DESIGNER ARCHITECT BUILDER
The Architects
ABOVE: 2017 COVER (FROM LEFT TO RIGHT) FIRST ROW: Gina Van Tine, AIA, LEED AP; Michael H. Pattullo, AIA; Nicholas J. White, AIA, LEED AP SECOND ROW: Robert Sears; Megan Feenstra-Wall, AIA; Mark Humitz, AIA, LEED AP; top: Wayne Visbeen,
AIA, IIDA
OPPOSITE PAGE, TOP: 2018 COVER (FROM LEFT TO RIGHT) FIRST ROW: Brent Dykstra, LEED AP; Kevin Montgomery, AIA, LEED GA; Kenneth Richmond, AIA; Aimee P.C. Buccellato, LEED AP SECOND ROW: Garrick Landsberg, AIA, LEED AP; Sarah Bourgeois, AIA; Eric De Witt, AIA; Kevin Buccellato, AIA, NCARB TOP: Nick Liebler, LEED AP OPPOSITE PAGE, BOTTOM: 2019 COVER (FROM LEFT TO RIGHT) Brian Barkwell, AIA; Thomas R. Mathison, FAIA; Matthew Gerard, AIA; Louis DesRosiers, AIA; Elaine Keiser, AIA, NCARB; Lisa Sauve, AIA, NCARB, IIDA Photography: M-BUCK Studio
Seamless
beauty & function As a designer that helps to bring so many homeowner’s visions to life, my focus is always to create a seamless partnership between beauty and function in your home. Your home is an extension of your personal style and taste. What colors do you love and what colors make you smile? Do you like layers of texture or a clean and neutral palette? My focus is to deliver a timeless design that will transition for your family over the many years you spend in your home. Equally as important, is how the function of your spaces will complement the habits of how your family lives. Collaborating with my clients means knowing which questions to ask and taking the time needed to get it just right, to bring your version of “Perfect!” to life.
Modern
Northern Classic
Angela Goodall is lead designer and co-owner of Kitchen Choreography with her husband Mike.
Cottage
Traditional
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~Mark Twain
orc h e st r at i ng you r v ision
New Construction • Remodel • Restoration Including Contract Management 420 South Division Street • Traverse City • 231.932.9700 • www.KitchenChoreography.net
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Crafted narrative |
behind every success story at DeHaan Homes of Hudsonville, Michigan is a home inspired by client imagination and vision, leveraging a process that is founded in a simple, collaborative approach with communication and creativity at its core
The Prairie, Midcentury retreats |
the northern Michigan teams of Miller, Poineau & Naumes, or MPN Builders, and Mapleridge Construction savor the fine details when creating vacation homes for their clients
Lake Angelus statement |
striking a bold, contemporary statement on the shore of Lake Angelus in southeastern Michigan, this home is the result of a collaborative team comprising: Custom Homes By Derocher Inc., DesRosiers Architects Inc., Schaerer Architextural Interiors, and Spire Integrated Systems Inc., to name a few
In detail |
for the team at Eastmark Construction in Boyne City, Michigan, it is the little details that help shape a home that outlast and leave a personal impression for generations
greatlakesbydesign.com svkmp.com EDITOR Rachel J. Weick SENIOR STAFF WRITER Riley Collins CREATIVE DIRECTOR Christopher H. Pastotnik PUBLISHER John C. Olsa DIRECTOR OF CUSTOM PUBLISHING Jamie Jewell ADVERTISING SALES John C. Olsa johno@svkmp.com NORTHERN MICHIGAN SALES Jamie Jewell jamiej@svkmp.com WESTERN MICHIGAN SALES Kim Amesbury kamesbury@comcast.net REGIONAL AND NATIONAL SALES Karla Jeltema karlaj@svkmp.com CIRCULATION David Fant, Market Mapping Plus PRINTING AND MAILING Walsworth Printing Holland Litho ARTIST/PAINTER Margo Burian Gloria Oostema Debra Sanborn Jim Carroll LEGAL Smith Haughey Rice & Roegge FINANCE Lake Michigan Credit Union
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Building legacies |
for Glennwood Custom Builders of Petoskey, Michigan, the design and build of generational properties is a passionate endeavor where design is emotion, the process is personal, and the architecture is appreciated
Design-driven build |
Zahn Builders Inc. has developed a portfolio of highly design-driven projects such as the new build currently taking shape on a shallow, lakeside lot in Harbor Springs, Michigan
ACCOUNTING Pennell CPA Fred Pennell, CPA, CGMA Brian Furness, CPA PO Box 586 Hudsonville, MI 49426 (616) 379-4001 To contact us: greatlakesbydesign/contact Subscription rates: $32 for one year; $52 for two years; International orders, please contact us. Advertising and rate schedule at greatlakesbydesign.com/about Š2020 All rights reserved. Contents may not be reprinted or reproduced without written consent of publisher. SVK Media & Publishing is not responsible for unsolicited materials or contributions.
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DeHaan Homes
Crafted narrative
F Photography: Bill Hebert
For Douglas DeHaan, president, fourth-generation craftsman, and owner of DeHaan Homes in Hudsonville, Michigan, the success story of any one of their team-generated projects is when the final product is exactly what the client had envisioned, whether an Old World-inspired villa or a coastal, modern residence. “For us, it is all about the client. Home design and architecture is nothing more than the study of human behavior put in graphic form,” DeHaan said. “We listen carefully to our clients’ requests and personalize the design to fit their lifestyle and when completed, we are fortunate to be able to build the design we have created with them.” DeHaan Homes is a custom residential design-build firm with more than 80 years of experience across four generations. The team at DeHaan Homes has distilled the complex construction process into a design-build project delivery that is meant to provide owners with a single-source contact for all aspects of the build, from estimation and design to engineering, construction, and post-construction service work. It is a company that has developed a robust portfolio of homes inspired by client imagination and vision, leveraging a process that is founded in a simple, collaborative approach with communication and creativity at its core. “We listen. If one of our clients requests a European cottage, another a modern lodge, a third leans toward a contemporary, and a fourth a craftsman, our team will study the design requests and research derivatives that are architecturally accurate—and apply this to our clients’ taste, property configuration, views, and budget,” DeHaan said. “Our design team takes each project and develops what our clients’ request, respecting their individual design criteria. Our design team does not have a specific look or style; we have a standard of excellence and quality with every aspect of our business, including design.” DeHaan, growing up on job sites working alongside his father, has a personal passion for creating homes tailored around client lifestyles and built on foundational principles of quality and excellence in craftsmanship and workmanship. He is a builder who lives for the hours his team collaborates, recognizing each custom home project is “the only home that matters” to the client.
