Design Stars

Timeless Style

Architect’s open kitchen and bath in his Leelanau Peninsula lake home wows

By Jeanine Matlow | Photography by James Haefner and Glen Rauth

L ou DesRosiers, below, president of DesRosiers Architects in Bloomfield Hills, designed his personal retreat with his wife, JoJo, to make the most of the sweeping water vistas. The couple, who have been married for 54 years, worked on the interiors of the award-winning Leelanau Peninsula home to create custom spaces like the kitchen and bath overlooking Lake Michigan, the Manitou Islands, and Good Harbor Bay. “The whole house was designed around the views,” DesRosiers says. “We wanted every room to showcase them.”

Butt-glass windows deliver unobstructed views, including the architect’s favorite scene: two lighthouses that determined where the house would be sited between the islands.

The kitchen has great views from the sink and the island, and it’s completely open to the great room, where the couple and any guests can watch TV or sit at the dining table. “We can do puzzles, read, work, or watch a football game, and we’re all able to communicate with each other,” DesRosiers says. “It all comes from this idea: Whenever we went to a party, everybody ended up in the kitchen. I decided to put the kitchen in the party.”

Besides, he adds, “JoJo cooks a lot, so the kitchen is the core of the home. Everybody goes there morning, noon, and night.”

The space has the same radiant heat on the granite countertop as the wood floors. “It’s not a huge kitchen, it’s just very functional,” DesRosiers says. And he says it has the one feature JoJo always wanted: a Scotsman icemaker for crystal-clear cubes.

A walk-through pantry keeps equipment tucked away. “We didn’t want it to look like a kitchen in a corner. It almost looks like a library,” he says.

Ribbon-cut mahogany trim adds warmth. “When you’re on the lake for all four seasons, you want your home to be warm and cozy,” DesRosiers says. The same goes for the master suite, where Crema Marfil marble with chocolate trav-

ertine accents covers the walls and the floor, and a bathtub bay captures dramatic views, whether it’s a snowstorm or a sunset over the bay beyond.

A wide pocket door opens to the master suite, ensuring sound privacy for the spouse who may be sleeping in. “It’s very casual,” DesRosiers says. “We didn’t want any swing doors hanging around, and it offers more views of the lake.”

MORE INFORMATION desarch.com

Both pages: Situated on northwest Michigan’s Leelanau Peninsula, the DesRosiers’ lake home features special touches in the kitchen and bathroom, with top-notch water views.

DESIGN STAR’S SECRET

“My homes are always about views,” Lou DesRosiers says, “whether it’s a tree or the way the sun casts a shadow.” New technology allows for expansive glass, like the windows in the kitchen and bath, where the goal for this architect was to keep the experience open, rather than confined. In a kitchen, people spend a lot of time at the sink, so he likes to put in a big window without any mullions in front of it. “People like to feel like they’re outdoors, so we’re always trying to bring the outdoors in,” he explains. In a bathroom, he prefers to put the tub in the most practical, functional, and advantageous location, with silent motorized blinds on the windows. “You can usually find a little bit more of a private view, even in an urban environment,” DesRosiers says. — JM

LAKE LIFE LOWDOWN

Lou and JoJo DesRosiers’ favorite times at their Leelanau Peninsula home are spent overlooking the ever-changing lake. “There’s no end to it, whether you’re inside or outside, or swimming, or picking up Petoskey stones,” the architect says. “Sometimes we just sit and watch the sunset. There’s a glow on the water. The Great Lakes change color all the time, from Caribbean blue to royal blue, and black, and gray.

“We’re never bored there,” he continues. “You feel like you’re living on a pier or a ship.”

