NORTHWOODS

Beauty envelopes this site’s lakefront setting with tranquility and ever-changing seasons. Mature Birch trees – slender and vertical like a book of match sticks – surround the home from all sides. We planned the home as a retreat for our client to spend peaceful later years of life close to family. Conceptually, the home is designed as a series of four ‘cabins’ each with its own function: a Living wing, two separate Bedroom wings and a Garage wing. The cabins are all interconnected by ‘links’ with full height glass walls. Passing through from cabin to cabin feels like a journey that takes you through the landscape. 

Although the plan is sprawling, the home is designed to appear modest in scale from all directions – especially from the lake side. Pure gable forms – with a nod toward Scandinavian Modernism - are carefully carved away to form the front entry and covered ‘porches’ for each of the cabins. The front door intentionally tucked around the side and obscured from view. The approach to the home is a journey through a grove of Birch trees. The exterior material palette was carefully considered with all natural materials designed to be low maintenance and to age gracefully with time. The vertical siding is a Kebony rainscreen and the roof is double lock standing seam zinc. 

The Living and Bedroom cabins are all oriented to take advantage of lake views. Living spaces feel secluded from the bedrooms and the bedrooms feel secluded from each other. Floor to ceiling north / west corner windows provide jaw dropping sunsets for as many months as possible. Living spaces are designed to feel intimate for two people but because of the flow between spaces, the home can also accommodate larger family gatherings. The material palette on the interior is edited and designed to be calming. Throughout the home you will find knotty oak floors, rift sawn white oak millwork, natural quartzite and painted nickel gap ceilings.