Architecture: Stephen Bruns, Bruns Architecture
Builder: Tielens Construction
Photography: Tricia Shay Photography
Positioned on a plush, grassy swath of lakefront property in Pukwana Beach, Wisconsin, this extraordinary summer vacation home on Lake Winnebago is the happy place for a New York couple and their four young children. A Wisconsin native, the wife spent her childhood summers on this nostalgic expanse of waterfront land sprinkled with the homes of her parents and relatives. She and her husband sought to continue the family tradition and create their own getaway on this same stretch of beach. Their children would be the sixth generation to enjoy blissful summer vacations here.
“While all our projects share a common DNA, each of them is unique because we listen to our clients,” says Milwaukee architect Stephen Bruns, founder of Bruns Architecture, who was enlisted to take on the task. “The owners of this project are true lake people, and their familial connection with this shore goes back generations. Additionally, one of the owners is an interior designer with a delightfully minimal palette. The commission and collaboration were extra special. We were able to explore the idea of purity and distillation towards a wonderfully clean aesthetic. This house is experiential.”
The architect’s unique design—a pair of black gabled forms that “distill the idea of home” aligned flawlessly with the couple’s vision. A slightly shorter and narrower south volume includes a home office and family bedrooms, while the north volume holds the living room, a light-filled double-height kitchen, a guest room, and a loft. A transitional single-story volume containing the entrance hall and dining room elegantly weaves the home together, connecting all the spaces.
Well-Connected
Bruns aptly named the property the “Woven House” due to the central vestibule that gracefully connects the two massive gabled forms of the home. Additionally, he doubled the wall thicknesses to accentuate the form of the house. “Clad in synthetic slate tiles formulated from recycled rubber tires, the exterior provides a specular mosaic skin over the thick outlined forms,” explains the architect. “I love the way light reflects off the tiles, and this taut surface is kerfed at window and door openings to reveal a layered wrapper that encloses and protects the interior. Breaking free from the dark exterior, the white stucco chimney punctuates the structure as it creates a radiant landmark along the shore.”
Smooth Transition
Clad in white oak and minimalist accents, the narrow hallway in the central vestibule offers a graceful prelude to the serene spaces that await inside. “This low-slung, single-story form weaves through the taller silhouettes to create a series of dynamic interior and exterior spaces,” notes Bruns.
Airy Ascent
An elegant staircase outfitted in white oak risers and accented with a black railing appears to float weightlessly to the second story, where the children’s bedrooms offer spectacular views of the lake.
Clean Living
“While this family of six lives in New York, deep memories and extended familial connections make Wisconsin a second home,” says Bruns. “The design objective was to create a welcoming gathering place with a sophisticated sense of style while maximizing connections to the outdoors.”
In the living room, comfy white seating pieces and a nubby textured rug from Restoration Hardware keep the space soft and serene. The wall of sliding doors opens the room up to cooling lake breezes and the soothing sound of waves lapping against the shore.
“Perfectly imperfect cement plaster applied using Old-World methods and materials covers walls and ceilings,” adds Bruns, “while reclaimed white oak timbers create a rhythm of support across the gables.”
Unspoiled Island
Delightfully sparse yet highly functional, the kitchen is the nerve center of the home and one of the owner’s favorite spaces. A waterfall concrete island by Bomanite of Wisconsin, accented with black Kohler faucet hardware, is punctuated with bright white Bell pendants by Normann Copenhagen and Fiber counter stools by Muuto. The sleek Wolf cooktop and Sub-Zero refrigerator align with the kitchen’s clean, seamless aesthetic.
Minimalist Mystique
Spare and simple in its design, the dining room invites the natural scenery outside to become the focus of the décor. A skylight overhead provides shifting sunlight throughout the day, giving the space an ever-changing mood and ambiance. The long custom dining table accommodates up to 14 guests, and Danish-inspired wood chairs from J104 echo the minimalist aesthetic. Snowbound wall paint from Sherwin-Williams gives the space a soft, tranquil vibe.
“A restrained palette of materials within the house offers texture and explores variations of white with black accents to provide an elegant contrast and sense of drama,” Bruns explains. “The color gradations interplay with natural light to offer visual interest as the interior illumination varies throughout the day.”
Breathing Room
Just off the living room, a welcoming covered breezeway catches a breath of fresh air and captures stunning lake views. A wall-mounted TV, cozy cushioned sofa, and dining table offer endless entertaining options for family and guests.
White Noise
Dressed in white with minimal decorative accents, the primary bedroom offers the homeowners a tranquil escape from which to enjoy the expansive lake views outside. Its ground-level positioning allows the space to meld seamlessly with the landscape.
“Because of the owners’ personal affinity for the classic combination of black and white, the exterior and interior finish palette plays with sophisticated contrasts and uses the warmth of wood to infuse a deep sense of place within the lakeside setting,” Bruns explains.
Bold Beauty
The high-contrast black and white aesthetic is reiterated in the master bathroom with a generous double walk-in shower and a massive black vanity topped with a bright white sink. Natural wood accents, including the shower bench and towel stool, lend a complementary organic element.
Shoreline Appeal
Two bold gabled forms instill the fundamental vision of a home while the central vestibule quietly connects them. Bruns slightly rotated the two-story bedroom structure to widen views of the lake and harvest additional light. His unique angled orientation enhances the outdoor entertaining opportunities by increasing the available space and offering multiple functions for the owners’ lakeside gatherings. The dramatic glazing on the lakeside accentuates the bold triangular forms and visually connects the home to the beautiful blue waters of Lake Winnebago.
“One of my favorite aspects of this project was the opportunity we had to exploit conventional roof forms and geometry while using a clean, modern vocabulary,” says Bruns. “We distilled the shapes down to a typical child’s drawing of home, overstating the gable and erasing the overhangs. The resulting composition is immediately recognizable yet elevated to a sculptural level. Located on the eastern edge of Lake Winnebago, this dynamic structure is a beacon at the end of a narrow farm road that punctuates the shoreline.”
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