The couple’s retreat was a great place to be during the lockdown. “If there’s any place I’d like to be in a pandemic, it’s there,” DesRosiers says. “JoJo and I have a rule. If we’re going to stay somewhere else, it has to be more beautiful than where we live.” Needless to say, they rarely travel. — JM

Picture-Perfect

A Pine Lake new-construction highlights scenic location

By Jeanine Matlow | Photography by Beth Singer

O ne of the goals for this West Bloomfield new-build was to have a nice flow for hosting family and friends. That objective extends from the main areas of the transitional residence to the outdoor spaces that enrich the picturesque spot. The creative spirit behind the project, Jennifer Asmar, right, of Asmar Interiors in Troy, shares how she addresses waterfront properties.

For lakefront locations, Asmar says she likes to keep the sightlines open with low-profile seating such as sofas and ottomans. In addition, she positions an adjacent or parallel focal wall for key features like the fireplace and TV, to keep the main view clear.

When it comes to furniture placement, Asmar lets the water be her guide inside and out. That’s evident in the great room of this home, which is conducive to conversation and TV, yet open to the lakefront. “Wherever you sit, you have a great view,” she says.

Asmar explains that she prefers open-pane windows in a waterfront home, and says she’d rather have no treatments whenever possible. For spaces that require privacy, like a master bedroom, she suggests minimal drapery panels with shades that recess into the headrail, to offer a better view. The same less-is-more approach applies to landscaping a lakefront property. Homes on the water benefit from fuller but lower plantings like boxwood, hydrangea, and Japanese maples. “You want nothing growing that’s so obtrusive that it would be in the way,” Asmar says.

Outdoor seating can be less conspicu-

ous, too — like the dining table and chairs on the lower-level walkout patio, which was intentionally positioned on the far edge of the property. “It was plotted to be away from the house and toward the lake, for a feeling of being on the water,” Asmar explains, pointing out that the neutral furniture lets the homeowners and their guests savor the rich shades of the lake.

Those seated at the indoor dining table can also enjoy continuous views through a wide doorwall, while a lantern-style light fixture above the kitchen island keeps the sightlines open. “Nothing is enclosed, fussy, or busy,” Asmar says.

Special touches — like the custom light fixture in the adjacent great room that was centered in the round window — go a long way on the water. “When the homeowners are on their pontoon boat, they can see it from the lake when it’s lit at night,” the designer says.

MORE INFORMATION asmarinteriors.com

Both pages: Making the most of waterfront views, designer Jennifer Asmar prefers openpane windows and no treatments whenever possible. The dining table and chairs on the lower-level walkout patio were intentionally positioned to feel as if you’re seated right on the water.

DESIGN STAR’S SECRET

“When designing a home on the water, I always use a lot of blue,” interior designer Jennifer Asmar says. “It’s just the way bringing that blue into the home makes you feel when you’re on the lake, whether you’re inside or out.”

People pay a premium for waterfront property, she notes. “Unfortunately, in Michigan we don’t have a long season, so when you bring the outside in, you’re extending the enjoyment of the space.”

As for the application, Asmar adds touches of blue throughout. “I like using it in accents like pillows and artwork instead of furniture,” she explains.

In the kitchen, she often introduces the soothing hue in key features. “I like to use it on the countertop and the backsplash,” Asmar says. “Areas like that usually have a polished feel. It almost has that glistening lake feel to it.” — JM

LAKE LIFE LOWDOWN

During her downtime, Jennifer Asmar heads to Traverse City, Charlevoix, and Harbor Springs, where she enjoys time spent on Lake Michigan with her husband and their three kids. “We love to go on boat rides or go kayaking,” she says.

Her children look forward to going Up North. “It’s such a kid-friendly area,” Asmar says. “They love to go swimming in the lake. Sometimes it’s about just digging your feet in the sand and enjoying the natural beauty.”

Her kids gladly pack up their sand toys in anticipation of heading to the popular destination. “They like looking for treasures in the lake, like little rocks and shells,” Asmar says.

It doesn’t take much effort to enjoy a perfect vacation day. “We love setting up a beach blanket that’s big enough for all of us to sit on and have lunch and just play in the water,” she says. — JM