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Modern Lodge
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When it came to this Modern Lodge, whose beauty is in its implied simplicity, honest materials, and integrated design, the clients envisioned a Michigan coastal lodge rich in amenities and materials that would serve as a family reprieve in meaningful setting. While the fit and finish is meant to evoke a casual elegance that blends the coastal shoreline with sophisticated lodge, it is meant to be lived in, where use and time add texture, element, and personalized patina. “It is upscale living, yet very casual,” DeHaan said. “We developed a Michigan cottage exterior, then worked hard with Studio K to develop a casual interior, referring to this as a Modern Lodge with barnwood ceilings and wide-planked, French Oak floors — it does demonstrate a lodge feel.” Designed by DeHaan, built by the team of DeHaan Homes, and interiors by Studio K Creative in Chicago, Illinois, the Modern Lodge is one of purposeful understatement of custom design, craft, and luxury. Its site, while challenging, providing buildability of less than 100 feet in width with steep slopes, was selected to join a multi-generational family property. The building shape was generated off the permittable footprint allowed by the State of Michigan, with the creativity and exterior facade generated to add interest into a rectangular-approved site plan. The team ultimately went vertical and
developed stunning elevations off of a relatively simple footprint. “They never dreamed they could have something like it with the limitation on the property, due to the amount of effort it took to obtain permits,” DeHaan said. “It’s easy when you have 10 acres or 300-foot-frontage on Lake Michigan to build a beautiful home—but how do you take a 100-footlot that is like building a cherry on top of an apple, all the while creating an over 7,000-square-foot home that is spectacular and exceeds client expectations?” From the drive, the home rises through the trees and appears to have been placed or dropped into the woods. This intentional design assisted in blending the home in a neighborhood of many older and existing homes, so the new structure did not feel out of place. A grand stairway of hewn granite, leads to the front porch and the low treadheight is intentional for easy foot traffic. Despite the 12-foot-elevation change, from drive to top of the dune, this home was designed to be ADA—or Americans with Disabilities Act—compliant with a grade-entry, zero-step design through the garage into an elevator that provides access to all floors. The stop at the main floor opens out onto a lakefront walkway that spans the width of the home and leads to an inclinator built into the dune to assist those down to the
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shoreline, using a level boardwalk over hilly terrain. Guests, despite mobility, can reach the beach with this thoughtful design. While achieving a strong indoor-outdoor correlation on the lakefront is not uncommon, what makes this Modern Lodge’s relationship unique to the waterfront is the positioning of the bed in bedroom suites to face the lake. Custom, free-standing, low-lying dresser—complete with integrated TV— allow for uninterrupted views of the lake when the TV is lowered; and when it rises and electronic window blinds are lowered, the lake is still visible through two French doors that bookend the window wall and access a private deck. DeHaan noted there are chairs placed on the outdoor private decks, directly behind the custom cabinetry so they are invisible from the inside and do not impede any views. This three-story home features living space with a kitchen and lengthy dining for seating up to 20 people, along with a master suite on the main level; a gathering and recreation area, bedrooms with private balconies, secondary master suite, and an office on the second floor; bunkrooms on the third floor, featuring custom, built-in niches with a light and outlets; and the lower level was developed as a designated game room with TV theater area, Apollo 15 authentic space photos from United States Air Force Colonel Alfred M. Worden, command module pilot—a family friend and former West Michigan resident. Developed for the main floor living
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room is a large format TV hidden behind a sliding wood panel adorned with artwork. Reclaimed barnwood planking and beams veneer the ceiling, lending a rustic, seasoned look to the interior and help conceal electrical for electronic blinds and room-darkening draperies. The kitchen is anchored by a zinc hood with modern lines and DeHaan’s shop-built cabinetry was stained with an indigo hue, made from character grade white oak. Exterior light fixtures used on the home’s interior add to the lodge character and ambiance, while Danish oil lends a European influence to the millwork. DeHaan also noted the clients requested natural materials to be used on the interior of the home and much of the furniture was created out of authentic, reclaimed barnwood, resourced out of eastern Ohio. Working closely together, DeHaan Homes and Studio K infused the home with a depth and a richness that requires a second survey to appreciate. The indigo blue cabinetry is a wire-brushed, deep-stained pigment that is both nautical and natural, and developed from native American blueberry dyes; there are light fixtures made of black gas piping—fitted with authentic propellers—an armoire in the foyer; and a seven-foot round dining table stretching to fit 20 people complete with a 650-pound, debarked and dried stump sourced from Portland, Maine as a base were among some of the handcrafted, tailored pieces developed by DeHaan Homes craftspeople.
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Waterfront villa
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For the clients of this grand, historical-looking structure, with sweeping rooflines, natural fieldstone, and old world-reminiscent turrets that lean heavily on the Mackinac Island influences, each space and each detail reflect an intentional design process that fit the clients’ specific requirements when they designed this residence. “We adapt to our clients’ requests in design,” DeHaan said. “This home was no different.” As previously seasoned travelers, each room was created and designed to tell a story, capture a memory or experience, and share that with the clients’ family, friends, and guests who stroll through the halls of
the waterfront estate and pool house. It began with client developed inspiration photos, a road trip of northern Michigan—Bay Harbor, Petoskey, and Mackinac Island— and with a simple blush elevation book of sketches; and culminated with the client having a manual of interior architectural designs on onion skins, where each armoire, interior door, and room details were worked out thoughtfully before construction started. “[The client] wanted to make sure every space was worked out perfectly before she signed off on it. Fortunately, our team can draw,” DeHaan said. “We had a really good idea of the interior architecture before we
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got going. It is amazing how you can go from inspiration photos and tracing paper to reality, just from sketching.” From pen and paper to custom build, the home is a woven narrative with elements of surprise around every corner and behind every interior door. The home features a dish pantry with unique china—complete with rolling ladder to access higher cabinetry that reach up to an 11-foot-tall ceiling— along with a cookie jar display, food pantry, and an appliance pantry; all of which feature items of everyday use and those of display. “Every room we designed, we would sit in a meeting and we would design,” DeHaan said. Other spaces in the home comprise: a main floor, handcrafted, walnut office with inlaid panels and boasting a custom-made, burl desk; a sunset room that was designed mid-level—between the first and second floors with an outdoor balcony; a library with fixed shelves and hidden slide-out shelving to allow books to stay in place while
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seasonal items are displayed during the holiday season; and a family gathering or party room above the garage with its own bar, fireplace, pool table, arcade games, and home theater room. There is also a sunroom with a tin ceiling; a slow-winding, curved staircase leading from foyer to the second floor with a custom, handcrafted metal rail system; and an old-fashioned phone booth, reminiscent of those often found in London, England site-built to original specifications. The master suite also boasts an outdoor sleeping porch with French doors over operable shutters, and a nautical room made of stained teak with a hand-painted sky on the ceiling and portholes to interior rooms. “When you walk in there, it feels like a vintage Chris-Craft boat,” DeHaan said. “We made steps up to the front round window with notes painted on the front of the steps for the grandchildren to view outside.” Interior doors feature a five-panel, decorative trim design complete with transom windows above the door reminiscent of an
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old school house. DeHaan noted the window glass tipped out from doors that opened in and feature a hook and pin so when opened, it allows for ventilation and passive cooling throughout the house. “It was really building a house as a large display cabinet and it wasn’t to show as much as display. They are private clients. It was more to house their memories, of their travels, trips, and the things they’ve acquired. Who wants to have the most amazing collections and leave them behind closed
cabinet doors?” DeHaan said. “The owner was extremely organized and had a place for everything to fit and be attainable. It was really amazing. We designed the initial concept floor plans, then stopped, and developed all the interior architecture. We moved very little around, making only minor accommodations, then finished with the plan design team to complete the construction documents. This client had incredible vision,” DeHaan added.
Learn more about
Mapleridge/MPN
The Prairie, Midcentury retreats
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Photography: Speckman Photography
Tucked into bosky shoreline landscapes, underneath rich, verdant canopies, two newly built homes in northern Michigan are the product of a unique pair of distinguished custom home builders with more than 60 years of combined design-and-build experience in the region. The teams, Miller, Poineau & Naumes, or MPN, in East Jordan, Michigan; and Mapleridge Construction in Williamsburg, Michigan; are both formative fixtures in an already distinctive northern Michigan building region, which is characterized by vacation cottage styles both traditional and adapted, and lakeside residences that feature innovative technologies and building techniques fit for the mood of modern shorelines. Lakeside areas from Leelanau and Charlevoix to Torch Lake, Glen Lake, and Traverse City host work by MPN and Mapleridge, whether in sleek, modern estates; boulder-clad contemporary beach homes; or timber-framed villas that reflect the serene woods of the region. For both Chris Miller and Scott Naumes, co-owners of both MPN and Mapleridge, early-career introductions to the construction process in northern Michigan, specifically, marked an entryway into the custom build sphere and all that it entails. Now, their full-service, high-end custom home building firms have evolved into regional mainstays with diverse menus of services, including but not limited to framing, siding, trim work, custom cabinetry and furniture, historic restoration, and construction management. Beside these offerings, both firms are underscored by an appreciation for the unique built and natural landscapes in the region and a reveling in the process of securing lifetime designs into its current evolutions through the custom-building process.
