Desiderata

The clients have owned this lake camp for more than two decades, and it had been added onto over the years. We worked toward a finished camp that would feel consistent with that history rather than separate from it.

Kitchen and Bar

Walnut sets a cohesive tone through the kitchen and the bar. In the kitchen, walnut cabinets pair with Ocean Blue quartzite counters. Thermador appliances, including a large range, sit on a platform at the center of the cooking wall.

At the bar, we used a leathered silver gray granite, and refrigerator drawers are integrated into the cabinetry, concealed behind walnut fronts so they read as part of the millwork. The clients chose to add stone cladding to the fireplace mid-project, and the shared material now pulls the bar and hearth together as a single visual anchor for the space.

Continuity

Clients who have owned a place for decades sometimes struggle when a remodel feels foreign to the home they know. Walnut bridged the aged pine the clients wanted to keep with the new finishes throughout, and the lighter floor offset the short ceilings in the kitchen without pulling away from the existing tone. The flooring, vanities, and counters added to the bedrooms and bathrooms were chosen the same way as the rest of the house, in conversation with the aged pine, the walnut, and the materials already in place.

Custom Millwork

Much of the character in the camp comes from the built-in work done across the main floor. We switched the direction of the stairs and built a pantry, cabinet, and bookshelves alongside them, creating an integrated wall of storage and display. The pantry is built deep with rollouts inside. At the top, fixed panels cover the stair seat with no knobs, so the surface reads as cabinetry rather than as a door. The stairs themselves are finished with twig railings sourced from a local craftsman whose work represents a trade with fewer practitioners every year, and the result is a piece of true artistry in a part of the house often treated as purely functional.

Design Informed by Function

The mudroom handles the daily transition between outside and inside, and we designed it around the way the family actually uses it. The clients wanted an open look but needed enclosed storage to keep things out of reach of their German shepherds. Open shelving sits above dog-reach, and closed cabinets below hold shoes on rubber mats. A Douglas fir bench matches the entry door and gives the space a place to sit while putting on and taking off shoes. A Dutch door connects the mudroom to the pool room. In the pool room, the original plan called for tile, but the concrete underneath was too cracked to support it. We replaced the indoor-outdoor carpet and added new cabinets, new windows, new lighting, and a beverage fridge.

Desiderata

Kitchen and Bar

Continuity

Custom Millwork

Design Informed by Function

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