on the island where they could enjoy privacy and an active lifestyle (swimming, boating, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing). They also hoped the ​residence would serve as an enticement for their adult children, who had moved away for college and work.

The final product won a 2025-26 Home of the Month honor, a partnership between the Minnesota Star Tribune and the Minnesota chapter of the American Institute of Architects that honors residential architecture. Judges praised the design for its clean symmetry, subtlety and humble presence among the trees.

“We wanted someone who understood the extremes of our weather and would be diligent about working with the [Department of Natural Resources] to protect trees, water quality and so forth,” Stephanie Brule said.

An online search led the couple to Minneapolis-based TEA2, and after a few phone calls, architects Dan Nepp and Tom Van De Weghe found themselves tromping through knee-deep snow to inspect the site. Even in subzero January temperatures, the island enchanted.

“It’s kind of a magical place with old-growth trees and an elevation that’s about 30 feet from the mounded top to the water’s edge,” Van De Weghe said.

The word “recessive” came up frequently in planning meetings. The Brules’ sought to have the home melt into the trees with light and views filtering through towering conifers and hardwood trees. At the same time, they also wanted to capture as much natural light as possible, especially since this would be their year-round home, and winter days are short. Further inspiration came from Finland, where the Brules have visited, and the climate is similar.

Nepp and Van De Weghe took advantage of the island’s hourglass shape, positioning the house along the ridge with expanses of glass hugging the central part of the house. That captured long views to the north and south.

The home divides into three house-shaped blocks that glass links connect. The largest is at the center and contains the living room, dining room, den and kitchen on the main floor as well as three guest suites upstairs. Off that are two smaller blocks: one for the garage and mudroom and another for the main bedroom.

A zinc roof tops the dark-stained cedar and stone exterior, which helps the house withstand the elements and blend into its surroundings. The interior, on the other hand, is light and bright. There are a variety of wood finishes, including white oak flooring, character-grade beams and a mesmerizingly wavy cathedral grain fir on the kitchen cabinets.

“During the winter, when the days can be grayer and nights longer, the light interior and warmth and texture of the wood will really help to balance that out,” Nepp said.

The property also features a mini-me guest house and sauna down the hill from the main residence. It’s on the site of the original cabin and boathouse, with the sauna painted red to honor the well-known landmark on the lake.

The project used locally sourced materials to reflect the family’s deep Wisconsin roots and commitment to the area: lumber from a mill in Laona, stone from a quarry in Chilton and windows from Wausau-based Kolbe.

“These materials will last 100 years,” David Brule said, “and even though we won’t, we hope future generations will continue to enjoy this home.”

Designing firm: TEA2 Architects.

Project team: Dan Nepp, AIA; Tom Van De Weghe.

Project partners: Kathryn Scott Design Studio Ltd., MBM Construction Co.

Photos: Alexis Gotham and Tom Van De Weghe, TEA2 Architects.