Lakeside home blurs boundaries between outside and in
Just steps away from the lake, this Timber Shores home beckons the outdoors in. Nearly every room offers serene views of the sand-bottomed lake west of Valley. With two four-season spaces, abundant outdoor living areas and durable finishings, the home reflects the beauty of lake living — a connection with nature and the ability to share that experience with guests.
“Lake living is all about flexibility and creating that atmosphere where you can entertain for 50 or you can entertain for two,” said interior designer Lisa Schrager of LMK Concepts, who curated the home’s interior space.
In the 3,500 square foot home, builder Brad Brown of Archistructure sought to create a space that fit the practical needs of lakeside living, while also incorporating luxury amenities. Built in a raised-ranch style, the three bedroom, three-and-a-half bath Valley home appeals to empty nesters with a penchant for entertaining friends and family.
A focal point for entertaining is the lower-level four-seasons room. With a retractable glass garage door, separate heating and air conditioning system and functional kitchen and bar, the room blurs the line between outside and in. With the garage door open, the room functions almost like a beach cabana, Brown said, complete with lockers for beach bags and towels, showers, and a washer and dryer. Everything people might need is easily accessible, with no need to run up and down the stairs to other parts of the house. The polished concrete floor offers functionality — sandy, wet feet are no problem here.
On the lakefront side of the house, Brown and Schrager created a meandering experience with distinct outdoor spaces. “We recognize that you need to have different outdoor living spaces, no different than you need to have different rooms in the house,” Brown said.
Visitors can chat by an oblong fire pit, patio area or along a small beach. The upper-level patio offers additional space to congregate. The design allows for people to have intimate experiences, yet still remain part of the larger group. “You set up these individual pods of entertaining or interaction, yet they all work together as one area,” Schrager said.
Additional touches include a water feature to wash off sandy feet and an outdoor shower area.
The home’s main level continues the dynamic between larger, shared spaces and more private retreats. Lake house dwellers entertain frequently, and visitors tend to spend the night (or two or three), Schrager said. Guests can gather in a large, open great room and kitchen area, while distinct bedroom suites allow hosts and guests to retire to private spaces in the evening.
Reflecting a more casual lifestyle, gone is the formal dining room and den. That square footage, instead, is invested in the kitchen area, the backbone of the house. A super-sized, walk-in pantry is complete with a trash chute to the lower-level garage.
Off the kitchen area is a second four-season room with a sliding glass wall, contributing another 800 square feet of indoor/outdoor living space. Throughout the home, large, plentiful windows emphasize a connection with the outdoors. The effect allows people to feel as though they are outside, even while sitting in the comfort of their living room.
“When we give people opportunities to bring the outside in, they do,” Schrager said. “People want to be optimistic, to feel connected with the outside and something more grounded. It’s a reflection of how people are feeling in wanting to move toward a connection with the environment.”
The home’s lighter, warmer color palate imbues a natural, beachy feel. For furniture, Schrager selected durable, versatile pieces with washable fabrics. Seating utilizes long-lasting indoor/outdoor fabrics to stand up to continued use and frequent washing. In the bedrooms, duvet covers are handily cleaned. Even decorative accents are made from hardwearing, non-glass materials that resist breaking.
Brown designed the house to be barrier-free; that is, accessible for older individuals or people with disabilities. Doorways are wider, stairway landings are larger and showers are step-free. The home also offers an elevator, making it accessible to people of all mobility levels. Mindful of their future needs, empty nesters are keen to incorporate this type of universal design, Schrager said. But in this house, “you won’t even know that it’s barrier-free until you need it,” she said.
Brown noted that the home’s location — just 12 minutes from Village Pointe — offers a scenic retreat still close to big-city amenities. The effect is like being on vacation without the travel time, Schrager said.
“You have a place that you’ve retreated to, and it’s like a sigh of relief,” she said. “It’s a whole different way of life.”
For more details and pictures, visit 5410279street.npdodge.com.