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The Lake Charlevoix reprieve
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From finishing trim work to installing custom built-ins, Miller’s passion for creating new residences culminates in the final details of a project that come together seamlessly with the help of a custom builder. Through MPN’s comprehensive list of services and abilities, which include an 11,000-squarefoot woodworking and paint shop, these final touches can be accomplished in high resolution and with the utmost quality. MPN’s diverse abilities allowed the team to achieve a handful of distinctive stylistic and functional details for a new custom villa on Lake Charlevoix, such as its styled wood structures, finishes, and framing; as well as siding, interior trim work, custom beams, and built-in cabinetry that is featured throughout the entire home. The homeowners had previously owned a cottage on the same site and when it came time to envision its replacement, in this case a five-bedroom and five-and-a-half-bathroom contemporary nod to more rustic architectural influences, the team hired the regionally renowned designer Andy Poineau to create the design that MPN then built. It is the picture of a family cottage reprieve from the entryway, with its restful, sweeping porch and low-resting columns that
grow into a central gable roofline and its grouping of windows, transoms, and matte black treatments underneath. These provide a sweeping look outward onto the gentle point of the landscape, which was worked by Drost Landscape, out of Petoskey. “It’s on a point; it has great views in the design and we really wanted to make the house have an inside-out feel. The floor systems drop and the patios are all seamless with the grass and they flow right inside,” said Miller in reference to the exterior and surroundings. “It gives it just a very clean [feel] like it’s been there forever.” The new family retreat takes design cues from contemporary and prairie farmhouse styles especially in the exterior details, with its structure resting almost directly on the ground, according to Miller. Its roof system also fans from the central open gable into wide, low-slung eaves that protect the generous wrapping porch, and build upward into a group of prairie-reminiscent, hipped roof portions in the back of the home. “It has a modern farmhouse look, with clean sleek lines,” Miller said. “[It’s] contemporary and creates that cozy farmhouse aesthetic. The very unique and extremely detailed column and beam details through-
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out really set this home apart. It really added a lot.” The beams punctuate the great room interior, layering visually from front to back under white poplar tongue-and-groove ceiling panels, which match the surrounding walls. They descend into the room in neat, linear forms composed partially by mini-columns that are mimicked in longer versions at ground level. These are set on a warm rift and quartered white oak floor. The rectangular, horizontally layered details are mirrored in the simple, elegant stone fireplace, which features a flamed finish on the front and long linear granite panels custom cut right at the quarry to disappear any seams. The stone and wood forms that surround the great room are custom-formed to fit MPN’s exact dimensional specifications, each crafted and secured by the team; and these factors, especially the remixed beam-and-column system, make the room a personal favorite for Miller. “I think the great room is my favorite part of the house with the beam detailing; the lighting really just sets it apart,” Miller said. “With the up-lighting and the beams, it’s just an amazing space.” The open floorplan of the great room— which is spaced to accommodate the whole family—culminates in the open kitchen, for which MPN created a custom range hood
with a textured faux finish that is set against white subway tile, custom-made cabinetry in dark-finished maple wood and brushed silver appliances. More cabinetry work created by the team in Cyprus wood comes together to form the corner-wrapping bar space, which also features a stainless countertop. Other custom aspects in the home are a sauna made of porcelain tile that emulates a driftwood print, and the column styles on the porch that match those characterizing the indoors. Regardless of the unique, individual aspects that come together to create the Lake Charlevoix villa—and any northern Michigan residence, for that matter—Miller said the team’s ability to customize the residential experience for the clients means that nearly anything is possible within that given project. Diverse ability and infinite outcome make the process and product of the custom build that much more personal and satisfying for clients, and rewarding for Miller and the MPN team. “That means the sky is the limit for the client and their vision and their interior designer, the home designer, or architect,” Miller said. “It really gives them free reign when it comes to the in-house capabilities that we have. To build and produce anything—literally anything that they want— we can do it.” GREAT LAKES
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The Lake Bellaire Midcentury
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The appeal for both builder and client is similar for Scott Naumes, who oversaw the build of the Lake Bellaire Midcentury villa in Bellaire, Michigan, which was completed in 2019. A resourceful tilt is engrained within Naumes’ own approach to each of MPN and Mapleridge’s services and the custom build process. He receives personal satisfaction from achieving everything on a client’s list and then some, with precision and enjoyment in all the fine details and tolerances. “To me, being custom-built checks all the boxes. It’s custom-designed and built to an individual’s lifestyle, needs, wants, wishes—all of the above. That’s the stuff that we absolutely love,” Naumes said. “Anything is possible; it just takes time and money and a client that wants to do it. A good builder is just going to love that, feed off of that, love the challenge and figuring it out, and love doing something different and out of the norm, something special—it’s what we like to do.” In the case of the newly built Lake Bellaire residence, there was much to offer in the way of troubleshooting the custom-built vacation spot, which took form on a forested bluff just off the left side of the lake. A panoramic view is a picturesque backdrop for the two-bedroom-and-bathroom, approximately 1,800-square-foot residence, which was designed by Joseph Mosey Architecture Inc. of Northville, Michigan, and crafted from start to finish, with turnkey installation, by Mapleridge Construction. Its architecture is largely determined by
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the homeowners’ appreciation for the residential stylings of Frank Lloyd Wright, and as such everything from the undulations in the roof tops to interior proportioning follow suit. Placed on a ridge within the relatively large lot, Naumes’ team had an enjoyable challenge to contend with when it came to simply executing the siting of the home. “They have 10 acres there, so that wasn’t a challenging factor; it was more of the location being on top of this ridge that just stopped, and that’s where the house is,” Naumes said. “Getting the footprint right and the gradient and elevation—you can’t raise it too high, but it can’t be down too far to make the footprint work—some of that was done through us on site, but a lot of that was done ahead of time with the architect and site-plan. That was the biggest complication.” On the exterior, thin Ashlar stone veneer and Bedford limestone ground the already horizontal nature of the architecture in an earthy materiality, which is complemented by a rusty-hued nickel gap-siding. Generous 34
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eaves in the roofing exude classic Wright architecture, as does the movement of the odd angles and reverse pitches of the roof system over the rest of the home. These styles and materials merge in a built design that Naumes said is secured to last lifetimes, and it also posited challenges that were keenly solved by the custom build team. Indoors, the home’s unique outer shaping complements an already intriguing floorplan that is determined by the relatively small footprint. The entry leads into a hallway that later pools into the main room before pivoting on a hairpin curve that is anchored by the fireplace and faces a single upward swoop into a wall-wide window grouping that maximizes the view. “The house is truly designed around that spot,” Naumes said. “It melts into the hillside and landscape and it really all makes sense once you’re there.” Off the living area, a dining nook clad in hickory hardwood and surrounded by cedar plank shiplap and window treatments is an intimately lit side note to the rest of the
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tucked away reprieve. The shiplap blends outward into the surrounding kitchen and open main room, tying them together and wrapping the interior in a woodsy comfort that brings the surrounding scene inside. Similarly, it is the smaller details that blend into the entirety of a custom-built home that Naumes revels in, along with the chance to create unique surprises for homeowners when given the chance. “I always enjoy telling the client ‘leave it up to me, I’ll come up with something and surprise you,’” Naumes said. “I don’t necessarily do it [without consultation], but I enjoy things like that along with the whole process.” The custom-building process that is relished by the discerning builder yields a special bond with the client, as communication must be just as secure as the dimen36
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sions of a unique roofing display, a secluded hickory dining booth, or a collection of custom-crafted ceiling beams that are unique to that specific home. For MPN and Mapleridge, each project offers opportunity for new experiences, challenges, and ways for clients to achieve satisfaction in their ideal built spaces. At the end of the day, it is as much a customized process as a personal one, with good communication—from consultations to those final touches—at the heart of the process. “It was a great project,” Naumes concluded. “It was a pleasure, because we had good clients and I think to have good clients you have to have good management along with the clients to keep them happy and have good communication. It just was a fun process and a unique project, and it was enjoyable for all.”
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Learn more about
Lake Angelus statement
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Derocher/DesRosiers
Photography: James Haefner Photography
In a state with more than 11,000 inland lakes, and surrounded by four of the five deep, freshwater Great Lakes, waterfront homes and cottages are more than just another residential build, but rather an artform for those behind the design and often a generational destination and a way of life for their clients. On the shores of the roughly 470acre Lake Angelus in Oakland County, Michigan, this approximately 17,000-square-foot home, with its striking contemporary lines and rich materiality, create bold architectural statement, while also offering a warm, inviting environment for family and friends. Intentional in its design, the two-story home takes advantage of its peninsular setting on a gentle sloping bluff at the lake’s edge and leaves an impression of cantilever and glass on the façade. Tucked into the trees, the home was designed, built, and crafted by the collaborative and talented team of: DesRosiers Architects Inc. of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan; Custom Homes By Derocher Inc. of Royal Oak, Michigan; Schaerer Architextural Interiors of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan; Vogue Furniture of Royal Oak, Michigan; Wolverine Stone Co. of Warren, Michigan; Gethsemane Corporation of Rochester, Michigan; and Gillette Brothers Pool & Spa of Troy, Michigan. It is defined by an exterior of split face Indiana limestone, cement tile shingles, cedar, and bronze-tinted insulated glass; and welcomes from the spacious auto-court with tiered rooflines and a skylit front canopy entrance. Its design language is a compelling one, elevated through careful construction and intentional integration where home automation, materials, and layout come together in a cohesive narrative. For DesRosiers Architects, an award-winning architectural firm in southeastern Michigan, it is a narrative that at its heart is meant to inspire homeowners equally from the moment they walk into the home as it does years in the future. “My goal is that when the homeowners move in, they are excited, thrilled, and proud to be there; and that even 20 years later when they return from vacation, they will be just as excited,” said Louis DesRosiers, AIA, architect and founding principal of DesRosiers Architects.
