History

Binkhaven epitomizes the Nordic spirit that has long captivated the Midwestern imagination. Nestled in the picturesque town of Ephraim, the estate combines Nordic architecture with a host of objects from traditional Norwegian folk craft, including many prominent pieces of 20th century rosemaling.

Built by Dean and Marilynn (known as “Bink”) Madden, the estate is comprised of: Main House, Stabbur, Veslebur, Trollhus, and over twelve acres of Norwegian-inspired landscape. The interior was rosemaled by Sigmund Aarseth, and the estate houses rosemaled objects by almost every major rosemaling artist of the 20th century.

Although many inhabitants of the Upper Midwest have Nordic roots, it wasn’t until after WWII that many chose to reconnect with their heritage. Ironically, though Dean was Irish-American and Bink’s whole family was Norwegian, Dean was often called the most Norwegian of the bunch. Door County was a natural fit for the Maddens as the area has a prominent Scandinavian influence. 

The first phase of Binkhaven was building the Main House, designed by Bink’s brother, Russell Amdal, in 1961. Russell modeled the cottage on aspects of 18th and 19th century Norwegian peasant architecture while creating something of-the-moment. The cottage became a whimsical collage of historic references though not without modern conveniences and materials. The result is something better defined as an American Revivalist style than anything conventionally Norwegian. 

Much of the furniture at Binkhaven was built by Dean himself. Using lumber from an old barn, he referenced Norwegian models in books and photographs to build the original dining set, the loft desk, the baby hutch in the master bedroom, the dresser in the twin bedroom, the plate rack in the kitchen, and the sugar chest in the living room, among other pieces. Dean also attempted to rosemal himself. He painted the first-floor fireplace mantel and the baby hutch in the master bedroom. However, never happy with his own work, Dean stopped there and sought the help of a professional rosemaler. 

In 1966, Dean heard that Sigmund Aarseth, a young Norwegian artist of much acclaim, was coming to do a rosemaling demonstration in St. Louis. Even with a strong language barrier, Dean convinced Sigmund to drive up to Binkhaven after finishing his demonstration to begin painting right away. He spent weeks painting ceilings, beams, furniture, and a host of small objects before he had to return to Norway. The two of them became fast friends, and Dean visited Sigmund in Norway in spring 1967, where they found so many new ideas for Binkhaven.

One item stood out from all the rest during the Maddens’ trip to Norway; the common thread linking all of the historic farms and museums was a particular building—a Stabbur. Norwegian farms used the stabbur as a storage room, not only for meat and grain but also for festive costumes, silver heirlooms, and all their most prized possessions. Because of this, it was seen as the most important building on the farm and received the most lavish architectural details. Seeing how integral stabbur were to Norway’s culture and artistic achievements, Dean began to plot how he might acquire one of the iconic Norwegian buildings for Binkhaven.

He managed to have a stabbur shipped to the United States from Telemark, Norway in August that year. They eagerly set to work, and the building was almost ready for Sigmund to paint when the artist returned that fall after having taught rosemaling for the summer at the Vesterheim in Iowa. 

By this point, the Main House had been supplemented by Trollhus, which provided additional storage and bed space as well as a much-needed second shower. The final building to be added was Veslebur, delivered in 1971. Each building was painted with a distinct character, the Trollhus breaking from the rosemal scheme to depict the story of a troll wedding.

Additional work was also performed to expand the Main House. The original porch was closed in to create a dining room, and a new porch was added using a series of Norwegian carved posts that Dean had accumulated. After this, all that was left was the gate, built in 1972 in an effort to deter curious passersby.

Those interested in seeing the interior of the house would have to wait a bit longer than another decade. House Beautiful wanted to run an article on rosemaling in the Midwest, and after hearing about Binkhaven, they wouldn’t settle for anywhere else. The Scandinavian-country style had become very popular, and Binkhaven was perhaps the most fully committed example of a rosemaled interior. Dean brought many pieces from the primary residence to give the photographers and stylists objects to work with while they were here. When the 4-person crew arrived, they stayed the weekend to photograph the ins-and-outs of the property for what became an 8-page story published in October of 1986, with all due credit given to Sigmund’s work.

Binkhaven’s charm has captivated many people since its creation. It played host to fond memories for all who came to stay and visit, and while it remains a private summer cottage we do our best to open it up for those interested.