The Knaup family builds a home in nature for their growing family.

At the end of the road, the Knaup family finds cozy comforts and natural adventures in their house tucked into the woods.

Large picture windows flood their home with light and invite the surrounding nature in. Through the windows, two Great Pyrenees dogs can be seen roaming the property, protecting the family’s small garden and chickens.

“In the spring and summer, when the trees are full, it feels like living in a treehouse,” says Nikki Knaup.

Nikki and Joe Knaup live with their two sons, ages 5 and 1, in a house they dreamed up and built with love, sweat, and imagination.

Nikki and Joe worked nights and weekends at the construction site, building their family’s home from the studs up. They divided their duties — Nikki was the designer, and Joe was the executor. At the time, they had only their oldest son, who enjoyed these nights and weekends at his paternal grandparents’ house on the same street.

“I was kind of surprised at how smoothly it all went, considering it was the first house that I built on my own,” says Joe, who started working summer jobs in construction when he was 15 years old. “The groundwork was the most time-intensive.”

After renovating their previous home, the couple was motivated to build their own. The idea of tearing up carpet and scraping wallpaper again and again as their family grew wasn’t as appealing after the first time. Joe’s experience paid off because their house took only a year to construct.

The house’s open floor plan was high on Nikki’s priority list so that everyone could stay connected while in different zones of the home. Along with the large windows, the light-colored flooring was purposefully chosen.

“I want guests to feel breezy when they walk in,” Nikki says.

The light floorboards’ tendency to conceal dirt brought in by pets and growing boys was a big bonus. One of the most eye-catching features in the home are the arches above the built-in shelving in the kitchen.

“Arches are one of the characteristics I really like when you walk into a home. And, the arches in our kitchen are one of the first things people see when they walk in the door,” says Nikki.

The kitchen arches are one of the many places where Nikki has incorporated her own design skills, layering household objects that give a sense of provenance while maintaining practicality. Each cutting board and kitchen utensil regularly contributes to family meals. Nikki sourced many of the objects and furniture from thrifty goldmines like Facebook Marketplace, including her kitchen bar stools and the piano in the foyer.

A lover of texture and natural colors, Nikki’s style is practical with thoughtful objects that reflect her family’s life and love of nature. Not only is nature present throughthe picture windows, it is echoed through the finishes and greenery around the home.

“I want guests to feel breezy when they walk in.”
Nikki Knaup

Different grains and tones of wood mix through each room, like the forest outside. The dried flowers that Nikki uses to decorate the built-in shelving came from the backyard. The fireplace stone is a natural limestone called Fond Du Lac Country, which is mined in Wisconsin. The stone gets its name from its source, from the base (or foot) of the lake.

Before moving into their new home, Nikki began a new business venture, creating captivating confections for her cottage bakery business, Knead Sweets. Despite not using traditional advertisements, her business continued to grow organically, mostly from word of mouth. Eventually, her business needed more and more space as Nikki bakes her entire Knead Sweets menu from home, including cakesicles, breads, cupcakes, cookies, and other custom goodies. In her previous home, Nikki stored utensils and tools in her laundry room just to make extra room. When the opportunity arose for a dedicated kitchen within the new house, she made a dedicated creative hub in the basement.

“I make a lot of mess doing cakes and everything else,” Nikki says.

Thankfully, the new space has plenty of room for baking as well as Nikki’s other creative outlets, such as making cards and earrings. Nikki usually ‘clocks in’ just after her sons’ 8:30 p.m. bedtimes. The basement studio space allows her to get creative without worrying about disturbing her family upstairs. A side entrance to the basement studio allows Nikki’s business to act as a separate entity from the rest of the home. The division creates a mental and physical barrier between her personal and professional lives, allowing her to have a faster and more efficient workflow while making an easier transition into her creative work.

During the pleasant weather months, Nikkis stocks a weekend farmstand at the end of her road with sourdough bread and other goodies. Nikki has also taken up jewelry making to further fuel her creative pursuits.

While half of the basement is dedicated to work, the other half is a fun zone, suited for guests and ready for when the boys become of age to pick up pool sticks or ping pong paddles.

“It feels rewarding to provide such a nice home to raise our family in,” said Joe.

Nikki proudly credits her husband for bringing their home to reality. She describes him as “the brains and the muscle” behind the scenes.

While her family worked hard for their current home, she admits to driving past and missing their first house and the memories held there. For the Knaups, family is the most important part of life. It’s their family that makes a house their home.