Join us for a premier one-day home tour featuring 13 beautiful homes, thoughtfully designed and surrounded by stunning landscapes in Grand Traverse and Leelanau counties. The Traverse City Area Northern Home & Cottage Home Tour is Saturday, September 16 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Below is a sneak peek inside home #7, which fuses industrial and coastal styles.

Proceeds raised during the Traverse City Area Home Tour will benefit Northern Michigan non-profit, Child and Family Services of Northwestern Michigan. Save money by purchasing tickets online at MyNorthTickets.com or by calling 800.836.0717. Online ticket sales end Friday, September 15 at noon. Tickets are also available at the door.

Address: 574 Old Incochee Farm Trail, Traverse City
(Note: Northern Home & Cottage Magazine incorrectly indicated this address was in Cedar. It is in Traverse City.)

Directions: Beginning in Traverse City at the intersection of M-72W and S W Bay Shore Dr/M-22: Drive 0.4 miles west on M-72. Turn left onto Incochee Woods Drive. Continue 0.5 mile and turn right on Old Incochee Farm Road.

Designer: Kitchen Choreography, 231.932.9700

This home set in the lovely Incochee Farms development that overlooks West Grand Traverse Bay, was built by Brian and Erica Mohr, owners of Calybr Homes. While Brian has built some 40 to 50 custom homes with his Calybr team (Erica contributes design ideas to most projects) this is the fourth model/show home the couple has built together for themselves.

In 2013 the Mohrs built their first home in Incochee—a beautiful French-accented traditional home that Erica says she is still fond of. But this couple likes to stay on their design toes so they can pass new trends and ideas on to their clients: “We don’t want to be known as a company that builds the same thing over and over again,” says Brian.

After brainstorming ideas and scouring design magazines and websites, the couple decided to fuse industrial and coastal styles in this new home. Think an Eastern Seaboard or Great Lakes coastal town where ship building and summer cottages cohabitate.

You’ll feel that vibe as you walk up to this dove-gray and white house with its black iron straps under the eaves—a touch that feels reminiscent of ship building—and black-framed glass front door. The black industrial theme continues just inside and to the right of the front door where a fabulous partial glass wall framed in black aluminum screens Erica’s office. The couple designed it and had it built by Northern Michigan Glass in Traverse City.

From the foyer, follow the scraped oak floor to the kitchen where the Mohrs turned to Angela Goodall of Kitchen Choreography for design assistance. Given that this is the third of the Mohrs’ homes that Angela has worked on, she has gotten to know them well. “Brian loves to cook,” she says. “It’s always fun designing with someone who loves to cook.” To that end, she designed special, easy-to-access cabinetry for all of the gadgets and utensils—pasta makers, knives, blender, etc.—that Brian uses almost daily. The fleet of culinary tools includes a 36-inch dual-fuel Wolf commercial range, a 48-inch Subzero refrigerator and a second oven in the pantry. Parallel double islands—one outfitted with a sink and dishwasher—and the other for use as a casual eating space—a wet bar and a replace round out the kitchen.

While Brian is about the function, Erica is tuned into the style side. In keeping with the coastal theme, Angela’s team of craftsmen at Kitchen Choreography sandblasted ash to give the island cabinets the look of weathered driftwood. In another stroke of style cool, the island used for eating holds glass dish drawers—so the dishes can be seen from the dining area.

At its essence, this home is about comfortably accommodating a Northern Michigan lifestyle. Just off the dining nook, a screened- porch is outfitted with a wood-burning fireplace, television, comfy furniture, grill and heaters in the ceiling to extend its season. A well thought-out master suite with touches like a free-standing tub and antique wooden closet doors feels luxurious.

Downstairs there’s a fitness room (screened off by another glass and black aluminum wall), entertainment area and guest room. The upstairs is cleverly divided into children’s rooms and hangout space and an office for Brian (with a view of the bay, we might add). Besides its cutting- edge style, tourgoers will love a trendy, creative use of tile in the seven baths (Angela assisted with the design in these bathrooms as well) throughout the home as well as clever ideas like storage under the bench in the mud room that is long enough to fit ski bags.

Preview all 13 homes on the Traverse Area Home Tour in the August 2017 issue of Northern Home & Cottage.


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Photo(s) by Kitchen Choreography