The Ultimate Summer Hangout for a Craft-Brew-Loving Family

The Minnesota lakeside retreat featured in our Summer 2022 issue also has a private pub! Peek inside, see what’s on tap and get the resources for the rest of the home. 
May 04, 2022
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Credit: Kim Cornelison

Sip Station

The craft-brew-loving Dimkes tore down a derelict garage to make room for a bar, nicknamed "The Doghouse" for Dimkes On Gull. Designer Lauren Tays took inspiration from photos of centuries-old European pubs, using stone inside and out, adding copper gutters, and repeating the ironwork from the main house on the awnings (and the interior). The motorized windows will soon overlook a pickleball court.

In addition to the stone interior, Tays brought over the metal accents and black, contemporary lighting from the main house, then furnished the space for lounging and card playing.

Credit: Kim Cornelison

On Tap

At the end of the day, you'll find the Dimkes in here, sipping craft beers (they keep three on tap) or "vodas" (vodka sodas). It's also the de facto entertaining space for birthday parties and the Fourth of July. Favorite beers on tap:

  • Coffee Chocolate Golden Ale (Birch's on the Lake in Long Lake, MN) Too much of a good thing? Nope, especially when the coffee notes hail from St. Paul's True Stone Coffee Roasters. But you'll have to visit their brewhouse to taste it or pick up a crowler; they don't distribute.
  • Raspberry Jam Bam (Inbound BrewCo in the North Loop neighborhood of Minneapolis) The Dimkes know this one as simply "Raspberry Kolsch," but the brew proved so popular, Inbound decided to can it with a real-deal name on the label. It's now available year-round.
  • Peanut Butter Porter (Dangerous Man Brewing Co. in Minneapolis). Like your favorite breakfast toast in a pint glass. Visit their Growler Shop or the taproom next door to get a taste—and do not miss the PB&J soft-serve dosed with this and a jammy double
  • Bourbon County Brand Stout (Goose Island Beer Co. in Chicago, IL). Every year on Black Friday, this Chicago staple releases a new vintage of Imperial Stout, aged in bourbon barrels for up to 14 months. Don't wait: It's available to buy online.

Read the full story about this lakeside family retreat here.

Resources

In a great room that's tall, not wide, double-decker windows and a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace provide the grandeur. "The footprint is actually pretty narrow and quite small," says architect Collin Jacobs. "We didn't want to end up with an elevator shaft. The trusses give a historic tie back to older timber frame buildings and bring the scale down to make it cozy." The beam dividing the windows conceals privacy shades; the door to the right opens to the patio and dock.
| Credit: Kim Cornelison

Great Room

Paint (on wall) SW 7042 Shoji White, Sherwin-Williams. Sofa Big Sur Sofa Square Arm Upholstered Sofa Chaise Sectional in Oatmeal, Performance Boucle, Pottery Barn. Lamp Easton Forged Iron Sectional Floor Lamp in bronze, Pottery Barn.

"I want every space to feel special, yet still flow," designer Laura Tays says. In the sunroom, vertical planks of varying widths match the color of all the main-level walls, cabinetry and trim (Sherwin-Williams Shoji White 7042), but Tays diluted the paint for a whitewash effect. "It's not quite as perfectly stark as the rest. You can see knots and cracks and some wood bleeding through."
| Credit: Kim Cornelison

Sunroom

Paint (on wall) SW 7042 Shoji White, Sherwin-Williams. Flooring Reclaimed Wood Flooring, Antique White Oak Floor, Manomin Resawn Timbers.

Tays also built continuity into the swoony laundry room, plucking several design elements from the kitchen—smooth white oak floating shelves, soapstone counters, an unsealed brass faucet that will darken with age and hefty metal hardware. Textured floor tile mimics the plaid carpet in the second-level guest suite.
| Credit: Kim Cornelison

Laundry Room

Flooring Tartan Light tile, Tailorart collection, Ceramica Sant'Agostino. Faucet Acqui Wall Mount Column Spout Bridge Kitchen Faucet with Sidespray, Rohl.

The guest bedroom's blue paneling hides corner storage, accessed through doors disguised in the woodwork.
| Credit: Kim Cornelison

Guest Bedroom

Paint (on wall) SW 9138 Stardew, Sherwin-Williams. Duvet cover Belgian Flax Linen Waffle Duvet Cover, Pottery Barn. Desk Light Walnut Wood Campaign Desk, World Market.

Above the garage, in a bonus guest room where Mary and her daughters often do yoga, Tays tried out another wall treatment—exposed wood paneling charred using a Japanese preservation technique called shou sugi ban. Gray plaid wall-to-wall carpeting, cognac leather accents and an antler fixture round out the not-so-knotty pine cabin feel.
| Credit: Kim Cornelison

Bonus Guest Bedroom

Ottomans Ackley Leather Ottoman in Saddle Brown, Studio McGee. Duvet covers Belgian Flax Linen Waffle Duvet Cover, Pottery Barn. Carpet Idele in Greystone, Stark Carpet. Rug 4-Pelt (4' x 6') Premium Australian Sheepskin Area Rug, Overland.

Tays adhered basket-weave tiles to the vanity wall without any grout to maintain the pattern's crisp details. (The shower tile is lightly grouted for water protection).
| Credit: Kim Cornelison

Bathroom

Tile (on wall) Sampson Mosaic Marble Wall and Floor Tile in Tumbled, The Tile Shop. Tile (in shower) Cloe Ceramic Tile in white, Bedrosians Tile & Stone.

The Dimkes put the primary bedroom on ground level because, Mary says, "We want to stay here forever." With an eye to long-lasting style, she asked her designer to avoid wild colors and patterns. So Tays gave oomph to accent walls in a more subtle way, with natural materials like grass cloth.
| Credit: Kim Cornelison

Primary Bedroom

Bed BigSur Upholstered Platform Bed in Oatmeal, Performance Boucle, Pottery Barn. Duvet cover Belgian Flax Linen Waffle Duvet Cover, Pottery Barn. Bench Malibu Woven Bench in Honey, Pottery Barn.

In the kitchen, corner windows frame the lake view. The plaster-and-bronze range hood faces the fireplace in the adjoining great room, like a twin hearth. To eke out a few extra inches, the island runs lengthwise and breaks into that living space, so Tays gave it a pretty soapstone top and glass-front drawers on the side that faces the fireplace.
| Credit: Kim Cornelison

Kitchen

Flooring Reclaimed Wood Flooring, Antique White Oak Floor, Manomin Resawn Timbers. Rangetop 36" Sealed Burner Rangetop – 4 Burners and Infrared Griddle, Wolf. Pulls MT4520 Wide Urban Pull, Flat Black, Ashley Norton.

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