resource Modern Hardware
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Studio M Interiors
Studio M Interiors
Norbert’s Glass & Mirror
Houtnerf Cabinet Co.
A COSMO HOME BUYING GUIDE
“Beechtree Manor” — Interior Design by Studio M Interiors When possible, work with an interior designer when making selections for your home
Reminiscent of the story from Greek mythology, this home rose from the ashes of a catastrophic fire that consumed the family’s original custom-built home. Beechtree Manor emerged so transformed that thousands of Cosmopolitan Home’s readers selected Sherwood Custom Homes to receive first place in the People’s Choice Awards … in every category.
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BEECHTREE Manor A Phoenix Rising From the Ashes
TEXT BY LYNN BAKEMAN IMAGES BY ASHLEY AVILA
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Nestled in a grove of beech trees, their previous home had served the couple and their three children for decades. As it happens in life, children grow up, marry, and have babies. An extensive renovation to accommodate empty nesters had been underway and was almost complete after 15 months. At some point during the night after the final walkthrough, the fire did its work. BEST EXTERIOR Missy Walters, founder of Studio M Interiors, had been involved in the homeowner’s renovation, and with her knowledge of their dreams, was instrumental in finding a good fit in an architectural designer. After interviewing several, the homeowners knew that Brad Tilma, principal residential designer at Brad Douglas Design, was the one. The owner remarked, “For me, it’s all about how I felt in that first meeting: our personalities, our chemistry; did he grasp that it would have been too eerie to have something similar? By the end of our initial meeting, Brad had sketched out an English Arts and Crafts-style home that is almost exactly what we built!” “I walked the lot before clean-up from the fire and seeing massive steel beams twisted and melted gave me a sense of the gamut of emotions connected to this project,” Brad recounted. “My job in that first meeting was to nail their wish list and get them excited about seeing the rebirth of their home; one that will hold so many memories down the road. Missy had such a strong relationship with her clients that I was able to lean on her for an even better understanding of their needs.
The home’s exterior, designed by Brad Douglas Design, has the appeal of a traditional European craftsman manor with brackets and detailing, steep roof lines, and darker colors. However, the home was balanced with its natural, lake setting by softening the formality of the manor style using arches and some gently sloping roof lines, as well as shingle siding, giving the home its lakeside, cottage appeal.
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“A client hires a residential designer to put on paper what they are thinking, then we add our creative spin to help them imagine something they haven’t thought of. This client liked the appeal of the traditional European craftsman manor with its brackets and detailing, steep roof lines, and darker colors. Our challenge is to balance a defined architectural period and the natural setting, and this is a lake house. I softened that formal manor style using arches and gently sloping roof lines, plus shingle siding to give the home its lakeside, cottage appeal. “I strip home design back to its essence and ask what it needs as much as what unnecessary details should be excluded. What drives my design is creating beauty through scale and proportion. I work for hours from a bird’s eye, 3D view, scrutinizing over different angles that would never be noticed from the ground,” he shared. “All sides of a home should have cohesive architectural continuity. If I’ve dialed that in, people might not be able to put their finger on it, but they get a good feeling when they see the house…it feels welcoming.” “Brad is a joy to work with,” declared Missy. “He’s super creative and intuitive because he actually listens to the client, which is rare in an architect. Others seem to push their own agenda on a home’s design. Brad Douglas Design and Studio M Interiors share a core value: Collaborate to create. The whole team is there including the builder, architect, designer, and owners all figuring it out together.”
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BEST SITE HARMONY Determining how a much larger home footprint could fit into an already tight existing home site fell to Jeff Sherwood of Sherwood Custom Homes, LLC. “Site harmony is something that gets overlooked by so many contractors,” observed Jeff. “Many of the owner’s beloved beech trees had been damaged in the fire and we were tasked with saving as many as humanly possible within our footprint. Balancing the site was probably the biggest challenge to get the varied grades just right.
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This was especially important to the homeowner because she loves the build process “from start to finish and everything in between” and she wanted to work with designers who valued her input as she would be prone to “drawing over their drawings.” She knew she had the right team because they welcomed her ideas and input.
BEST INTERIOR
“I strip home design back to its essence and ask what it needs as much as what unnecessary details should be excluded.” – Brad Tilma, Brad Douglas Design
“There was an existing driveway, different height retaining walls, the infinity pool, and the lakefacing outdoor entertainment areas, so it took some engineering to get the different grades to flow nicely. It can be extremely time-consuming to make sure that works. We consumed every square inch of our building envelope on that lot, with inches to spare on each side before we hit flood plain.” Site harmony is also a reflection of how well the home captures the natural attributes of its setting. Key to Brad’s design process is situating a home to maximize natural light. “This is particularly important in Michigan,” he explains. “I prefer to design houses two rooms deep, so natural light can reach both rooms.” Brad achieved this in Beechwood Manor using massive spans of steel I-beams to support large expanses of glass on the front and back so that even on a cloudy day, enough natural light gets in and artificial lighting is not needed. BEST INTERIOR Whether you enter the home from the mudroom or the corbel-framed front doors, the landings are distinctive, with inlaid, herringbone brick. This is just a hint of the details imagined by Missy and the homeowner and flawlessly executed by Jeff and his team. “During the renovation, I went through probably five interior designers because I quickly realCosmopolitan Home Grand Rapids | 7
The blue wax cabinet bar stands out as a beautful piece that is an extension of the kitchen and dining area. The deep finish was achieved with an intense 9-step paint and wax process that took
Ryan Hoekstra of Hoekstra’s Painting LLC almost three weeks to accomplish. Adjacent to the kitchen are striking metal and glass French doors that open into the owner’s office. From her desk facing the front yard, she can see and hear the fountain just outside her window. The beautiful flooring from Village Custom Interiors, flows throughout the entire main level giving the extensive, open floor plan a very cohesive feel.
