Cabin north of Duluth combines cozy ease with ‘wow’ factor lake views

A lot of intention went into the Whiteface Reservoir cabin that earned a 2025-26 American Institute of Architects (AIA) Minnesota Star Tribune Home of the Month honor.

At first glance, the house, which is about an hour’s drive north of Duluth, seems like a simple setup with two bedrooms, a bunkroom, one-and-a-half baths and an open gathering space.

But the way the house flows and feels reflects a bigger idea, the architectural concept of compression and release. Famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright popularized the idea of using smaller, more confined spaces to increase the drama and “wow” factor of larger rooms — for example, a low-ceilinged passageway that leads into a vaulted living room.

Owner and architecture fan Ash Mishra connected Wright’s concept with Minnesota cabin culture.

“There’s so much anticipation. The drive, your first glimpse of the cabin and then the lake,” Mishra said. “We wanted to intensify the experience.”

Mishra and his wife, Kristin Mishra, know the feeling well. They’ve been coming to this peninsula for 32 years, first as a couple and then with their two sons. For Kristin Mishra, it’s even longer, as her parents have a place down the road, and her brother and niece have homes nearby, too.

Even though Ash Mishra didn’t have the up north experience growing up in India, it still feels familiar.

When this property came on the market in 2019, the couple couldn’t resist. The lot was close to family and private, adjacent to 10 acres of Superior National Forest.

The Mishras had a pretty good idea of what they wanted for their new cabin. And Kristin Mishra was happy to let her spouse take the lead, provided the cabin fit in with the modest neighboring houses.

“I didn’t want it to stick out,” she said.

Architect Meghan Kell took the couple’s wishes to heart, designing a single-story, T-shape house set on a slab foundation. That left the underlying bedrock undisturbed.

“From the road, it looks like an unassuming box,” Kell said.

At the end of the hallway is the “aha” moment. The heart of the cabin, the vertical part of the T, is where cooking, eating, gathering and connecting with the lake happen. Three sets of 12-foot-wide sliding glass doors create a palpable indoor-outdoor experience.

Deep overhangs and wood decks make it seem as though the house is reaching into and embracing the landscape, while still blending with the surroundings.

“In this setting, the glass acts as camouflage because it reflects the trees,” Kell said.

In the same way, dark vertical siding in variable widths mimics the different ages and sizes of the property’s trees.

And because the house is a relatively compact 1,600 square feet, there’s plenty of breathing space around it. Room for trees, grasses or a tent, when overnight guests exceed the cabin’s sleeping quarters.

A sauna closer to the lake is a tiny version of the cabin, with a covered deck for cooling off and reflection.

Wood-burning stoves provide heat and fragrance in both buildings, and the stove in the cabin has an integrated bench that provides extra seating. The cabin has additional heat from radiant concrete floors with a wax finish that enhances the material’s color and variation.

Other interior finishes lean spare and natural but not rustic. The windows are stained pine. The cabinets are ash with oak frames. Thin floating metal shelves in the kitchen are anchored behind the wall, eliminating the need for brackets. A long window in the dining room is the same height as the refrigerator, with a built-in storage cabinet as separation.

“Aligning these geometries creates peace without you knowing it,” Kell said, pointing out how a window also helps delineate the dining area within the open space. “That’s what this cabin is about.”

The Mishras’ sons are now in college, so these days, the couple often go to the cabin alone or with friends to cook, sauna or garden. So far, they’ve planted 10 quaking aspen trees on the road side of the cabin and tall grasses outside the sauna building. They’ve built a French drain from rocks collected on the property.

“Last winter, we saw a pack of eight wolves walking through heavy snowpack across the lake,” Kristin Mishra said.

Ash Mishra described each arrival as a transformation.

“You’ve got your groceries and your stuff, which you shed as you enter and walk down the hallway to a feeling of release, of physical and mental clarity,” he said. “It’s cleansing.”

Designing firm: Kell Architects

Project team: Meghan Kell, AIA: Dan Wallace, AIA

Photos: Troy Thies