Petoskey Area Home Tour by Northern Home & Cottage, Home #3

For the second time this fall, Northern Home & Cottage opens the doors to some of the most exciting homes in the region on the Petoskey Area Home Tour Saturday, October 15. On this tour, you’ll see the grounds and interiors of seven homes in Antrim, Charlevoix and Emmet Counties.

Proceeds raised during the Petoskey Area Home Tour will benefit Northern Michigan non-profit, Child and Family Services of Northwestern Michigan. Save by purchasing tickets to the 2016 Northern Home & Cottage Home Tour at MyNorthTickets.com.

The third home on the Northern Home & Cottage Petoskey Area Tour is located at 6333 Indian Garden Road in Petoskey. It was built by Young and Meathe Custom Homes of Petoskey, 231.487.1817.

The serene graciousness of Jim and Mary Meathe’s home on Walloon Lake eases over visitors the moment they enter. A spectacular view of the emerald lake out the living room windows, the soft greens and blues of comfortably upholstered furniture and a carefully curated art collection combine with a myriad of other details to signal a mindfulness about how this couple wants to live.

The Meathes built their shingle-style home 19 years ago. Back then they lived in Cleveland, and Jim was in the insurance business. Jim’s first love had always been design, and when he got the opportunity to become a part of what is now Young and Meathe Custom Homes, he jumped at it. “After he built his first home he was hooked,” Mary says.

Indeed, Jim had found a way to combine his business background with his love of design, and since has made a name for himself building fine homes in the Petoskey area, Atlanta, Georgia (where the couple also has a home), the South Carolina coast, Florida and several other states. Working in so many regions, Jim has his finger on the pulse of cutting-edge design concepts, products and designers. While he is enthusiastic about sharing ideas with his clients, Jim hasn’t overlooked his own beloved Walloon Lake home, using it as a canvas, so to speak, for several design talents.

The house was originally designed by well-known Northern Michigan architect Nick White. Several years ago, Greg Presley, who has designed a number of Young & Meathe homes in the Petoskey area, drafted a handsome new wing for the Meathe home, one that added a master bedroom suite, and turned the former master bedroom into a library.

Forward to earlier this year when the Meathes updated their kitchen with the help of renowned Atlanta architect Peter Block, who has forged his design signature in historically rooted architecture inspired by his European travels and vast collection of rare books.

Block’s sublime, understated touch is everywhere in this kitchen—a bank of black-steel paned windows, Calcutta gold marble countertops, white furniture-style cabinetry and a black-and-gold La Cornue range—all of which work together for a quiet, classic elegance. The Miele steam/ convection wall oven (no microwave in this kitchen!) speaks to Jim’s eye toward healthy living trends.