Neon and Day-Glo meet Pine at this rental cabin in the Wisconsin woods
One of Danny Lindstrom’s earliest love memories of an apartment building dates back to when he was nine years old and saw Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller. from north to northwest for the first time. The massive limestone and timber walls and cantilevered steel beams of the film central house, supposedly on top of Mount Rushmore, excited him. “It was so modern and bold, but fit into that mountainous backdrop. I was and still am so disappointed that it doesn’t actually exist.”
Nestled in the woods two hours east of Minneapolis, Off-Grid Inn, Unit 2, one of two rental cabins designed by Danny Lindstrom and built with his friend and business partner, Duff Davidson, combines simplicity with unexpected and quirky elements like a fluorescent yellow handrail, an oversized staircase and variable lighting.
Twenty years later, cinema is still part of the work of the architect-designer. “I love the idea of theatrical architecture, where the story and experience of a building unfolds as you walk through it, with cinematically framed sets,” Lindstrom says. A feeling of pleasure at the limit of abandonment also finds its place in his creations.
Inspired by a mix of influences including the films of Stanley Kubrick, the light installations of James Turrell and Marfa, Texas, the duo believe in applying a unique vision to each of their works. “I don’t want to create a product that will be mass-produced,” Lindstrom says. “I want to continue to respond appropriately to any landscape in which we build.
It all takes shape in rented cabins he built with his business partner and roommate Duff Davidson in Fall Creek, Wis., where farmland gives way to white pine woods two hours from their Minneapolis home. “Trees have a distinct Northwoods vibe,” Lindstrom says.
Unit 2’s red cedar exterior gives way to an all white pine interior. The door handles are from Emtek.
Off-Grid Inn, Unit 1, their first foray, quickly became Wisconsin’s most sought-after Airbnb. Then came Unit 2, a 260 square foot cabin that soon after its completion played in a ironic video tour which went viral on TikTok, where Off-Grid Inn has some 100,000 followers.
“It feels like a timeless landmark or a meeting place for a cult,” Lindstrom (right, with Davidson) says. “That feeling, whether good, bad or scary, is so powerful.”
A queen bed sits next to one of three large windows. Lighting is provided by Philips Hue bulbs.
“Twenty years ago a marketing agency wouldn’t say, ‘Tell us everything that’s wrong with the house,’ but I did,” Lindstrom says. (Among these features: a “bit useless” spiral terrace, a queen-size bed that’s “not a king”, and windows that open wide for “more nature – super quirky.”) “C It’s so much more valuable than what would’ve usually been normal – and that’s just being ourselves.”
“It always hurts my soul to see a beautiful forest and then two hundred feet of grass with the house in the middle,” Lindstrom says.
Lindstrom and Davidson designed much of the cabin’s interior, including the bed frame, curtains, drawers, and custom stair railing.
That sense of irreverence, coupled with the love of Carhartt and Kanye West, comes alive throughout the cabin. “One of the best things about renting is that you’re not limited to functionality alone,” Davidson says, pointing to the bright yellow tub, small kitchen sink, and lack of storage space. “Obviously there is a function, but we provide an experience.” And because it’s a short-term experiment, the two had the freedom to take risks. “A yellow bathroom can age if you see it every day,” says Lindstrom. For guests, however, that’s part of the fun. The same goes for a glow-in-the-dark handrail (also bright yellow) and a “conversation pit” living area.
Makenzie Flom, photographer Cameron Wittig’s assistant, takes a quick shot in the sitting area, which doubles as an extra sleeping space. There is no television, but there is a video projector; the white curtain can be drawn to serve as a cinema screen.
But the wooded surroundings are the real star of the show. That’s why Lindstrom chose an otherwise simple slate of natural materials: red cedar on the outside, white pine on the inside. Even the birch light fixtures, which he and Davidson made, blend in. The monochromatic scheme brings out the richness of the landscape, as does a curved wall ending in a massive window, which draws your gaze outside. “The space is almost like an open box,” he says. “It makes you feel like you’re closer to nature.”
The cabin has a transparent quality that helps it blend in with its surroundings, but the hard-angled, no-frills structure is also imposing.
Unlike pale natural wood, the bathroom is covered in bright yellow tiles that a pair of Philips Hue light strips turn blood red.
For Lindstrom, the architectural approach connects in spirit to films like Fargo and There is no country for old people, directed by fellow Minnesotans Joel and Ethan Coen. “They’re serious yet funny, artistic without being pretentious, and prove that even the most ordinary characters, places and situations can be worthy of a gripping story,” he says. “I think Off-Grid Inn resonates a lot with that.”
The shower fixture is from Moen.
And while they’re constantly asked about building custom units, the pair remain focused on renting. Davidson explains, “It feels like a way to make architecture accessible and allow more people to experience places like this.”
The hut lit up at night.
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