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The architect
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DesRosiers Architects is a full-service architectural firm led by Lou DesRosiers, and comprised of a nine-member staff of registered architects, technical draftspersons, and designers. The firm specializes in custom residential, institutional, and commercial design, working with clients to provide comprehensive architectural design services from schematic design and design development to construction documents and construction management. Since its establishment in 1974, DesRosiers Architects has built a residential architecture portfolio that reflects a pursuit to create a physical statement through a harmony of art and structure—many of which are set on the waterfront throughout the Great Lakes region, as well as in Beverly Hills, California; Jupiter, Florida; Telluride, Colorado; and across the globe. Though diverse in style, there are some common threads woven in each residential project, such as a large amount of glass, stepped ceilings, and allowing the surrounding environment to serve as a focal point. “We design large expanses of glass in our
homes to bring the residents closer to the beauty of their surroundings. This relationship continues with the use of natural materials throughout the home, especially wood accents for the trim, doors, and columns to add a feeling of warmth and connection to the earth,” DesRosiers said. “Wood is even inset as steps in the ceiling. All of this adds a sense of comfort and security—along with indirect and soft lighting—to make you feel cozy and relaxed. That is what home means to us,” DesRosiers added. From ceiling details, grand entry sequences, and sculptural staircases, to rich materiality and striking views, DesRosiers has been inspired from a young age by his late father, Arthur DesRosiers—architect of St. Hugo of the Hills Church—to build upon a rich architectural legacy in traditional and contemporary design. A third-generation registered architect, DesRosiers graduated from the Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, Michigan with a Bachelor of Architecture degree whereupon he designed and built his own 6,400-square-foot
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residence in 1972 at the age of 28-yearsold—arguably launching his auspicious career—and by 1974, he founded DesRosiers Architects. “The philosophy of our firm is we design around each of our clients’ lifestyles and personalities using our creativity and talent,” DesRosiers said. “We design the house as a team and the clients are an integral part of the process. This home was created to reflect the client’s desires and even their dreams. We learned what they would like their home to have and how they’d like it to feel and then we brought the best possible version of that to life.” The builder It was DesRosiers Architects’ experience working with waterfront projects, a client referral, and the firm’s working relationship with Bill Derocher, founder of Custom Homes By Derocher Inc., that led to the firm’s involvement in the Lake Angelus Contemporary project. Derocher, a third-generation home builder, said after walking the client through a couple of completed homes to generate a few ideas and a design direction, the custom construction company tapped DesRosiers to shape it into a plan. “Some of our past clientele were kind enough to let us walk through their homes to get some ideas and direction, as well as to form a physical direction on a property,” Derocher said. “The overall, total scope of quality throughout is phenomenal. It is a one-of-a-kind showpiece just in the overall layout and the living space has a nice natural flow to it, let alone the view.” For more than a decade, Custom Homes By Derocher Inc. has made a name for itself in the Oakland County area for its creativity, integrity, quality, attention to detail, and relationship with its clients. It has developed a portfolio of custom homes ranging in style from traditional, Old World-inspired estates to contemporary, lakefront retreats. “I was intrigued by the idea of doing something a little better than the norm; trying to make something better,” said Derocher in reference to launching the company. “We are a turnkey operation and typically become involved with an architect from the start of the project to devise a plan and then execute the build. We offer a full, turnkey maintenance program on the house as well.” Located in Royal Oak, Custom Homes By Derocher Inc. typically works with clients within an 80-mile radius of Oakland County, but as Derocher noted, the company will go where the client needs them to go within a certain distance. “I grew up in this business, so I enjoy it
all the way through. The most exciting part is making all the pieces of the puzzle come together into reality, taking it to shape and actually seeing the house as a visual,” Derocher said. “It is taking someone’s dream from paper and turning into a reality of a home—not a house—we call them homes.” The vision When it came to the Lake Angelus property and its gentle bluff on a point, one of the driving goals for the home was to take GREAT LAKES
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advantage of its roughly 200-degree-view of the water. From the lakefront, the two-story home is tucked into the elevation, revealing the lower level as the land slopes down and a landscaped retaining wall that appears as an extension of the home itself. The L-shape of the home not only welcomes from the auto-court at the street front, but also allows for natural daylight exposure as the sun travels across the sky. “They wanted to take advantage of the panoramic views, so we designed the house in a way that they get morning sun in the breakfast nook, and then as the sun travels, they can enjoy the sunset in all the rooms, particularly in the master suite,� DesRosiers said. Other programmatic goals for the project comprised an open floorplan on the main level complete with private study, great room, kitchen, wine room, and master suite; upper level designated for several bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms and a loft area for gathering; and a guest apartment located above the garage with two full bedrooms and bath, a sitting room, and a
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private deck overlooking the negative-edge pool and lake. “One of the most difficult factors about designing any home is you have to design them so it works for many situations. The house has to function very well for just two people on a day-to-day basis, and for three or four couples that they have as guests, and then for entertaining large parties,” DesRosiers said. “It has to function seamlessly inside and outside.” The home also features an outdoor kitchen area and a continuous drain decking 48
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system paired with the knife-and-negativeedge pool and built-in hot tub on level with the main floor; as well as a grandfathered-in, remodeled boathouse located down at the water’s edge. “The entire outside patio and pool is level with the finish floor of the house, so you never step down for anything and even the pool water is flush with the patio surface,” DesRosiers said. “The entire decking system is continuously drain-free, so there are no mortar joints. The water goes between the two-foot-by-two-foot exposed aggregate
concrete tiles that you walk on, so the beauty is if it rains, it is dry in minutes.” Beyond the landscaped retaining wall as the property elevation dips down, the lower-level comes into view. Designed for entertainment, the lower-level features a game area for billiards, a home theater, a two-sided fireplace and intimate sitting area, bar with pop-up liquor display and kitchenette, exercise area complete with a spa—large steam showers and sauna—a golf simulation room, and elevator. It is a home full of amenities and auGREAT LAKES
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tomation, which brought Spire Integrated Systems Inc. of Troy and Traverse City, Michigan, and the expertise of its team to the table. The automation “Our company specializes in luxury home technology. We have a very high focus on the design and engineering portion of projects at the beginning and then when we get to the end, we have a very high focus on our support team and how we maintain lasting relationships with our client base by continued support,� said Jason Bellanti, partner at
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Spire Integrated Systems. “We want to be able to work with the architecture and design of the house at the beginning so all of the technology can be seamlessly integrated into the home and can disappear in a lot of cases. We also want to design-engineer to specifically fit a client’s needs, not what we think they want, but what they actually want and what they are actually going to use,” Bellanti added. Spire Integrated Systems designs, delivers, and supports high-performing audio-visual and control systems and is rooted in a four-pillar foundation that provides
unique, elevated design solutions that are performance-based and long-lasting for every client. The pillars, Made For You, Elevated Design, System Mastery, and Support, Always, drive every project, every time no matter how large or small. Founded by Navot Shoresh, principal and owner, Spire Integrated Systems has a mission to design and create innovative audio-visual and control system solutions that balance value, aesthetics, and simplicity. When referred by Derocher, DesRosiers, and Bob Schaerer of Schaerer Architextural Interiors for the Lake Angelus Contemporary
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project, Shoresh noted it is often how the team is brought onto a project—as part of the design team to solve technical problems a job may have in terms of lighting, shades, and audio-video gear—such as a very complex floor television lift on the main level of this particular home. “One of the key things with this job, just like with a lot of projects, was the vast amount of technology that needed to be integrated from the lighting, the shades, the audio-video, the security, the cameras, and all the things that go around it. I think one of the biggest challenges is to keep it simple, because sometimes you can get buried in the details and forget about the big picture, which is how the customer is going to use the system,” Shoresh said. “With all the stuff going on, it had to be simple. It had to be a simple, one-push button that set the scene or stage for the house to go from a very passive environment to a very active environment. Meaning, shades drop, lights dim, music turns on, and just make it simple so anybody in the house can use it,” Shoresh added. The awe factor For all its amenities and automation, it is the grand foyer and great room entry sequence and the Lake Angelus Contemporary’s materiality that arguably takes center stage. From the auto-court, a stepped-ceiling, skylit foyer complete with glass floor and two-story, Sapele mahogany herring-bone-patterned columns draw guests within the home. It is a sequence layered with radiant-heated Sea Foam Brazilian granite floors, fabric walls, ceiling details, and open sight lines to floating mahogany stairway and upper level
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walkway before the two-story, great room window expanse. It is a sequence that exudes richness and illumination, and draws onlookers to the water beyond with its curved wall of windows, centrally focused from the threshold. “I would have to say the most outstanding aspect is that even though this is a spacious home, it still has this wonderful warmth and inviting feeling that makes people feel comfortable,” DesRosiers said. “When you stand outside and you are nearing the entry, the home draws you in and after that each space welcomes you to sit down and enjoy the moment.” The great room also features a two-story
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fireplace with curved limestone hearth and mahogany and bronze mantle; and motorized blinds and shades custom made for the two-story window expanse. “You would never know that they are there and that was the effort the architect, the builder, the interior designer, and us— it took all four of us working together—to make it happen. I think it is a very important feature in this home, because there are so many windows,” Bellanti said. “Their ability to control sunlight or have privacy without it being an eyesore was a huge aspect of the design and took a very large team effort to pull it off.”
