THE DECISION TO LOOK TO THE PAST INFORMED EVERY DETAIL OF THIS METICULOUSLY DESIGNED HOME.

foundations, to the rough-sawn barn wood used to clad the great room’s ceiling, to old-fashioned screen doors that bang shut. Reclaimed wood was used wherever possible—barnwood from Wisconsin and North Carolina was integrated into the great room and bedrooms, old clapboard from some of the old cabins was cleaned and now graces the ceilings on several bedrooms. When a salvaged curly maple floor from a sewing warehouse in the South was delivered to the site, thousands of pins and needles rolled out.

From blueprint to stone and wood, it took intense collaboration with the team and homeowners to turn back time 75 years. Along with Rossetti, the architectural team included design consultants Holly Jonsson and Kyle Evans, all based in Detroit. Southern California–based interior designer, Amy Meier, who had worked with the homeowners previously, was integral to the design process, sourcing numerous vintage mid-century pieces that date to the era of the old cabins.

Eric Darooge and his Boyne City–based Eastmark Construction took the project over the finish line. Even though the experienced crew has numerous luxury homes to its credit, this one was especially memorable. “This project made all of us work a little bit out of our comfort zones because it didn’t fall into typical residential home construction norms,” Darooge says. “And I can say from everyone involved, from start to finish, we are very proud of the outcome.”

When Darooge made Eastmark’s skilled carpenter Mark Andres the project manager, it was as if the stars aligned and those old cabins were having their say: Andres continues to care for the property—and the home that honors the spirit of honest, timeless construction.

“We spent a lot of effort to get the glass to wrap around the corner,” says Meier of this lakeside nook in the great room. The chairs are mid-century by Italian designer Paolo Buffa. “They are very comfortable and I just love the way that they feel right at home here,” Meier says. The Shaker-style chaise was made by Mulligan’s in Los Angeles. The two tables are midcentury from England. “They’re highly lacquered so they look like they are from a boat. I love that parallel of being on the lake and having pieces that feel nautical,” Meier says. The mid-century floor lamp was acquired at an auction.

The French Lacanche stove backed by a thick “blue stone” tile (actually meant for flooring) backsplash is the centerpiece of the kitchen. Knotty, rough-sawn white-oak cabinetry conceals all of the appliances except the wine refrigerator. “Everyone these days is so used to putting on polyurethane and different waxes,” says Meier. “My client wanted them to be durable but look like natural wood.” The barstools are from Bicyclette.

Above: “This is such a fun area,” Meier says. “The clients really wanted a space where they can just hang with their kids and friends.” The cobblestone pavers are off-the-shelf from Home Depot, while the inset crisscross beams are reclaimed and sourced from Surfaces in Petoskey. The three oil lamps (one is not shown) are by mid-century Danish designer Hans-Agne Jakobsson. After being wired for electricity, they were screwed into the bar. The barstools are Italian mid-century by Matteo Grassi.

Top left: The “cabins” from left to right: the mudroom and screened-in porch; the main living area with the kitchen and great room above and the den/bar (Rossetti refers to it as a kind of grotto) below; the master bedroom; the guest bedroom. A green roof was chosen to mimic the moss-covered asphalt roofs of the old cabins. Siding varies from the board-and-batten on the main cabin to cedar shake on each end cabin, “giving them their own character,” Rossetti says. The windows are also different in each cabin, a touch that makes them look as though they were built in different time periods. The use of the black windows in the breezeways connecting the cabins was to “make them disappear,” Rossetti adds.

Bottom left: Exposed furring and beams in the guest bedroom give the impression of an uninsulated summer cottage. The floor, as was much of the reclaimed material in the home, was sourced from Surfaces in Petoskey. “It’s called a threshing floor,” says Darooge. “It’s from the part of the barn floor between the barn doors that gets the most traffic so it takes on a significantly distressed look.”

The guest room has traditional 9-by-11-inch mullions in the windows—panes that frame the view of the lake like individual charming paintings. “I think many people think mullions obstruct the view,” Meier says. “But [the homeowner and I] wanted them to give the feel of an old cabin.”

The heirloom-quality walnut, pencil-stick canopy bed was custom made by Dunes and Duchess in New Milford, Connecticut. The skirted sofa is new but made to look mid-century.

Resources

Architect ROSSETTI

Builder

Eastmark Construction

Interior Design

Amy Meier Design

Design Consultants

Kyle Evans Design

Holly Jonsson Design

Windows

Old Mission Windows

Kolbe Windows and Doors

Stone

The Concrete Service

Hardwood Flooring

Surfaces Material Gallery

Cabinetry

Wolverine Cabinet Co.

Custom Molding & Millwork

Philip Elenbaas; Thomas Milliken

Vintage Lighting Refurbishing

Grey Wolf Creek

Ceramic Tile

Creative Touch

Fireplace

Source Julien

HVAC/Plumbing

Team Bob’s

Appliances

Bekins

Landscaping

Robinson’s Landscaping

Audio/Video A Better Sound

Roofing Mills Construction

Site Survey

Bob Mitchell & Associates

Site Work

Molon Excavating

Well Cluff Well Drilling

“Old Mission Windows prides itself on developing long-term relationships that are based on integrity and trust. The quality products and flexibility they provide is only surpassed by the service and follow-up my customers receive well after project completion.”

Eric Darooge, President Eastmark