Lake Michigan Beach Home
Role
Architecture
Interior Design
Cabinetry
Landscape Design
Photography
Andrew Gurschick Photography
Beachfront leisure, enhanced through nature and the elements.
The narrow lot presented the greatest challenge. Guided by my experience with similar sized lots in Chicago, a deep understanding of the unique sand dunes and my client’s present and envisioned homelife, I designed a coastal house appropriate for coastal life and responsive to its dune-top environment.
Originally, a small Sears Catalogue house stood on this property overlooking Lake Michigan. As an inadequate foundation led to its demolition, we started anew.
For the new beach home, my client placed strong emphasis on the lake views, outdoor space, natural materials, casual finishes, large open spaces for entertaining, and a coastal architectural vernacular to embody it all.
Placing the first and second floor gathering spaces on the Northern, lake-facing side, I designed the front façade with large windows on the first floor, and sliding glass French doors on the second, leading to a balcony. A series of large clearstory windows was placed near the upper roof line—inundating both floors with abundant sunlight from the south during the winter months.
Air and weather became elements of biophilic design that bridge the inside with the outside. An open space plan allows for lake breezes to generate cross ventilation; a southside room functioned as a screened porch in the summer and a sunroom in the winter; an outdoor shower was placed to amplify their connection with the elements.
Natural colors, patterns, and textures were thoughtfully integrated throughout to reinforce the connection to the natural world.
This also included a rich mix of natural materials such as oak, cherry, knotty pine, maple, and alder woods; granite and simulated stone resembling river rock and slate; as well as simulated cedar shakes and clapboard siding.