Learn more about
In detail
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Photography: Ashley Avila Photography
Eastmark Construction
There is a relish-worthy amount of exterior details found at a spot where two gambrel roofs meet on a newly built custom home in Glen Arbor, Michigan. A chimney made of warm, Kentucky fieldstone surfaces from powder-blue, shingle siding and is neighbored by a precisely proportioned transom window, copper gutter system, and sturdy cornice work on one side, and an upper level balcony that is hemmed by a custom lattice work balustrade crafted by hand, on-site, on the other. The combination tucks comfortably around a grassy terrace that is accessible from glass, French doors underneath. This is only a small exterior segment of the 7,500-square-foot home, which was built on the shores of Glen Arbor’s Big Glen Lake. Yet, its complexity and pristine execution set the stage the wonderfully detail-oriented work that comprise the rest of the exterior, interior, and special places in between. The fact that the home is situated on a narrow—and rare—parcel on the Big Glen Lake lakeshore, required a complex arrangement of features that would make the most of the surroundings and the homeowners’ goals, in effect packing the structure with carefully orchestrated interactions between material, shape, and function. It was a challenge readily accepted by Eastmark Construction, a team of custom home builders and master craftspeople, who have a reputation in northern Michigan for executing similar feats with ease, skillful and regional expertise, and a love for instilling each stage of the construction process with genuine quality and care. “We do primarily lakefront and resort property homes and we’re known for a higher-end, more topof-the-line fit-and-finish, and working on projects where there’s an intense focus on the management of the project with the customer and architects,” said Eric Darooge, president and senior project manager at Eastmark Construction.
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It was through word-of-mouth that Eastmark Construction, based in Boyne City, Michigan, was invited to the new build’s bid process. The team’s reach extends throughout northern Michigan, from Glen Arbor and Traverse City to Boyne City, Charlevoix, and Petoskey. “Geographically being a part of this area and being known in this area and also being known as the kind of builder that can take on, execute, and do a good job on a project like this were the primary reasons,” said Darooge in reference to his team’s arrival to the project. As general contractor, Eastmark was tasked with bringing the entirety of the five-bedroom, six-and-two-half-bathroom vacation retreat to life. The scope of the
project for the team encompassed custom carpentry and painting, as well as general oversight of the entire project from start to finish. It is a level of involvement that is common and preferable for Darooge, who can be found on-site site during every phase of creating a home. “One of the things [you’ll find] when you work with Eastmark and get the experience of me and my team, is when I take on a project I’m fully invested personally; I’m involved through the bid process and in all the minute details and constantly on-site and involved in the process,” Darooge said. “Coupling that with the fact that we have some talented and experienced trim carpenters, and having an in-house paint crew, allows us to really focus on and maintain a
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high quality of finish in the detail work.” Part of Eastmark’s distinction is its consistent network of subcontractors, vendors, and suppliers coming in to assist the smaller internal core of its crafting, project management, and custom-building team. Together, they form a layered nexus of reliable, skilled, and client-focused professionals forming northern Michigan properties from bid to finish. A respect amongst builders and a pride for the work—on both the professional and client end—is also a hallmark of the Eastmark Construction experience, according to Susan Beery, office manager at Eastmark. “There’s a level of integrity,” Beery said. “We process things well and take care of our subcontractors and suppliers knowing that they’re going to take care of us, especially when you have things that need a high attention to detail and coordinating so many elements—some of [which are] unknown until you get to it.” Those small, sharp details that merged to characterize the vacation residence on Big Glen Lake were enjoyable to execute for Darooge, and they were part of a complex program of architectural and landscape design strategies by Architects II Ltd., a practice servicing northern Michigan and the greater Cincinnati, Ohio region; and Robinson’s Landscaping and Nursery Inc. out of Boyne City, Michigan. “This was a unique build with some of the things people had as ideas and then brought to life through the planning and execution,” Beery said. “Not everyone could have done what Eric and his team were able to do.” Capturing the custom build One unique aspect of the home is its main function as a summertime vacation gathering space meant to host the out-of-state family and gatherings of 20-to-30 visitors at a time. Basic needs for the home comprised liberal spatial play that could transition seamlessly between indoors and out, as well as spaces to support gatherings from mealtimes to sleeping arrangements. “It doesn’t get used year-round, but it gets intensely used from mid-June through mid-August,” Darooge said. “The indoors, the outdoors, that yard, the waterfront, and sleeping quarters; everything gets heavily used and it came to light more at the end, after we witnessed how they actually used it.” Indoors, two bunk areas comprise a portion of the sleeping arrangements, which also include a lake-facing upper level bedroom surrounded on three sides by waterfront views, and another bedroom that opens to steps leading on to the grassy terrace out front. Aesthetic notes that define the upper level are also consistent throughGREAT LAKES
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out the home. Crisp, white board-and-batten finishes, molding, and framing set a canvas for generous windows and treatments that harness the best of the views, as well as striking details that show the power of custom build abilities. The foyer stairway is exemplary in its strategy; it moves foot traffic up through an opening in the main level ceiling and out to a second-floor hallway that is partially open to overlook the foyer and great room just beyond. Where it rises to the second-floor landing, there is a portion of convex ceiling space—shaped internally by the interlinking roofs—that curves gently upward to create more headroom, resulting in a graceful arc that serves dual aesthetic and practical purposes. “It was form follows function a little bit,”
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Darooge said. “It goes back to the gambrel roof, which gives you more space but not unlimited space, so we had to have the stairway come up and have the appropriate amount of head room as it reached the second floor.” The creative framework of the house is also exposed in the great room, which draws the eye upward to the pitched ceiling and its attached Douglas-fir-beams. The team sought a look of antiquity for the beams and achieved the effect by replicating the distress marks of an adze: a tool circulated in woodworking since the stone age. The beams are assembled with dark metal splices that add an additional industrial air, and the surrounding assembly of rough Kentucky fieldstone on the fireplace, and wide-plank, white-oak flooring adds comfortability and dimension to the inner structure. The great room’s open floor plan concludes with the kitchen, a generous arrangement of island and dining space, brushed silver appliances, and dark wood cabinetry by Wolverine Cabinet Company, a fine custom woodworker based in northern Michigan. One of Beery’s favorite features in the residence is the NanaWall folding window that connects the kitchen node directly to the complex indoor-outdoor spaces just beyond, and provides an elegant access point for gatherings that filter back and forth. A deck composed of resistant Ipe hard64
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wood draws foot traffic from the outdoor grill and under-window bar area to a domed turret porch that was perhaps the most intensive and interesting aspect of the project for Darooge. A challenging framing project from the onset, the circular room is clad in the same western red-shingle roofing and fieldstone foundation as the other portions of exterior, but it is supported on a series of columns and hemmed by guard rails that were handcrafted on-site to fit its proportions. The combination of custom elements, from the extensive handcrafted carpentry work to divisive interior shaping, down to the crown detailing on the eaves of the roofing and the complex flow of the multi-level cornice work, led to an overall aesthetic Darooge likens to coastal and even Nantucket-inspired. Spatially, the proportionality of the home and captured-majesty of the outdoors creates a grand, elegant scale while succeeding in holding a grounding, comfortable air. “So much of the use of this [home] is to enjoy the great outdoors and if I had to rattle off the things I’m most proud of, it’s probably somewhat synonymous with the high degree of difficulty. You feel a little special about it when they’re done,” Darooge said. “I am proud of the dome feature, the installation and finish of those beams, and
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the cornice work around the exterior of the home, [which] was fairly tricky because the house goes up and down, but that cornice work had to flow throughout. It took a great deal of thought—you couldn’t just start somewhere and hope it was going to work out somewhere else. It was a tremendous amount of work to figure that out and make it look seamless and correct,” Darooge added. The great outdoors A seamless transition also occurs between the house-level and the lower-resting waterfront. The layers of landscape and retaining wall separating the two allow the narrow lot to breathe, while creating aesthetic movement at each level, some of which includes kept natural details like patches of tree growth. “I’m a big proponent of that—I feel like trying to fit the construction into the natural elements that exist in the lot is important,” Darooge said. “It’s hard to do sometimes on a narrow lake lot; you want the views and you want to cut everything out so that you can see, but, from my perspective, having a wide-open view is less interesting than having a partial view that has some interesting features you’re looking through.” A visual respect for the land extends to its geographical makeup, which for the area comprises piled layers of dune and other characteristics of the post-glacial lake area. It is showcased in the retaining wall and ap66
