Sight Lines
It’s all about the view at this Wisconsin retreat.
The upscale screened-in porch brings the stunning views into focus. The comfortable space is punctuated with outdoor sconces from Visual Comfort, through CAI Designs.
Summer at the lake is equal parts indoors and out. There’s swimming, canoeing, and toasting that marshmallow just long enough for the perfect s’more. And then there’s puzzles and games on the living room floor in front of the fire and dinners whipped up by committee in the kitchen. Mother Nature doesn’t need any help giving us a good time. But our cabins and cottages sometimes do. That was the case for one Wisconsin family, who loved their lakeside property, but after a decade, opted to start fresh and build new from the ground up.
Left: The free-flowing great room is set with contemporary yet comfortable furnishings, proving that form and function can peacefully coexist. On the opposite side, the double-height space is anchored by a towering fireplace made of local Fond du Lac stone.
Right: In the dining room, cabinetry in white oak provides ample storage, while a custom table has room for the whole family. An eye-catching Mohd 101 Copenhagen Drop Chandelier animates the space.
Their previous place—a traditional style 1980s house—served its purpose but had its shortcomings. The kitchen and screened porch were too small, lake views were limited, and the interior flow wasn’t keyed to a house filled with family and friends. Eager for a modern home more clearly oriented to the outdoors and capable of serving as a primary residence down the road, the homeowners turned to Chicago’s En Masse Architecture and Design.
Rift-sawn white oak and Taj Mahal Quartzite generate a clean, comforting vibe in the kitchen. Faucets by Brizo.
The new home is large but comfortably scaled, with spaces that sympathetically embrace any number of people, from two to twenty. “Public rooms overlap with one another, allowing a whole group to be together while offering smaller spaces to escape,” notes partner and design director, Lucas Goldbach. “When the bifold doors between the porch and family room are open, those spaces can be used in tandem. And a pair of guest rooms share an upper-level lounge space that can be closed off from the rest of the home, offering more privacy.” The soaring volume of the family room and vaulted ceilings in every bedroom, contribute mightily to the pervasive, life-enhancing spaciousness of the home.
Left: The steeply vaulted ceiling adds a dramatic sense of space in the sun-drenched primary bedroom.
Right: A wainscot of Waterworks Keystone Silver Lining tile wraps the primary bathroom and blends with the quartzite countertop. Lighting by Visual Comfort, through CAI Designs.
Connecting the interiors to nature was key, which En Masse achieved with ample fenestration strategically placed. “This home is most often used in the sunny summer months, yet it was designed to feel light, bright, and alive year-round,” notes Lucas. “The shape of the home was developed to allow in as much light as possible and provide as many rooms with a view as possible.” The perimeter of the living space on the main floor is almost all glass. Clerestory windows in a snug den offer treetop views, and from the open hallway on the second floor, one can look across the double-height family room to a pair of windows that frame the far shore.
While utterly contemporary, the home exudes an unmistakable warmth. “The client wanted a home that had a Scandinavian spirit with roots in the cottages and lake life of Wisconsin,” shares Goldbach. “The home straddles that line with large, wide open, light-filled spaces and earthy, hard-wearing materials. The floors are wide-plank white oak with a wire-brushed texture. The fireplace is two stories of Wisconsin local Fond du Lac stone. The kitchen is a warm mélange of white oak, tough stainless steel, glowing quartzite, and light tones.”
Dining on the porch is almost alfresco, thanks to the enveloping transparency.
“The use of wood, stone and warm white throughout creates a cozy envelope,” says Jenny Martell, principal and founder of Evanston-based Martell Interiors, who joined En Masse in giving nuanced expression to every room. “We tried to bring in texture and practicality through wonderful textiles, many of them performance or outdoor grade, that added to the layers in the home.” Both earthy and light, grounded and airy, this fresh take on lakeside living stands as a celebration of togetherness and good times, one that will carry family and friends beautifully through the summer and beyond.