The sixth stop on the 2014 Northern Home and Cottage Home Tour is located in Suttons Bay at 5701 S Elm Ridge Drive. This home, dubbed the “enlightened craftsman” is inspired by a Craftsman-style home and was designed to allow for ample natural lighting.
Visit the other homes on the 2014 Northern Home and Cottage Home Tour:
- European Accent
- One for the Ages
A Plus(This home has been removed from the tour)- Farmhouse Reno
- Barn Reno
The 2014 Northern Home & Cottage Home Tour takes place on Saturday, September 13th from 10 am to 5 pm. Proceeds raised during the home tour will benefit Northern Michigan non-profit, Child and Family Services of Northwestern Michigan. Save by purchasing tickets to the 2014 Northern Home & Cottage Home Tour at MyNorthTickets.com:
When they first set out to build their home atop a bluff south of Suttons Bay, the homeowners brought a wish list to architect Sarah Bourgeois. They were sure they wanted a Craftsman-style home and they were equally sure that they wanted as much natural light as possible. The couple soon found, however, that a traditional Craftsman with its signature emphasis on wood and detail was at odds with their craving for as much window area as possible. In response, Sarah guided their vision to a contemporary Arts & Crafts design with clean lines and generous banks of vertical windows.
The result of the architect-client dialogue is a shingled, low-to-the-land structure with deep overhanging eaves. With its taupe shake siding, the home makes a serene statement against its forested backdrop. On the interior, natural light, bounces off the Brazilian cherry hardwood floor creating a calm, zenlike ambiance. “It is a house that is based on light,” the wife explains. “We never need lights on during the day—and we find ourselves following the sun. We see the bay and the sunrise from our bedroom. Our kitchen and dining areas are on the south side and our living room faces the setting sun to the west.”
Interior designer Kim Hooker of Cedar Creek Interiors played up the tranquility with a gentle pale green and taupe palette, then went on to pull together furnishings that include reclaimed iron-and-wood rustic pieces and dining chairs covered in twisted seagrass—a vibe she calls Asian farmhouse. By grouping two pairs of contemporary club swivel chairs in the living room, Kim made it possible to take in the view out the window, chat with others in the room and watch the television and fireplace all without changing seats.
Builder Dale Boone, kitchen designer Angella Goodall and landscaper Brian Zimmerman rounded out this talented team. Which is not to overlook what the husband brought to this project—a passion for woodworking played out in, among other elements, an inspired rough-hewn mantel made from a hickory tree that once stood in the yard of their former home. And, too, a Frank Lloyd Wright-esque cherry staircase railing that any disciple of early 20th-century design would recognize as the work of a true craftsman, in all senses of that word.