Location: Devils Lake, Michigan
Set among mature trees on the shore of Devils Lake, this lake house is all about its roofline. A cluster of steep cross gables gives it the picturesque, vertical character of the old resort cottages that once lined Michigan’s lakes, while restrained, clean detailing keeps it fresh and unfussy.
What began as a plan for a small cottage grew, meeting by meeting, into a much larger home, one that ultimately filled the lot from setback to setback. The design challenge became keeping a house of this size feeling like a lakeside cottage. The answer was in the roofline: a cluster of steep, stacked gables breaks the mass into a village of smaller forms, so from the water or the street the house reads as a collection of cottage-scale pieces rather than one big box.
When I design a lake home, I always stretch the façade facing the lake as wide as the lot allows, to capture every bit of the view. I always include a porch, sometimes screened, and a balcony off the master suite for morning coffee overlooking the water. This house has all three.
- Steep, stacked gables that break the house into a village of smaller forms, so a good-sized home feels like a cottage from every side.
- Copper-roofed eyebrow dormers with arched windows, playful details that bring light deep into the upper rooms.
- Stained tongue-and-groove beaded wood soffits under the rakes and eaves, one of my signature details, glowing warm against the crisp white trim.
- Life facing the lake: a screened porch with stained wood frames, a balcony above it, and a wide deck stepping down to the lawn.
- A welcoming street side with a covered entry porch and balcony above, and a small steep-gabled hood sheltering the side door.