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preciated justly by Darooge, who has built his career almost literally upon northern Michigan’s unique geography and among its singular, serene natural surroundings. “I think one of the most beautiful aspects is that elevation showing in the retaining walls and natural transition from lake to shore. Big Glen Lake and Glen Arbor in that area are basically carved into the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore where it’s all ancient shoreline and dune structure,” Darooge said. “[The land] had its challenges, but also its benefits—it drains really well and is very suitable for residential construction in terms of bearing,” Darooge said. Mutual respect—of the land, its neighbors, and local building networks—underscores Eastmark’s approach to building northern Michigan’s dream residences and vacation homes. It is those personal connections that surround the custom-built project—whether between Darooge and residential neighbors that end up becoming friends or the Eastmark team and a new regional vendor—that bring special properties to northern Michigan’s residential building sector. The area itself has always held fond
memories for Darooge, who hails from Grand Rapids, Michigan, but actually vacationed with his family near Glen Arbor. “I’ve always had an attraction and magnetism to northern Michigan,” Darooge said. “Somewhat serendipitously I ended up building these beautiful homes in this region I used to vacation in. I love everything about it from the peaceful, lazy feeling you get when you arrive to the beautiful scenery and the laid-back scene of the resort community.” As one who can understand the unique, restful qualities of an extended stay in northern Michigan, Darooge finds himself continually inspired by creating dream homes for people seeking a permanent presence in the area and on the lakefront. The longevity of the firm’s work is a testament to its belief that homes should outlast us and sustain a personal impression for generations to come. Its professional ethics and collaborative network of building experts fill the process with integrity, care, and quality in those little details that accumulate to build a home.
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Learn more about
Building legacies
F Glennwood Custom Builders
Photography: Spectacular Escape and Modern Art House: Mike Gullon of Phoenix Photographic Modern Dream Home: Kat Alves Photography
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For Glennwood Custom Builders of Petoskey, Michigan, the design and build of generational properties is a passionate endeavor. From initial conception, site selection, and collaborative coordination, to fabricating custom cabinetry, implementing architectural vision, and final landscaping, the skilled team at Glennwood Custom Builders works to deliver an experience where the process is personal and the final product and property captures the vision of their clients. “Design is as design does and what it does is create an emotion. It is like looking at a piece of art: if it makes you happy or it makes you feel comfortable or it makes you feel excited, that is what design is. For our clients, that is where it begins. What is the feeling I want to have when I design this home? What am I trying to achieve?” said Michael Branan, president at Glennwood Custom Builders. “It is so personal and it circles back to why going to work every day is so fun. You are really involved in the emotion people are having about the experience they are creating knowing it can last generations. That is the intent: to pass it down for generations to come,” Branan added. It is that element—the excitement and investment clients have in creating generational homes—that Jeff Collins, chief executive officer, founder, and owner of Glennwood Custom Builders, also finds inspiring. “It is so rewarding and satisfying to see the end result, but also to help somebody develop and build something they have been dreaming about for a very long time. They have been saving money, trying to work out their schedules, and their careers to finally do this project and are so excited when they finally engage in that process,” Collins said. “You really get to know people in that process, because it is so personal.”
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The company
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Founded on the vision to create an environment where all entities involved in the building process enjoy the collaboration and what others can bring to the table—as well as appreciate great architecture—Glennwood Custom Builders was established more than 20 years ago when Collins wanted to do something a little bit different than what was currently being offered in the construction industry. Self-admittedly torn between architecture and construction professions, Collins wanted to foster a collaborative team of highly experienced specialists who not only were passionate about the quality of details throughout the construction process, but also the structural and interior design. “I think one of the neat things about this company is everybody, including our craftsmen in the field, truly appreciate great architecture and I don’t think that is always the case, unfortunately, in our industry, but it is a huge bonus to what we do,” Collins said. “Obviously, we got into this because we love building, but the architecture is such a pleasure to be involved with and it is so neat to see it develop and then proceed to the building process in the field.” Jeff Collins’ initial foray into the construction field began at a young age as his family owned and operated a remodeling and maintenance company. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Building Construction Management from Michigan
State University in Lansing, Michigan. He then spent time working in management positions with a national builder and building his repertoire of experience in custom homes before launching Glennwood Custom Homes in 1999. The company, which also has a 10,000-square-foot shop for custom cabinetry, built-ins, painting, and pre-finishing, offers services, such as: site evaluation, soils testing, budget planning, construction management and consultation, in-house framing and siding, in-house interior and exterior painting, furniture design and fabrication, and Green Build certified solutions. Since its establishment more than 20 years ago, Glennwood Custom Builders has built a portfolio of projects that not only run the gamut in terms of design style and architectural vernacular, but also in scope and location. Branan said the company has had a great deal of experience across the United States working with some of the best architects throughout the world and the relationship with them is something the team takes a great deal of pride in. They really understand their role in that process to help contribute and facilitate as best as possible. “I would say that is really one of the wonderful things about having such a breadth and depth of professionals on staff. Each one of us has really deep experience almost with every architectural style, from ultra-con-
temporary and very traditional lakefront to western and Italian,” Branan said. “When we are part of the design process, we are there to help with ideas of how to get things done the best way structurally and to provide financial direction that may be more cost-effective.” Collins also noted a majority of the projects the team works on end up becoming legacy homes that are handed down from generation to generation so a lot of times in the design process working with architects, the discussion not only touches on what the design means to them today, but what it will mean in the future. “It is so different building long-term vacation homes in northern Michigan versus somebody’s personal residence,” Collins said. “It’s a totally different shape of design.” Spectacular Escape When it came time for the clients of Spectacular Escape to bring their own vision to life, that design took shape with the idea of creating a quiet, unpretentious, albeit elegant northern cottage at its heart. Branan said the clients wanted to combine the more traditional lakefront cottage with a modern floorplan that was open and livable. “It was very important to them to take advantage of the views and to integrate their indoor and outdoor living space,” Branan
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said. “For them, it was all about creating a warm, inviting lakefront home they could entertain in. It is an incredibly well-finished sophisticated home without being pretentious with spacious rooms that are cozy, beautiful spaces.” The approximately 4,700-square-foot cottage set on lake frontage features a U-shape or winged floorplan that is sculpted to the site, offering views of the water from nearly 270 degrees. The connection to and with the water is also elevated through an extensive use of glass and intentional outdoor patios that open out onto the lawn and water’s edge beyond on the peninsular or pointe-like property. “It is an interesting site. It has a long drive through the woods, coming out to its own peninsula. Trying to capture as much of that view became the exciting, challenging, part of designing a home for this property,” Branan said. “It fits more of the contours of the peninsula so you have views wrapping around the entire 270 degrees of water view.” Designed by Jill Ann Rowley, principal designer of Designworks Incorporated in Charlevoix, Michigan, the cottage has a sense of harmony with its surrounding landscape and its neutral palette of colors, inte-
