Togo Studio
Togo, MN

Sharp contrasts confront the traveller in northern Minnesota. South of Togo is a moonscape of enormous Iron Range pit mines, red pit lakes and rolling mounds of deep red tailings filled with scrubby trees. Cross the Laurentian Divide to Togo, skies fill with needles, old growth White and Red Pines dominate the landscape. Everything is green trees, water and bedrock.

Togo Studios manifests this contrast built of steel and wood.

The cinnamon red of Corten rises up from the Red Pines like a partial mine ruin, surrounded by the mine’s discarded bells and rings sitting in beds of taconite tailings. A great chimney clad north wall rises up, protecting against predominant storms. Its south parapet strewn with solar panels leading to a great sloped plane of roof that dumps feet of snow into a native meadow.

White Pine boards harvested in adjacent woods and milled to take advantage of the log so 25’ ceiling boards vary in thickness and width. Out the window, hundred year old White Pines still stand varying in thickness and width too.

We design, draw, paint, sculpt where it is comfortable and inspiration prevails.

Designed and finished by Kara Hill Studio.