Treetop Hideaway

This contemporary retreat keeps nature at the forefront of all design, material and palette choices.  The use of charred shou sugi ban siding sets the tone for a home that doesn’t compete with its surroundings, but instead compliments the beauty of the neighboring trees, dune and lake.  Placed on the site intentionally high atop the dune, a footbridge leads guests into the modern residence that appears to hover among the trees, like a treehouse.  The palette of the interior utilizes blues, greens and warm sandy-toned wood along with durable materials, like concrete floors, that offer practicality to the beachgoing guests.  To combat harsh, Michigan winters, radiant heat was added to the concrete floors and the main living room features a high-performing, closed wood stove to ensure practicality would not sacrifice warmth and comfort during the colder months. Custom cabinetry was handcrafted by our custom shop and adds a simple, yet elegant touch to each room.

Emphasis was placed on energy efficiency for this home, with 16 solar panels installed on the roof with a backup battery system that allows the homeowner to run the home on batteries at night that then recharge during the day. Triple-paned windows, wood frames, and spray-foam insulation on the walls and ceiling all help the thermal performance and, by extension, reduce energy consumption on the property.

Architecture | Wheeler Kearns
Interior Design | Kathryn Murphy Interiors
Photography | Tom Harris

Mulberry Lane

The moment guests turn onto the tree-lined drive, they are captured by the timeless aesthetic of this stunning residence. A walled motor courtyard is centered in the layout of this u-shaped home and paved with reclaimed granite Belgian cobblestones and concrete with sandblast finish. Full color bluestone walkways surround the front and rear exterior of the home and are sheltered by a knee-high stone wall, giving the landscaping the feel of a sunken English garden.  The exterior finishes of the home include a mixture of full-bed Ashlar stone, light brick and stuccoed dormers, and feature design subtleties like limestone windowsills, wood louver details and arched soldier course brickwork.  Structured plantings and mindful exterior lighting illuminate the natural textures of the home and its surroundings.

Architecture | H. Gary Frank Architects
Landscaping | Zaremba & Company
Photography | Carlson Productions

English Farm

Nestled on 90 acres of the countryside, this working farm marries the sophisticated English style of the homeowners’ heritage with casual elegance that makes entertaining family and friends comfortable. Traditional elements of timeless design are combined with the use of modern products and conveniences, yet the home still looks like it would fit in the European countryside of the 17th century. Our team incorporated reclaimed wood beams salvaged from an old dairy farm in Michigan into the ceilings of several rooms.  The extensive stonework can be seen in many elements of this project, including the masonry chimneys, both inside and out, the exterior walls, as well as the battered stone knee-walls that surround the estate.  The full scope of this English Farm project included the main house, guest house, 80′ swimming pool, sunken garden with outdoor fireplace, greenhouse with raised garden beds and potting shed, multiple barns and pastures to raise alpacas on the property, as well as a 3.5 acre pond.

Architecture | Northworks Architects
Interiors | SKIN Interior Design
Landscape Design | Hoerr Schaudt
Photography | Andrew Miller

The Orchard | Car Barn

This carriage house-inspired accessory building reimagines the automotive garage vernacular as it blends traditional architectural language with contemporary details distinctive to its owners’ affinity for cars and for entertaining. The design of the space had to balance a size that could comfortably house the owners’ substantial car collection with a scale that was appropriate for a residential setting.  In order to accomplish this, a lower level was utilized with a car lift that could easily move automobiles between the two levels of storage.  A significant amount of time was spent staking and adjusting corners of the building on the site itself in order to not overwhelm the landscape and to remove a minimal number of the 200-year-old oak trees on the property.

In addition to expansive car storage space, the interior of the building also boasts a floating, metal staircase – flanked by a commissioned, sculptural monolith inspired by a Chevrolet Corvette detail spanning all three levels – leading to an upper mezzanine level that serves as entertaining space.  The lounge space overlooks the cars below through glass enclosure.  The centerpiece of the lounge area is a 130-year-old bar, originally from Detroit and more recently found in a restaurant in North Muskegon, that was refurbished and restored with care by our Custom Shop.  Rich, traditional elements meet contemporary as the antique bar is flanked by custom-built cabinetry with clean lines.  The upper level also has a small office space that doubles as a guest suite complete with a murphy bed and a full bathroom.

Architecture & Interior Design | Via Design
Photography | Ashley Avila Photography

Hillock House

Lakefront views are at the center of the design of this contemporary masterpiece and are visible from the moment you arrive at the home. This technically challenging home included angles that are seven degrees off of 90 degrees in both the floor plan as well as vertical walls. Those angular elements, along with large installations of glass and narrow site conditions required the technical proficiency our team has obtained in the more than 35 years of experience we have building lakefront homes. The property features an infinity edge pool with a seven foot waterfall on the lake side of the home as well as a beach cabana built into the base of a multi-tiered outdoor deck. Unique materials were used throughout, such as eucalyptus, exterior limestone and zinc cladding. The home has custom-designed and built features with noteworthy details such as stainless steel toe-kicks and an intentional lack of millwork casing throughout to create walls with clean lines. These unique features work together to create a truly magnificent residence. 

Architecture | Stoneberg + Gross Architects
Interior Design | Gooch Design Studio
Photography | Ashley Avila Photography

Crow’s Nest

Nestled within a beachfront community that has been welcoming residents to the shores of Lake Michigan for over a century, this traditional cottage achieves a perfect balance of elegance and comfort. Knocking down an existing cottage and constructing the new one in its place proved to have its own special set of challenges, ones in which we have extensive experience. Precise scheduling and daily on-site project management were crucial in meeting construction timeline goals while maintaining minimal disruption to the surrounding community. Like most of our projects on the shores of Lake Michigan, this project required working carefully alongside the The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy’s (EGLE) to ensure critical dunes were preserved. Millwork details, custom cabinetry and furniture pieces were incorporated into almost every square inch of this beautiful residence and our Custom Shop played a critical role in achieving the aggressive construction timeline. Rather than dealing with a third party for cabinetry and millwork, we were able to plan, execute and install each piece into the home as they were designed and completed as opposed to waiting for production to start on every piece all at once, which saved time and created seamless execution of every piece down to 1/8 inch. From a curved master vanity, to an intricately detailed kitchen island, to a two-story bunk room loft with built-in beds, custom railings and a ladder, our Custom Shop brought show-stopping vignettes to life in nearly every room.

Architecture | Robbins Architecture
Interiors | Berta Shapiro Interiors
Photography | Ashley Avila Photography