Canopy River

PERCHED ALONG THE THORNAPPLE RIVER and shaded under a canopy of trees, this home bears the appropriate nickname “Canopy River.” In its previous life, it was a 1980s home based on a chopped-up condominium floorplan. Engulfed by scrub trees and overgrown brush; it was a space begging for new life. Fortunately, its potential was realized by Rock Kauffman of Rock Kauffman Design who had purchased the property and had been percolating on ideas about its reincarnation.

Several years ago, Kauffman created a unique hobby for himself; an offshoot of Rock Kauffman Design called Reinvent. According to his website, “Reinvent transforms existing homes through a passion for breathing new life into old and forgotten homes that deserve a second chance.” Thus far, he has transformed five homes where he maintains complete creative control over every aspect of exterior to interior completion: first buying the home, conjuring a magical makeover, then attracting the buyer.

Kauffman experienced his own reinvention four years ago when he took on design associate Jay Begrow. Jay came in as an intern and brought a component engineering background combined with millennial technology skills and they now work on every project together. “We have a yin and yang balance with my experience and his fresh knowledge. I’ve come alive. He challenges me and the work is fun,” stated Kauffman.

“I owned the house for two years and already had a vision, but the buyer came along at its inception and became actively involved in the decisions,” said Kauffman. Although this was a departure from his hobbyist concept, he explained, “These are truly some of the best clients I’ve ever worked with. They gave me creative expression and let me work the way I work best. As they came alive in the project, I adjusted the vision and began an active collaboration with them. They wanted to push it and do it right.”

Dave and Donna Hockstra had long followed Kauffman’s innovative work during the biannual Grand Rapids Parade of Homes and after seeing one of Kauffman’s Reinvent homes, they wanted him to help build their final home.

This wasn’t the Hockstra’s first rodeo as they’d built six homes during various stages of busy family life, but

Canopy River represented a new phase in their lives as a couple. They’ve lived in elegant, formal homes and casual cottage settings, but this home would reflect where they are in their life right now, offering a peaceful retreat and an open floor plan for sophisticated entertaining.

The Reinvent team brought in Chad Gould to work up the preliminary design and layout and he nailed how the house should flow to fit the Hockstra’s lifestyle. He continued to complement the team with computer-aided design (CAD) conceptual drawings as ideas were generated so the Hockstra’s could visualize and approve new concepts like its full metal roof; one of those design inspirations that completely changed the home’s appearance.

V.H Construction’s Chris VanHees and his team had worked on other Reinvent projects and without using a lot of subcontractor support, devot-

ed their efforts to all aspects of the home including tile, roofing, framing, woodwork, and siding. Over the course of his career, VanHees has become a Jack-of-all-trades and by continuing to hone his skills and keep up on new codes and trends, he has a good understanding of what can and cannot be done. His forte is putting all the pieces together so there’s no re-do later.

The first challenge VanHees faced was to open up the lot to its previously hidden river view which involved heavy excavation such as taking down a hill, removing vegetation, and backfill to buttress up a retaining wall. The home was essentially gutted to the exterior shell leaving the roof line, but it was necessary to modify the frame for more windows, and the wiring, mechanical, and plumbing is all new.

Esthetically, the design team reinvented the ’80s ranch into a rustic-modern look by using exterior materials like horizontal v-groove board and batten siding out of indestructible, fiber cement Hardiepanels. Cedar soffits and garage doors with a rich tobacco stain are naturally resistant to rot and decay offering very low maintenance.

One of the home’s most striking features is an 8 by 6-foot glass bridge that homeowner Dave Hockstra thought would be a cool idea. He found a California company that could manufacture the thick glass coated in porcelain dots for grip, and with LED lighting shot through, it’s a welcoming beacon at night.

“I was hired and fired from the design team several times,” Dave laughed. “In my business, I need the entire project completely scoped out up front. It was very hard for me to go along with designing on the fly, so they’d fire me!”

“I’ve admired Rock’s work from afar for years and to finally be able to work with him was a dream come true for me,” added Donna. “He explained that all good design happens in layers, and he had a knack for guiding us by giving us smaller pieces of the big picture because it’s a lot to figure out all at once.”

Contemporary design can have a cool, hard edge, but there’s nothing standoffish about this home’s interior which captures the friendly, inviting personality of the homeowners. French white oak floors with a roughened, bleached finish provide a warm backdrop to the monochromatic palette in juxtaposition to splashes of color and rich, darkly stained wood accents.

With the original hip roof interior, most designers would do a tray ceiling, but VanHees was challenged with a shiplap ceiling. “Chris thought the project out carefully and did an amazing job with the interior woodwork. The ceiling had to be perfect or any flaws where all the points joined would be noticeable,” commented Kauffman.

“We tried to use the original chimney, but changed to a large, Heatilator fireplace,” noted Dave. “This is another example of Chris’s talented crew handling last-minute challenges. With Rock designing on the fly, you need to stop and figure out how to make it happen and since there was no easy way to tear it apart; the chimney came out piece by piece.”

The horizontal, two-sided fireplace became a focal point of the room but also provided separation and intimacy from the television room which previously had been enclosed. Opening that space complemented the traffic circulation to flow to the outdoor kitchen and patio.

The kitchen wall divide gives the chef a little privacy from the great room and space for a wall of double ovens. Cambria solid surface quartz is carried from the counter up the wall adding character to the monochromatic background. The range hood has a mirrored metal finish that’s repeated in a mirrored finish sink and backsplash. All elements work together to add glamour without too much glitz. For dining surfaces, Kauffman prefers to use wood which is warmer to the touch than a solid surface or granite and the Hockstra’s raised kitchen dining bar is crafted from walnut.

The couple made several trips with the Reinvent team to the candy store of interior design, Chicago’s Merchandise Mart. Overwhelmed by millions of options they loved, Dave shared that the team’s visualization helped keep them on track. “Rock has so many years of experience, he truly knows how to hit all the details. Many old-school design firms rely on sketches or samples, but Jay brings his own unique style plus a youthful technical aspect that many designers don’t have. As we talked, he’d jump on the internet and using various design programs could show us exactly how things would look.”

Having a main floor owner’s suite offers single floor living, if desired, in the future. A cove ceiling with a richly reflective silver leaf faux finish was designed with a floating component allowing for dramatic evening lighting. Although the bathroom is more formal, rustic elements like the raked white oak cabinets add warmth while completely surrounded within a floating quartz frame. The owners can enjoy peaceful river views from a porcelain deep soak tub and an 8-foot long through-shower with a transom window.

Donna’s home office adjoins the owner’s suite while Dave’s sits above the garage with a sliding barn door designed to keep noise in or out depending on who you ask.

The sleek, horizontal lines of the wide floating staircase echo both exterior and interior elements. As the owners were used to higher downstairs ceilings, they were very concerned with how the older home’s 8-foot ceiling height would feel. Their initial hesitation was resolved when a good portion of the basement was devoted to a wine room with glass doors extending to the ceiling. Insightful optical illusions like continuing the flooring up the back of the tasting room and incorporating mirrors in that room and the adjacent exercise room adds depth and the impression of scale. A window below Dave’s glass bridge brings in natural light to the space as well.

“I had preconceived notions about Rock,” confessed Donna. “I thought he was untouchable because he’s done so many projects for people with staggering budgets. I couldn’t get over how personable, sincere, and genuine he is. His true gift is that every home he designs is different. He learned about us: what was important to us and how we conduct our life to make it our home, not his.” ❂

TEXT BY LYNN BAKEMAN

PHOTOS BY BRIAN KELLY