Bret Hedican and Kristi Yamaguchi | Brainerd

A picture-perfect wedding on Hawaii’s Kohala Coast wasn’t the only project Bret Hedican, defenseman for the Stanley Cup–winning Carolina Hurricanes, and Kristi Yamaguchi, Olympic gold medal–winning figure skater, undertook in 2000. The couple, who first met at the opening ceremony of the 1992 winter Olympics in Albertville, France (he was a rookie player on the U.S. ice hockey team, she just days away from skating her way to a gold medal), was also busy building a vacation home with sweeping views of Gull Lake. Hedican, who played hockey for North St. Paul and St. Cloud State University, bought the stunning property in 1993. He made no permanent changes to it until November of 1999 when he had the 1960s-era home torn down and a modern log cabin–style home erected in its place. “I liked the idea of being in an area with plenty of golf courses, near family, and on a lake where I could drive my boat up to restaurants,” says Hedican of choosing Brainerd. While Yamaguchi was busy planning the wedding, Hedican was building his dream vacation home, a place where the couple could relax, play, entertain, and, someday, vacation with their family. Through the urging of his builder, Hedican went down the road to take a look at a similar home, where William Beson happened to be designing the interior. “Bret came knocking on the door of the residence with his mother,” says Beson. “They walked around the house saying, ‘Ooh, this is great! This is just wonderful. Kristi will love this! Kristi will love that!’ and I kept thinking to myself, ‘Who is Kristi?’ ” A few days later, Hedican brought Yamaguchi to the home, and she agreed that the look was exactly what they wanted for their own home.

Expert window placement brings light and the picturesque scenery into the kitchen. “It’s like a little tree house,” says Yamaguchi, “This is my favorite kitchen ever.”

Because we loved what he had done, we just kind of let Bill run with the design of our own,” Kristi says. “Of course, he always wanted our input and was always showing us finishes and fabric samples, but we knew we could trust him.” The relationship proved so successful the couple even hired Beson to design a few rooms in their residence near San Francisco. The couple and their two daughters, Keara and Emma, spend time at the home in California, near Yamaguchi’s family, and in Raleigh, North Carolina (home of the Carolina Hurricanes), and vacation a month every summer on Gull Lake and visit throughout the year.

Sporting Showcase

The symbols of their sporting past and present are sprinkled throughout the home—a flag from the opening ceremony of the 1992 Olympics and a sculpture Yamaguchi commissioned of an eagle’s talon grasping the Olympic rings—pay homage to the event that brought the couple together. “The Olympics were where my dreams began and where Kristi’s came full circle, so it was important for us to have reminders of that in our homes,” says Hedican.

Winning Colors
In the large open space on the lower level, there’s a combination game-and-family room, with a pool table and a bar, where Hedican plays poker with his friends. Beson designed the room in shades of red, black, and white in 2000. Two years later, when Hedican joined the Carolina Hurricanes, the designer’s colors coincidentally were the colors of the jerseys Hedican and his teammates wore when they swept their way to Stanley Cup victory. The photos of the winning team and winning game now seamlessly blend in with the interior décor.

Custom-Made

Many of the pieces in the couple’s Brainerd home were custom-ordered to fit the space, aesthetics, and color palette the designer and the couple wanted. Rich brown-toned leathers, paisley corduroy, and chairs and side tables made of twigs and logs carry the northwoods-cabin feel throughout the home and play off the color of the surrounding lake and woods. On the lower level, Beson designed a bar out of wood salvaged from an old farm building.