S p r i n g 2 0 2 2 | D E S i g n S TA r S
Sunny Side Up A husband/wife design team builds their own cheerful-looking yellow dollhouse-style home on Strawberry Lake By Megan Swoyer | Photos by Brad Ziegler
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odd and Katie Hallett don’t have to bend down when entering their home, even though it’s kind of like a dollhouse. The couple built the charming abode, which is situated on Pinkney’s Strawberry Lake — part of a chain of lakes that flow from the Huron River — about seven years ago, when they were ready to downsize. “The existing home was out of shape. We took that down and designed ours,” says Todd, who runs TK Home Design in South Lyon. Todd and Katie, vice president of the architecture and design firm, were set on “making it look like a dollhouse,” recalls Todd, an architect who learned the trade at Lawrence Technological University. “It was on a narrow lot, like 50 feet wide. We
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over-scaled it and worked fun colors and whimsy into it. We wanted it to be a place where family would want to come; something comfortable and casual.” The empty-nesters lived in Howell before building their dream cottage-style home, which appears to have been dipped into a vat of yellow sunshine (SherwinWilliams’ Optimistic Yellow). “Yellow was the color of the house I grew up in in Davisburg,” Todd says. “I guess that’s why we wanted yellow. I always loved that home, and yellow is such a happy color. And it fits the dollhouse theme, for sure!” An elliptical window, latticework, pretty stonework, and that warm yellow color all contribute to the home’s charm. “I love the color we selected for the outside,” Katie shares. “I believe the
bright, brilliant color lends itself to the style, which has extra-large, exaggerated trim and exterior details.” Todd says building on a narrow lot has its challenges. “You have to figure out which rooms are view-seeking, and then think about how to arrange them. On a narrow lot, it’s difficult to decide which rooms will face the water. But once you do that, you floor-plan around it.” His other challenge was that the soil on his flat lot wasn’t ideal. “You dig a shovel into our backyard, you hit water,” he explains. “The team had to install 41 piers that extend 85 feet deep or until they meet a certain resistance; it’s like our house is on stilts. That whole process has to be done efficiently, because piers are very expensive.” What’s the solution? “Hire a
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