Camp in the Trees

The siting of this house respects an old oak grove, which has long stood on the site. The entry to the house cantilevers to respect tree roots and the house’s footprint shifts and dances between the oaks. Soft angles in the floor plan carve out cozy places to sit, read, listen to waves against the shoreline and gather together as a family. 

Within this beautiful site, shedding walls and touching lightly embraces our values of simplicity. The master bedroom could wander away from the house with a walkway for bare feet and a cover from the rain. So, we slid the master bedroom out to become it’s own retreat away from an existing bunkhouse and in proximity to the soft sounds of a nearby stream. A walkway with wood decking flows between the trees and tethers the kitchen, living room and dining room to the master bedroom and from the building’s approach captures views of the lake.

The house’s materiality and textures connect it to the place in which it is built. Cedar shakes and brass fixtures in the showers celebrate a relationship between context and the owner’s love for modern designed fittings and fixtures. Each space is a true reflection of this family. A love to cook and to entertain inspired the engaging relationship between the kitchen and the screen porch. Over-sized double hung windows open to the kitchen counter to serve a meal and for cook and kids to spend time together. 

The footprint of the main house is 1,353sf and it is the epicenter for time spent together. A short barefoot walk away, is the 413sf master bedroom, which includes a little screen porch of its own.