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gration of hardwood flooring, and lake focal point. Traditional elements are tempered by arched details on the exterior, oversized lighting fixtures, and its layered massing, adding an air of timelessness to the estate. Some of its features comprise a full kitchen open to the dining and main living room areas on the first floor, ensuite bathrooms for each bedroom, custom cabinetry and builtin furniture pieces, tilework in the bathrooms, a secondary guest living room on the upper floor, a detached guesthouse, and a three-stall garage; yet one of the aspects of the project that stands out to Branan is the level of quality finish found throughout the home. “There is so much detail in the woodwork in the home. Fine woodworking and an incredible paint job; it was incredibly important to this client,” Branan said. “The hardwood flooring is a select walnut throughout and from there we culled out every single piece of sapwood that would have been in that select walnut. We had a very close color match on all the walnut throughout the home. It is truly gorgeous.” Modern Art House Walnut, a warm and rich tone, can also be
found within the Modern Art House, which is defined by its materiality and stance overlooking Lake Charlevoix. Designed and fit for the drama of the lakefront, this roughly 5,800-square-foot residence was made to feel like a piece of art in its own right and as a means for the homeowner to display her artwork. “The client was looking for a pretty unique, contemporary design that can express her own artistic design sense, while still making it functional as an up north cottage,” Branan said. “The house has three pods; the center pod is a stone building designed to look as if it has been there for 150 years and the other wings have been added on to; that was the initial concept.” With collaboration from Rowley of Designworks Incorporated, Glennwood Custom Builders and the homeowner, who is a designer in her own right and was extensively involved in the interior design and overall vision, worked to bring the concept to life while ensuring visual lines, massing, and scaling all flowed and came together well for the property. “The site was actually a little bit challenging. There is a Cor-Ten steel draping around the front lawn and it raises about a foot, and then you have the walkway going to the front entryway,” Branan said. “All of that area was actually a swale going down, so initially you would have to walk down some steps, walk through a little bog, and then walk up to the home. The site required quite a bit of working to get that final product.” Familiar with lakefront properties and all the regulatory and permitting processes that come along with it, Glennwood Custom Builders reworked the site to set the stage GREAT LAKES
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for the three-massed home and its connections. Branan noted from their standpoint, the team is there to support the efforts of the architect, designer, and homeowner and help provide solutions or potential means to achieve the look they are trying to capture. “We have consult appointments with the architect and the homeowner in these meetings; we talk about challenges, and how we can interact as a builder,” Branan said. “For example, there is a large open space in the main mass of the home, so we problem-solve how we effectively span that space, how we can add or subtract beams as needed to give the volume and the spacing that is desired.” The central section, which serves as the gathering space and features a kitchen, din78
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ing, and living area beneath a vaulted ceiling, is the node of the home where winged portions provide separation between private and public life. Designed for entertaining, one wing of the home features space for guests, complete with bedrooms and ensuite bathrooms, and an artist studio; while the master retreat offers master bedroom and bathroom, as well as a library, away from the rest of the layout for privacy. “The Library is incredibly quiet and off to itself, when they do have all the kids up and need some quiet time, they can get away from it a little bit and work in the office if they need to; it’s a really great retreat,” Branan said. “On the other side of the home is all the guest quarters and the homeown-
er’s artist studio on the upper level with windows overlooking Lake Charlevoix.” Its materiality, which debuts with landscaped walkway flanked by large stone spheres, incorporates metal, wood, glass, and stone. Vertical-sided, dark bronze metal cladding can be found on the exterior of the winged portions of the home, and stainless-steel awnings—patinaed by a local craftsman—accent some of the windows— which are Kolbe VistaLuxe® for enhanced energy efficiency with a warm wood finish. On the interior, that same element of stainless-steel is integrated in the kitchen as the vent hood, which is nearly 18-feet of suspended metal, as well as the toe kicks and some of the curio cabinets that were custom fabricated. Branan also noted painted cabinetry, sourced from an Amish shop in Ohio; walnut components, custom-made by Glennwood craftspeople; and hickory flooring and stair treads lend a rustic feel to the more contemporary home.
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Dream Home
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Far from the lakefront shoreline, this Modern Dream Home is an ode to the forested mountain wilderness. Designed by Ryan Marsden of Marsden Architects—and formerly of Kelly & Stone Architects Inc. in California and Colorado—with Keith E. Kelly as architect of record, this approximately 7,000-square-foot modern, outdoor retreat embraces its environment. Set into the elevation, the home’s asymmetrical rooflines emulate the mountain ridges around it, while extensive glasswork dissolves boundaries between indoor and outdoor spaces. “It is our personal house out west,” Collins said. “We loved the fact the site was private, calming, and just had fabulous wilderness views. It was a place we thought we could gather. We really enjoy entertaining, so we could gather with friends and family and really enjoy and utilize the space and property there.” The design, which was driven by a love of the outdoors, used as much glass as possible to enhance the sense of nature and wilderness even while inside, according to Collins. In the main gathering space, sixfoot-by-12-foot-tall glass panes—supplied by Kolbe Windows & Doors and Old Mission Windows—stack for a seamless experience from indoor dining and living area to outdoor deck. “We wanted it to draw you outside, into the yard, onto the patio and deck and firepit, and encourage you to get out, mountain bike, hike, and do all the fun outdoor activities,” Collins said. “We wanted the modern form
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and feel, but we still wanted it warm and inviting and some modern homes are very cold and stark and white, and we didn’t want that. That is what drove this: implementing as much glass as possible, but making the inside warm, welcoming, and comfortable.” Melody Collins—wife of Jeff Collins— sales and marketing manager at Glennwood Custom Builders, said since the house had so much glass and the view was so spectacular, the interior palette was intentionally neutral to allow the green, blue, and brown of the surrounding environment to become the artwork of the home. “I wanted to do a lot of layering and textures, mixing the hard and soft dynamic of the modern house and then do a lot of soft finishes to add a little glam to it, a little bit of a sparkle, so it would balance the masculine and the feminine,” Melody Collins said. “We also did the hardwood flooring throughout the house to give it that natural element to help balance the surfaces out.” Its tonal warm whites and rich, bold grays are also complemented by soft, lush fabrics and a mixture of lighting fixtures to provide both functional and aesthetic solutions. “Lighting is so critically important and it 82
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changes from day to night, from task-driven to dimming lights down in the evening for mood-oriented lighting,” Jeff Collins said. “It has a ton of glass for light and then we have a lot of LED can lights throughout the house for task lighting and Melody has always enjoyed surface-mounted fixtures, so we have a lot more surface-mounted fixtures in here than you would usually see in a lot of modern homes and that is for mood, for texture.” Melody Collins also noted suspended light fixtures were meant to create an intimate feeling in the tall ceiling space—and add a bit of sparkle and softness—and underlighting in the rail on the outdoor patio offered just enough soft, warm light for guests to see the structure of the house while outside. In part driven by a need to support entertaining, the layout of the home features an open floorplan on the first floor, leveraging unique, black steel and ceiling details in the kitchen to designate space, as well as a commanding, two-story, metal-clad fireplace. Just beyond the fireplace in the foyer, two large pieces of granite weighing about 1,000 pounds each hang on reinforced walls in
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custom made frames. “When I was selecting the countertops for the home, I came across these pieces of granite and just fell in love. There was no way I was going to put that on a countertop, it has to go on our wall, it’s so gorgeous,” Melody Collins said. “It was the focal point—the art—so we lit it, hung it on the wall, and wrapped steel around it to frame the edges. The final result is stunning.” The inspiration For Branan, at the end of the day it is the beautiful architecture, being part of the process, and the team of talented craftsmen they get to work with that inspires him. “I love being involved from the time the vision is first discussed from the homeowner to seeing it come together and being a part of making that happen for our clients,” Branan said. “Each one of us at our firm really has a true love for architecture and construction, and that is why we do what we do. We love witnessing the incredible, creative talent of architects and designers we collaborate with during the process. We take pride in turning their vision into reality.” Jeff Collins also said working with such talented people who always have a positive attitude and want to figure out how to achieve something that initially sounds impossible is one of the things that makes him want to go to work every day. 84
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“It’s never boring. It’s never the same thing twice. The processes are similar, but the nuances every day, they are always new. It’s a different lot, different house, different design, and it makes your brain constantly work through all the things that you need to do on a given day,” Collins said. “It is rewarding knowing you had an impact on the process and on the quality of the final product.”
