project overview
Set on a rocky wooded shore of Lake Michigan, this second residence is both a retreat and a curated repository of the homeowners’ passions. For her: a carefully orchestrated collection of art and artifacts from across the world. For him: a kitchen to support culinary mastery and entertaining, an authentic wine cellar embedded into the earth, and a workshop retreat for woodworking. For both, gracious entertaining and living spaces for family and friends, with stunning, expansive views of Lake Michigan’s clear blue water.
For more than four years, the client traveled nine countries, selecting art, artifacts, and materials that now define the interior’s bespoke character. Unique artisanal lighting, handwrought metalwork, handwoven rugs, exquisite art and artifacts integrate seamlessly into space. Interior design, by the client, draws direct inspiration from the natural world, which serves as a thematic organizing principle. This principle is reinforced at both large and small scales through masterful design gestures and careful attention to detail.
Bringing such a layered vision to life required the efforts of a deeply collaborative team. Even during the challenges of remote collaboration during the pandemic, the entire team
worked with clear communication, leveraging technology to communicate regularly and clearly. The homeowners’ interior design talent and desire for sanctuary served as a north star for the project, providing clarity of the goal from start to finish. The visioning and conceptual design process, led by AMDG, ensured that every design gesture and detail—from the home’s orientation to its meticulously crafted rooflines—aligned with the client’s vision. AMDG adopted an iterative process with the homeowners to move organizational ideas to early three-dimensional concepts for siting the home, navigating the soft roll of the topography to the water’s edge, and orienting the footprint for optimal views.
Glennwood Custom Builders executed the developed vision with precision and care, coordinating seamlessly with AMDG and Drost Landscape. Every detail reflects craftsmanship—from the European vintage limestone flooring to the custom oak sourced locally in Northern Michigan.
At its heart, this lakeside sanctuary fulfills the homeowners’ desire for a place of respite and inspiration. It is a haven for personal pursuits and an inviting space for sharing their love of art, nature, and design.
designed to endure
Balancing tradition with innovation, the home’s lakeside facade, designed with rigid steel frames to accommodate the significant proportion of glass openings, will resist the forceful winds of Lake Michigan. Excavation unearthed remnants of a previous structure, which were creatively repurposed as boulders and limestone steps that now enhance the landscape design.
framed by nature
Drawing inspiration from the architecture of Honfleur, France, the home combines slate, granite, and limestone to create a sense of permanence, and harmoniously blends the timeless elegance of French Norman architecture with the natural beauty of its rocky Lake Michigan site. Floor-to-ceiling windows in a soaring 26-foot great room frame panoramic views of the lake.
a timeless haven
The ‘old world’ wine cellar, crafted into the limestone bedrock, is designed to be modulated by ambient temperature and the climate of the natural earth. The custom architectural design celebrates light, inviting nature’s hues deep into its spaces, and ensuring that even on cloudy days, the home radiates warmth and serenity.
