Steal Inspiration from this Clever Coastal Farmhouse

Featuring a thoughtful kitchen design and four-season room, you’re not going to want to miss the final stop on our 2022 Northern Home & Cottage Virtual Tour. Take a sneak peek inside this coastal farmhouse and enjoy a never-before-seen Host’s Highlight below. On the hunt for the full tour? Grab your donation-based tickets here.

This article first appeared in Traverse Northern Michigan. Find this story and more when you explore our magazine library. Want Traverse delivered to your door or inbox monthly? View our print subscription and digital subscription options.

Colin Bushong of CMB Construction and his team of three extraordinarily skilled craftspeople lent their talents to this beautiful coastal farmhouse (or beachy farmhouse as the homeowner refers to it) on Old Mission’s East Bluff where the view looks out over East Grand Traverse Bay. “What was really special about what Colin brought to the table is his level of teamwork, and the quality of work that his three craftsmen do,” says the homeowner. That quality, she adds, is apparent in the home’s built-ins and beautiful trimwork. “We put shiplap in places as unique touches, and the way they finished the shiplap on corners and edges—I mean, it’s just a real quality job.”

Designed by architect Jessica Van Houzen Stroud, the home was made for entertaining the couple’s adult children and their families. To that end, a magnificent primary bedroom with a huge primary bathroom and equally huge view is on the ground floor. Three en suite bathrooms and a bunkroom upstairs offer plenty of room for visiting family.

Photo by Dave Speckman

The great room’s breezy feel is warmed with oak beams and oak trim. Liz Jerore of @Home Cabinetry + Interiors designed the kitchen and worked with the homeowner on interior choices. (See her work featured in this Nature Inspired home, also featured in this year’s Northern Home and Cottage Virtual Tour).

Both Bushong and the owner agree that the porch across the lake side of the home that takes full advantage of the view is their favorite feature—especially the three-season porch set within the larger porch area. This porch, Bushong says, utilizes a product called Eze-Breeze that is screened in the summer but can be converted to polymer windows in the winter. Warmed by a grand, cultured-stone fireplace, the room can be used from spring through fall. Finally, lovers of great garages and storage areas will appreciate the three-stall attached garage complemented by a free-standing garage for recreational vehicles.

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Photo by Dave Speckman

NHC Home Tours Digital Exclusive: Host’s Highlight

No one knows all 8 homes better than this year’s host, Erin Lutke. We sat down with Erin to get the inside scoop on each and every home, and here we share some of her favorite moments when touring + a never-before-seen video snippet of the room or moment that she revealed. You can only find the 2022 Northern Home & Cottage Virtual Home Tour Host’s Highlights on MyNorth.com.

“The homeowners blew my mind with the kitchen features in this home. They have an “under the counter” Kitchen Aid Mixer stand that pulls up to do your mixing and magically gets tucked away again. The video of us working it is pretty hilarious. They also had a bar ice maker, which is a must-have when you are on the lake! 😉 ” – Erin Lutke.

Want to take a more in-depth look at this coastal farmhouse stunner? View this home and 7 more of Northern Michigan’s most gorgeous homes when you get your donation-based tickets now for this year’s Northern Home and Cottage Virtual Tours, benefiting Child & Family Services.

Preview More 2022 NHC Virtual Home Tours