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Images courtesy Zahn Builders and Lucid Architecture
Zahn Builders Inc.
On a shallow lakeside lot in Harbor Springs, Michigan, several moving parts behind a residential new build are currently interlinking, coming together to create an ultra-modern, vacation residence for a hard-working Grand Rapids couple familiar with the art of building. The clients, one of whom is a construction leader in the western Michigan region, sought a new waterfront vacation home that would eventually double as a permanent oasis upon their retirement. Also a respected construction professional in West Michigan, Tony Zahn, founder and president of Zahn Builders Inc. of Holland, Michigan, considered it an honor to craft a custom residence for the couple, using the fullest extent of the building firm’s in-house capabilities. “They had vacationed in Harbor Springs for many years with their family. This was a Grand Rapids couple and we had a rapport with their architect, Lucid Architecture, and also had rapport in that we had built numerous homes for acquaintances of theirs and they wanted to go with a builder that they knew and had confidence in,” Zahn said. “Their goal was to basically build their retirement home early.”
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The team
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As someone who grew up in Holland, a city in the western Michigan region tucked around the coast of Lake Macatawa, and just off the shore of Lake Michigan, Tony Zahn has long seen the planning and building of generational family homes that live on to be legacy spaces. The area holds a strong, multi-generational vein of craftsmanship that spans from construction to furnishings and a general manufacturing leaning; and seeing the residential building process in action was a great influence on Zahn’s own approach to home building. The firm itself has been built into a regional mainstay known for its scale-of-abil-
ity, which is supported by an 11,000-squarefoot office and woodshop, and a 30-member team of carpenters and craftspeople who regularly self-perform carpentry work and are committed to continued education within the field. This team only takes on between six and 10 projects at a time to fully invest resources in its clients, who also benefit from a dedicated project manager for their building project. Zahn’s approach to cultivating a luxury home building business is manifested in the rapport it has created throughout its service areas and the several awards it has collected throughout the last decade, including four
of which featured a partnership with Lucid Architecture, the Zeeland-based architecture firm behind the design for the modern Harbor Springs vacation home currently under construction. Lucid Architecture is steeped in a modern design aesthetic that transforms verdant breezy coastlines and bordered urban areas alike, and Zahn Builders is an expert in executing modern design plans on lake-side settings. A distinctly modern home characterized by flat rooflines and an earthy mix of internal and external materials like glass, steel, and concrete, the Harbor Springs home design emphasizes its own structure
as part of the aesthetic appeal, not as something concealed in other constructed parts. Despite the work that the exterior does to be a striking design statement on the waterfront, secondary spaces like sleeping quarters needed to be more unassuming in the inner body. “I think one of the reasons [the clients] chose us was they wanted a builder who was experienced in modernism,” Zahn said. “This is a very design-driven, structurally complex home with a lot of steel, glass, and flat roofs.” Highly design-driven projects such as these populate the Zahn portfolio, where
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one can find residences executed exquisitely in warm wood and fogged glass that breathe an ultra-modern air into their lakeside surroundings, and contemporary takes on both new and historic farmhouse-style villas in the same settings. Unique features can double indoors, which for the Zahn team, have featured everything from bowling alleys and underground tunnels to shooting ranges, hidden nooks, wine cellars, and custom swimming pools. In fact, Zahn more recently finished a custom home of his own on the Lake Michigan shoreline that includes a tunnel feature; and to-date, he has built seven of his own custom homes, an added benefit for connecting with prospective clients through hands-on experience with the steps they take to reach their residential goals. “I think the other reason [the clients] chose us is based on our Lake Michigan experience; I would say almost half of our work has been on Lake Michigan in the past 20 years. Knowing that, it made us a natural fit for the project,” Zahn said. “This is a very shallow, long, linear lot in Harbor Springs. It’s a really special spot, but also due to the shallowness of the lot, the home was being built very close to the water, and that’s part of the energy of the whole home.”
another two bedrooms, includes several complexities that created a unique building program for the Zahn team, such as the two monolithic cast-concrete fireplaces that serve as the bookends of the home, according to Zahn. A typical project for Zahn can involve creating specialized mock-ups of on-site features to detail dimensions and an approach to creating them. This project was similar in that the team made several mockups of the fireplaces to achieve the correct flow of the concrete massing, which extends outward into different feature walls around the home. “One thing that’s unique about us, is
Design and materiality Even as it is still being constructed, it is clear to see the ways architectural modernism and natural landscape interact to charge the surroundings with a special appeal. The design, according to architect Eric De Witt, AIA, architect and owner of Lucid Architecture, is intended to embrace the rugged landscape of the site and shelter occupants, while connecting them to it simultaneously; and this was done through materials, massing, and positioning on the site. A relatively low-profile design, the home is anchored to the natural landscape in linear, horizontal massing, but breathes outward in expanses of glass that the team counters with privacy measures like carefully positioned sheaths of concrete. Natural privacy is found in surrounding tree coverage, which the Zahn team was particularly careful to keep between the lake and the home. The warm, woodsy demeanor is mirrored across structural finishes like wood ceilings in the kitchen, living room, and dining room, and accompanying ceiling beams; as well as wood floors and sustainable, durable, Kebony cladding. From the two bedrooms and office on the lower level, which is unified by a poured salt-and-pepper concrete floor, the homeowners can walk out and down to the beach just beyond. The main level, which houses GREAT LAKES
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we self-perform the majority of carpentry in-house and we have our woodshop where we do a lot of mock-ups for clients. I think that’s very important to do, especially with these design-driven homes where we’re really pushing the envelope and we want to use materials that people don’t see every day,” Zahn said. “We want to do mockups for the clients that they can touch and feel and then really feel confident about what it’s going to look like.” The lakeside wall of the living room comprises a custom, Douglas fir, curtainwall window system rising 14 feet. As an expansive joining of concrete, glass, and steel, the system requires inflexible construction tolerances as the structure continues to come together. The living areas on the main level are joined by a special, three-season
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covered outdoor living area and a transition from indoors to decking that overlooks the scenic vista. For the roof system itself, Zahn worked structural insulated panels that promote energy efficiency alongside a flat membrane roof system for watertight coverage. When it comes to these particulars of home building, from exacting complex elements to selecting the right materials for varied western and northern Michigan climates, Zahn Builders is an expert. Paired with an ability to make the most of rich, intricate design programs, the firm offers a precedent-setting, customized building experience. Passion in process “To me, [being custom-built] means it’s a home that’s never been built before. It’s a
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home that’s truly programmed for the client’s needs,” Zahn said. “Our most successful projects happen when we’re retained at the same time as the architect so that we’re two separate companies, contracted separately but working on the same team for the owner. We’re able to learn about the design and respect where the design came from; respect the design goals, but also give builder input as someone to see the design in practical, builder-friendly, cost-effective ways to achieve the design intent.” It’s the learning aspect of the construction process that continually rotates through the Zahn Builders practice, too. By consistently pursuing education and promoting self-performed, custom-work on projects, the firm supports an all-inclusive approach to home building that also ensures that labor shortages are never an issue. These qualities contribute to the unique residential building industry in the region, that is singlehandedly changing definitions of custom craft. For Zahn, there is dual appeal in creating these spaces closer to home in West Michigan and upward in northern areas like Harbor Springs. He has also recently purchased property in downtown Harbor Springs that could potentially convert into an office in the future. For now, it is home to a resident project manager who holds a similar appreciation for building in the region and the structural complexities that can come with it. “I’ve always been fascinated with northern Michigan and it’s always been my dream to have the opportunity to have a satellite boutique business where we can [work with] people like we do in West Michigan and within that unique community,” Zahn said. “We have a lot of past clients from Grand Rapids who have second homes in the area that we’ve also been servicing, so it’s worked out well and we’re excited about it,” Zahn added. For this particular second home, Zahn’s goal is to complete a turnkey delivery by June of 2021, after which the couple will have a summer to savor the serene surroundings and articulate pairing of modern design and tailored construction that came together to craft a custom-built oasis. “I think what really excited me about this project was that this was a very hard-working Grand Rapids couple and I really understood their motivation to create and to say, ‘hey, let’s build our retirement home now, early, and use it as a vacation home,’” Zahn said. “I could just see the excitement and feel the passion behind it.” It’s a passion that is very familiar to Zahn. 98
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More by Zahn Builders Photography: Ashley Avila Photography
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