Houzz Tour: Contemporary Family Retreat on Lake Michigan
This residence nestled in the forests on the coast of Lake Michigan functions as a second house for a few with a lot of family in the area, and it has become a year-round retreat for family gatherings. This home was created to be a portion of the landscape, ” says project architect Pam Lamaster-Millett of Searl Lamaster Howe Architects. “This was achieved by the way in which the home sits in the website, the placement of also the place of walls for viewpoints”
Houzz at a Glance
Location: Algoma, Wisconsin
Size: Around 2,100 square feet; 3 bedrooms, 3 1/2 bathrooms
Searl Lamaster Howe Architects
The entryway provides a sneak peek at the house’s views, as the windows give an uninterrupted view from the front door through the home and out to the lake. Topography and existing trees influenced the layout. “Trees helped define the floor plan,” Lamaster-Millett states. “The few walked the website and also marked the significant deciduous trees that they wanted to save”
The layout was also influenced by homes in the area. “Historically, the area was an agricultural community with older farmhouses, blended in with post-1950s split-level ranch houses,” Lamaster-Millett states. The split-level ranch was used as a point of departure and addressed the sloped website, while easy lines and details were inspired by farmhouses. The rock wall in front came out of a local quarry.
Searl Lamaster Howe Architects
Here you can see how the design uses a split-level ranch plan to deal with site’s slope, making the most of views of the lake and the forests. The windows you see on the right are the master bedroom around the left is the dining room area. Two guest rooms and guest baths are located below, supplying a private zone for guests.
Searl Lamaster Howe Architects
Textures and materials relate to the greater context. The wood surrounding the tiny electrical fireplace is from a barn in Texas. “We believed that the reclaimed wood was appropriate for the main focus of the living space, as an extension of the wooded site to the home, and a nod to the agricultural area of Algoma,” Lamaster-Millett states.
Searl Lamaster Howe Architects
The reclaimed barn wood also surrounds the refrigerator.The counters are Richlite, a sustainable substance made from resin covered paper. “There was so much white in the home that we had some comparison,” states Lamaster-Millett. The long horizontal windows let in the light, let the line of cabinets continue uninterrupted, and offer a connection between the front porch picnic table and the kitchen.
FLOS Glo-ball pendant lights turned into a splurge, but Lamaster-Millett saved cash by utilizing cabinets from IKEA. She had the millworker who made the island provide them with appropriate bases, and added a valance for undercabinet lighting.
Searl Lamaster Howe Architects
Here is a view from the other side of the fridge surround. If you look closely, you can observe how the kitchen lines up with the dining area across the room.
Searl Lamaster Howe Architects
The high ceiling (it peaks at approximately 17 feet), open floor plan and white walls create this comparatively small space feel much bigger. The island, crafted by means of a millworker, divides the living room in the kitchen.
Searl Lamaster Howe Architects
The exterior looks chilly in this film, but the house is cozy and warm. The couple uses the lake home just as much in winter as in summer. Lamaster-Millett addressed the chilly climate with sustainable alternatives including geothermal heating and ultra-high-efficiency wall and roof building. Radiant heat from the floors, ceiling fans and an electric fireplace keep things toasty.
The room at the rear of the image is your master bedroom. A step at the door helps highlight its separation from the public areas of the house.
Searl Lamaster Howe Architects
Because this comparatively compact home was made to host big family gatherings, the builder constructed an irregular-sized table to fit the distance, and Lamaster-Millett made a flip-up bench on one wall to conserve space. This bench helps define the dining room space.
Searl Lamaster Howe Architects
“The master bedroom receives the ideal view that is all lake, and its placement on the corner of the home makes the plan flow and provides privacy,” Lamaster-Millett states. In fact, the customers have nicknamed this room “that the treehouse.”
The 8-inch-thick sill at the base of the windows helps conserve space by providing a spot for lights, books, a clock, etc. without needing to bring additional furniture to the small room.
“The additional pop-out enhances the sensation of floating in the trees,” Lamaster-Millett states. The exposed beams, high ceiling and light color help the space feel bigger as well.
Searl Lamaster Howe Architects
As it is about the primary (upper) floor, the master bedroom includes privacy from outside the home as well. In terms of balancing the overall budget, the magnificent windows are a permanent element that were well worth the investment. If you look over the windows, then you’ll observe a lighting system which Lamaster-Millett describes as “highlighting the ceiling in a soft glow.”
Searl Lamaster Howe Architects
This walnut dressing table is cantilevered, continuing the floating aesthetic .
Cabinets: Kerf
Sinks: IKEA
Faucets: Hansgrohe
Searl Lamaster Howe Architects
“The opinion back to the forests is almost as vital as the lake view,” Lamaster-Millett states.
One taking a soak gets the best of both worlds: woods on both sides, the lake on the other. “We used big windows and also the corner to break down the walls and expand the distance,” she states.
The upper-level placement offers privacy, and the operable windows can be opened to let steam out in the bathtub.
Searl Lamaster Howe Architects
Following is a detail from over front door. “This layout emerged from the functional, to give cover in the snow without needing to add a huge canopy element,” Lamaster-Millett states. If you look back into the very first image, you’ll see that a line of trims continues in the overhang across the front of the home. As you scroll down further, you’ll see how it relates to the beams in the master bedroom, giving a clue of what you’ll see inside.
“It belongs into a functional farmhouse aesthetic; like framing in a barn, it is beautiful because of the way that it functions,” Lamaster-Millett states. This philosophy is an apt description for your whole house’s layout.
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