After years of camping trips and weekend getaways to Ely, Minnesota, these clients knew exactly what they loved about the place. The towering pines that seem to go on forever. Those massive, moss-covered boulders that look like they’ve been there since the ice age. The way Lake Shagawa catches light through the trees. When they decided to build a permanent retreat, they wanted something that would let them live inside that landscape, not just visit it. Snow Kreilich Architects understood the assignment perfectly.
Design Principal Matt Kreilich and Senior Associate Christina Stark created something that works as both a home and art studio without feeling forced. The spaces flow together naturally, so creative work becomes part of daily life rather than something that happens in a separate building. Large windows turn the forest into a living artwork, framing views of those beloved pines and boulders. The modern lines feel right at home among the trees, proving you don’t need fake logs and antler chandeliers to respect the wilderness. Clean geometry lets the natural beauty shine through.
Designer: Snow Kreilich Architects
What makes this retreat special is how it handles the practical stuff without compromising the experience. Minnesota winters are brutal, so every material choice had to work hard and age gracefully. The structural engineering by Buro Happold and MBJ solved some tricky foundation challenges on this rocky, forested site. You’d never guess the technical complexity from inside the house, which is exactly the point. Good design hides the difficult parts and highlights what matters most.
The project caught attention for good reason, earning second place in the Minneapolis/St. Paul Magazine RAVE Awards for homes under 3,500 square feet. Wallpaper Magazine featured it as an example of how architecture can enhance creativity rather than just house it. Corey Gaffer’s photography captures that magic moment when building and landscape work together instead of fighting each other. Even the structural engineers got recognition for figuring out how to build sensitively in such a pristine location.
This isn’t about showing off with expensive materials or dramatic gestures. The real luxury here is waking up surrounded by old-growth forest, having your morning coffee while watching light filter through pine branches, then walking a few steps to a studio space that makes you want to create something. Every room connects you to the outdoors in a different way. The kitchen window frames one view, the bedroom another, the studio workspace yet another. It’s like having multiple front-row seats to nature’s daily show.
Snow Kreilich shows us that contemporary design can honor wild places without trying to imitate them. The Ely Retreat works because it knows when to step forward and when to step back. Sometimes architecture needs to be the star, but here it plays supporting actor to a landscape that’s been perfecting its performance for thousands of years. The result feels both completely modern and completely at home, which is exactly what every good retreat should accomplish.
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