More and more the world works in generalities. This has become more common as a sound byte world has now morphed to a twitter world. People forget about details, or backstories, or the other side of a story. There is an old saying, which is often forgotten, that the devil is in the details. Details matter in law, medicine, surveying, engineering and most other fields. Details are also important in design and building construction. For example, detailing was quite prevalent in Queen Anne style, Craftsman style, among others, type of homes. While Frank Lloyd Wright may have been good at designing and detailing parts his prairie style homes, it is often said that he forgot the details when it came to structure, such as the roof construction. Building details, and I mean those gems undertaken with design, can enhance a project. Today, with cookie cutter construction, we often lack details, unless it is done on a 3-D printer. A recent trip to Boulder Junction showed the depth of detail at the Big Bear Hideaway, located on County K and how the details further enhance the north woods experience.
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| Sculpture at street |
One of my older brother's and his spouse built the Big Bear Hideaway project back in the mid 1990's, (and owned it for many years) and other than a stay in what was then a restaurant, about to open, for one night for a niece's birthday party, I have never stayed at the property until Aug 30. I have seen the property many times, but this time was my first stay at Big Bear as a place of lodging. Johnny Depp stayed there while filming "Public Enemies", and now of course and Big Bear can now claim that a regular, average Tom spent four nights. during that stay what has struck me are the project's design details. Having used some time to relax at the location, I had time to view the project in more detail than in the past. Items that stood out to me this time, probably went by my brain like a bad sound byte goes through my brain. To show how out of the loop I am I do not read tweets, unless part of a story I am reading.
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| Stained glass window |
In northern Wisconsin bears are kinda of a thing. They help to define the north woods, as much as loons and tall soaring white pines. Although there are probably a great deal more deer, more than there should be, and more than what the DNR seems to wish to recognize, bears maybe the animal of choice to define the north woods. I noticed signs for different places using bears, whether a contractor or a different business. I doubt, however, anything can beat the details in design at the Big Bear Hideaway. The buildings are constructed as log cabins with use of natural stone material in parts to complement the warmth of the wood, meaning the whole project fits well in its pine woods environment in earth tones. This construction endures through a sense of stability and durability. The log cabin construction mimics a more rugged, but somewhat simple past. The mass in construction materials would seem opposite of details, but the detailing of art, and of common objects is what adds to the projects unique nature.
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| Wood relief sculpture inset in Grizzly cabin below second floor window |
At first take, the mass of the buildings and furniture will catch the eye. A few examples. First, a railing outside one building is constructed of very large timbers between stone pylons. Second, the massive fence along one edge of the property provides a sense of security. Third, furniture, like the benches, picnic tables, tables, and even rocking chairs are made out of sizable wood that projects durability and strength, not unlike what would be required around a bear. If Goldilocks went to these cabins, she would not find a bed too hard or bed too soft, but she would find furniture and construction that would withstand anything the ferocious wolf in the Three Little Pigs could blow. The timber/stone construction could easily withstand the big bad wolf. In its whole, the lodges, or cabins, and the full property project stability, strength, and staying power. One cannot be but awed at the man power evident in construction. But, yet the details provide a necessary level of enhancement to the project. The detailing in design starts outside, but goes inside. The details, provide a certain finesse to the mass and strength, and without them, the touches of human scale would be somewhat diminished. For design details are meant to not only express a certain type of design, but are meant to express care, confidence, and to project a more human nature to a structure. In this case, they balance the mass evident in timber and stone. The details catch your eye and your imagination.
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| Grizzly cabin, note furniture out front |
First, a door hinge would be a rather simple item, that obviously projects function over form. How many really pay attention to a door hinge, unless of course it is not properly working? The cabin in which we stayed was the Grizzly Getaway. The door hinges on the main door, as they attach to the door, are not hidden, but in plain sight. The hinge is the shape of a bear arm and paw and it is like the bear is about to give you a nice big bear hug. What better way to be welcomed into a building in the north woods? Accomplished in wrought iron look, the heavy metal plays to the strength evident in the construction, at the same time as inculcate the bear theme and welcomes the visitor. It makes one more fully aware of place.
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| Door hinge on Grizzly cabin |
Second, outside there also exist some wood art pieces built into the logs, with small drawings. Often a bear, or other iconic north wood image. This is complimented by art of stained glass windows which project bears, or other northern Wisconsin wildlife or features, such as loons. Also prevalent in the property is a good amount of large wood sculptures which welcome, highlight, and add a sense of belonging to the area. These features, define the place in which one is located, and help meld the human construction with the natural environment of pines and spruce trees. Whether near a building entry, or at the outdoor common-area pavilion, the large sculptures show the role art can play in enhancing an experience. After all, most visitors to the north woods are their for an experience.
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| Author standing next to outdoor wood sculpture Photo by Toni Hovel |
Yet, the details are not only outdoors. The light switch and outlet cover plates also have artwork painted on them which highlight the northern Wisconsin theme. No plain white or ivory colored light switch plates for this project. This little, rather inconsequential touch runs counter to the mass produced theme common to American homes and furnishings. Almost everything, from the lights to the cabin furniture is hand made for the specific building, and unique to that place. Bed frames are from large pine timbers, unusual branch structures may make up part of a chair back rest.
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| Bedroom Door engraving |
The interior also has its share of artwork, such as engravings of a bear on a bedroom door. A massive table, such as exists in the Panda Palace, has a colored engraving of the building. A unique touch sure to draw ones attention, as much as the massive pine slab from which the table top is made.
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| Table top engraving in Panda Palace |
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| Light switch plate |
The unique nature of the project is the hand work required in craftsmanship and denotes the effort of manual labor to construct. Detailing often requires a great deal of manual work, but manual labor is evident throughout the whole project. Dovetailing the details with the stone and timber construction, shows the workings of a keen mind to know how and what to detail to make the project not only inviting, but to stand out. The clever use of a two key materials, wood and stone, shows a simplicity, yet elegance in design. The clever use of materials, and detailing provided in the project express a level of work going beyond manual labor and construction to a project which speaks to our human nature. In whole, the manual labor and the details go hand in hand, they are inseparable. The buildings are special because they are unique, a unique nature formed by mind and hand working together.
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| Bench back with wood sculpture behind in common area pavilion |
Visitors to the north woods desire an experience, and the Big Bear Hideaway provides a unique north woods experience in living, not only by its method of construction and use of materials, but in the way it handles its details to complement the rugged nature of the large timbers and stone. Hand work and a reduction to mass production is not dead, but it requires hard labor, integrated thought, detailing, but most important genuine interest, and pride, in what you produce. Just as much as the pine timbers, stone work, and cedar shingles matter, so does the detailing evident to produce something unique to the place that is Big Bear Hideaway. The details in design enhance experience.
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| Door knocker detail on Grizzly cabin front door |
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