Greg Elsner and Kadie Fredell play with their two sons outside their year-round abode in Taylors Falls. Photos: Chris Emeott
Architect Greg Elsner and his family tune into nature at their distinctive home in Taylors Falls.
Greg Elsner brings a uniquely Minnesotan sensibility to his work. “I love embracing the seasons here that don’t happen elsewhere,” Elsner says. “I love water skiing and swimming in the summer, but it’s also great to be out in the winter, out on the ice, and to experience that full spectrum.” That contrast, Elsner says, brings an exciting challenge to his work in architecture.
Elsner grew up in Coon Rapids and worked as a framing carpenter after high school and during college. He received his master’s degree in architecture from North Dakota State University in Fargo and says his carpentry background still informs his designs. “Being a craftsman makes you a better designer, and being a designer makes you a better craftsman,” he says. “Architecture is like art and science. You need to get a good feeling of the space, but then, how do you technically keep the rain out?”
First floor: From the entrance of Greg Elsner and Kadie Fredell’s Taylors Falls home to the top floor, a vertical span of windows brings in light and natural views. Along with the primary bedroom and bathroom on the ground floor, there’s also the home’s centerpiece: a spiral staircase, robed in local stone, that wraps around a chimney. If you head down, you’ll find the children’s bedroom/playroom with its own bay of windows.
Now, Elsner is a principal architect for Minneapolis-based Shelter Architecture, where his project mix is about 50/50 residential and commercial. He works on family home renovations, new builds and unique spots like the Minnesota Opera’s Luminary Arts Center.
But the project nearest to Elsner’s heart is his family’s home in Taylors Falls, a 1970s structure that sits atop a bluff overlooking the St. Croix River and Interstate State Park. Elsner and his wife, Kadie Fredell, purchased the home in 2017 and were able to meet the original designer, late Stillwater architect Mike McGuire. “He even sent me a set of plans to review and talked through his design process about the whole project,” Elsner says. “It was really meaningful to have that discussion with him.”
Second floor: The second level is the family’s primary living space with the dining room, the kitchen and the living room, along with a deck. Greg Elsner and Kadie Fredell have used organic materials and furnishings with simple, clean lines to keep the house feeling tranquil and connected to the natural setting.
The home needed a lot of work when Elsner and Fredell took the reins, having been on the market for nearly four years before the couple came across it. Renovations were made to accommodate their growing family. “It was designed as a seasonal cabin, and now we’re a family of four living here year-round,” Elsner says. “We made some changes but really kept the spirit of the initial design.”
Third floor: Up in the treetops, the home’s third level is part deck and part enclosed sunroom where Greg Elsner keeps his home office and the family’s TV space. “When the eagles are flying over the St. Croix River, you’re at their actual height,” Kadie Fredell says. “I love that so much.”
The family spends a lot of time outdoors, exploring their 30-acre property. They tap maple trees to make syrup in the spring, tend gardens in the summer, go bow hunting in the fall and enjoy observing wildlife all year long. “We try to raise our kids with an idea of stewardship of land and water,” Fredell says. “We are a blip in the time of people who have lived on this piece of land, and we try to do well by it for the people coming after us.”
The house is also well-designed for passive heating and cooling, Elsner says. “The overhangs and orientation are right, so we get really great winter light, and it stays cool in the summer. If you open the right windows, you get a naturally ventilated stack effect.” He enclosed a portion of the top floor, which had been a kind of deck, to make an outlook where his own desk sits. “It’s a sweet spot and a really inspiring place to work with a view,” Elsner says.
For more about this Taylors Falls gem, check out Kadie Fredell’s glimpses into her family’s home and seasonal rhythms on Instagram at @saintcroixcollective.
On the Rocks
Photo: Peter Atkins
Inspired by Scandinavian sauna culture, Greg Elsner and Kadie Fredell built their own unique experience: the Löyly, a floating pontoon sauna that can be easily trailered between the water and dry land for use all year round. “Kadie spent some time in Norway in college and participated in floating saunas on a much bigger scale,” Elsner says. “This combines Minnesota pontoon culture with the sauna.” He tracked down a 1979 pontoon in rough shape and stripped it to its frame. Carpenter friends helped along the way with the tongue and groove cedar siding and installing the custom woodstove that creates the sauna’s trademark steam heat. Perhaps the most fun feature? A trapdoor in the floor that allows bathers to hop right into the chilly water below when they’re ready to cool down. Elsner has leveraged his expertise to design interior saunas for several clients over the years (though, to date, his is the only one that floats).
Shelter Architecture
Instagram: @shelterdesigns
