The abundance of unique residential properties on northern Michigan’s various sandy shorelines often makes the role of the realtor important when matching property to prospective buyer. Different homeowners shape a residence according to their own design values and functional needs, creating homes with unique personalities that add interest to the market. For Tim Schaub, real estate broker and co-owner of Schaub Team Premier Realty in Suttons Bay, Michigan, pairing prospective buyers with an existing residence that can reflect them begins with knowing the variety of possibilities for design and function that each property already possesses. “Whether I’m listing a home with my clients or representing a buyer, my goal is…
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Contemporary farmhouse
In residential design, personal history and nostalgia can often influence features large and small, gradually creating the identity of a space until it merges into something that clearly signifies the homeowner. In the spring of 2017, Steve Werner, architect and partner at the Shoreline Architecture & Design Inc. firm in Petoskey, Michigan was approached by an unexpected figure from his own childhood—the owner of a Hudsonville, Michigan ice cream supplier near his childhood home—to design a seasonal cottage reminiscent of classic dairy barns. “One of the homeowners had seen a building we had done previously with this bow truss design, which is reminiscent of a dairy barn, and that was…
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Modern lodge
Reposed on a cresting dune, this contemporary, coastal lodge is built for the drama of the offshore shoals, turbulent weather, and proud lighthouses that line the Lake Michigan waterscape. It is a home whose beauty is in its implied simplicity, honest materials, and integrated design; where its rich tones are matched only by its memories as a family reprieve in a meaningful setting. Designed by Douglas DeHaan and built by the team of DeHaan Homes in Hudsonville, Michigan and Studio K Creative in Chicago, Illinois, this modern lodge is one of purposeful understatement and custom luxury. Its site, while challenging the buildability with about 100-foot-width, is intentional as it neighbors…
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Framework
As the connective tissue for the interior of a home and its outdoor surroundings, windows can play a key role in the function of dwelling space. Its contribution to the existing architectural style is equally as important in terms of its form. In Traverse City, Michigan, Old Mission Windows is a window and door distribution center offering a wide range of window options in brands like Kolbe, Solaris International, and Weather Shield to meet both form and functional needs. With other product and services like interior and exterior door and trim packages from brands such as Kolbe and Kolbe Millwork Co. Inc., Empire, and Wood Harbor Interior Doors; the company…
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Art work
There is a romantic narrative about grand old estates. The dramatic, the eclectic, and the traditional frequently collide and coalesce into something seamless and comfortable as time passes. It often brings to mind palatial residences of both colonial and continental setting, where distinguished columns and lofted ceilings are tempered by coastal touches or lush greenery. Designed and built by Lowell Custom Homes in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, the Lakeside Conservatory home is meant to capture its homeowners’ lifestyle and appreciation for timeless design. “Homes are pieces of art,” said Scott Lowell, founder and president of Lowell Custom Homes. “I love building homes. Each one we build is different. We have never…
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Sunspace sunrooms
There is comfort and versatility in the modern sunroom. It is purposeful in its ability to minimize sensory distance between users and the outdoors, and in sheltering those within from the elements of winter snow storms, spring rains, and late summer heat. It is also complementary, as its form and style often has to blend with existing residential or commercial vernacular. For more than 15 years, Sunspace West Michigan in Wyoming, Michigan and Traverse City, Michigan has been outfitting residences and businesses with durable, stylish, and high-quality customized sunrooms to extend clients’ enjoyment of the outdoors. Sunspace also offers other custom-designed features to create multi-seasonal living spaces, such as: aluminum…
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Beachfront remodel
For many residences dotting the Lake Michigan shoreline, the serene, timeless quality of life on the water permeates through its design elements. Views, coastal interiors, and durable materials often define the homes and cottages. When approaching the remodel of an approximately 6,000-square-foot lakefront home near Charlevoix, Michigan, the homeowners and custom home builder—Miller, Poineau & Naumes, or MPN—determined its façade and interior makeup would remain decidedly bright and beachfront-centric. “The client wanted to capture the architectural feel of the existing home and area while giving it a new, bright, cottage feel,” said Chris Miller, co-owner and general manager of MPN, in reference to the approach for the renovation. Refreshing the…
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Building in detail
Behind every great design there is a construction team chosen to help make it a reality and in Portage, Michigan, AVB Inc. has spent the last three-and-a-half decades committed to building something better for both residential and commercial clients. With its diverse range and highly detailed approach to design, development, and construction, AVB has developed a portfolio in the last 35 years that is reflective of its strong commitment to its surrounding communities and to delivering results that exceed client expectations. From real estate development and major remodel projects to new construction, AVB has built a reputation for creating lasting designs and buildings for clients with high-profile commercial projects and…
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Aimee P.C. Buccellato, LEED AP
Aimee P.C. Buccellato, LEED AP, partner at Buccellato Design LLC in South Bend, Indiana, and Associate Professor of Architecture at the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture, was drawn to the beautiful and complex process of design and architecture early on in life. From Lego building blocks, drawings, and summer visits to her mother’s childhood home—a Pompeiian villa replica—to witnessing a residential redesign, Buccellato can remember those early childhood influences on her career as vividly as the Latin words etched in a marble mosaic floor, or the faint aroma from old blueprints. “I remember visiting that [villa] every summer and walking its grounds, which happened to be very fragrant, formal…