ized how much time I would be spending with this person — including long car rides and meetings — literally spending days together and I just wasn’t gelling with them,” explained the homeowner. Then I met Missy in 2017 and we clicked from the very beginning. She eventually gave me pads of her graph paper so I could share my ideas. She is an amazing listener and got to know me and our entire family before she even began the concepts.” Missy states, “Studio M has a client-centric attitude. Our brand promise is ‘we pick you;’ we’re not picking the things in your house because of us, we’re picking the things in your house because you are living there. I want to know all about you, your lifestyle habits, your passions; your children, grandbabies, and fur babies. When the client is gaga over something I’ve selected because they feel I truly get them; that fuels me as a designer. “I can give my clients a better outcome if I understand how they move through the house. Who gets up first in the morning and who reads in bed at night? Then we design the house around how it is really going to be used. It’s an intimate situation and this learning experience usually develops into a personal relationship. We
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The talented and structural artists at CTS Welding handcrafted the showcase interior staircase. The result is a stunning showpiece that is admired on all three levels.
kid around at Studio M that our clients are stuck with us forever! “After a year and a half of honing in her style for the renovation, she took a 180 degree turn from cooler finishes to warm, rich champagne bronze and antique brass for this home, so I had to press my own reset button. The owner has sophisticated taste combined with casual elegance, and can carry off a little edgy chic, too, which was wonderful to dot throughout the home. Studio M had a hand in working through all the home decisions: from exterior finishes to the indoor flooring, to every piece of furniture, every pillow, every book, and accessories. Our specialty is a turnkey home so all you have to do is move your clothes in.”
“I advise potential clients to pick who you want to have wine with because they are going to be in your life for the next year … or more!” – Missy Walters, Studio M Interiors Every room in the home showcases the skill and attention to detail of Sherwood Custom Homes. As Jeff said, “I’ve been a cabinet maker my entire life so woodwork and design are my passion. My 10 | autumn 2021
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The kitchen took months to design and lives well as the hub of the home. Two prep islands, three perimeter work areas and a spacious pantry provide ample space for multiple cooks. The custom cabinetry by Sherwood’s in-house cabinet shop, Houtnerf Cabinet Co., is not only beautiful but offers customized organization. The custom hood complements the mixed metal theme and was crafted by Grand Rapids artisan Steve Fidler.
company’s in-house cabinet shop craftsmen design and produce woodwork built to any specifications. What was really fun is that the clients gave us freedom to select the wood species and a lot of latitude on our trim styles. We set up shapers and custom-milled, one-of-a-kind trim style and pieces exclusively for this home. “We use CTS Welding for metal fabrication and this small, Michigan lakeshore shop handcrafted the showcase interior staircase,” said Jeff. “They are an amazing group of talented structural artists.” BEST KITCHEN This kitchen is a dream for any cook who loves shared meal preparation with generations of family. Sunday is pasta day and everyone — including seven grandbabies — is elbow-deep, making pasta. “The kitchen, alone, took months to design and it lives really well as the hub of the house with hidden step stools for little helpers, two prep islands, three perimeter work areas, plus a spacious pantry,” noted Missy. Missy previously designed for a studio with an in-house cabinet shop so she knows that world in depth. “I love custom cabinetry and figuring out every organizational and functional niche. The homeowner thrives on organization and this kitchen delivers. The eye-catching custom hood complements the mixed metal theme and was crafted by Grand Rapids artisan Steve Fidler of Fidler Furniture Company. Surrounding the stove are built-in utensil drawers, with ingenious
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spice racks hidden behind the stove backsplash. Making the hidden range storage was a unique test for Jeff, but his team rose to the challenge. “To me, a challenge equals fun. It’s just beautiful how these drawers and cabinets function. With our in-house carpenters and cabinet shop, the sky’s the limit on what can be created because the communication is so tight and it’s all under one roof,” said Jeff. Although several builders had already been interviewed, the homeowner discovered Jeff on the last day and final hour of the Parade of Homes. Jeff was standing in a lake house he had built next to a large kitchen window that cantilevered out onto a screened-in porch. The owner had been searching for just that feature, so it was kismet. “My husband and I instantly clicked with Jeff,” she stated. “I expressed how important communication is to us and Jeff was true to his word. He’s a hands-on kind of builder and he was here practically every day of the build even though he had a wonderful project manager on site. All his subs were professional and talented, and the fact that they had been with him for a long time spoke volumes about his company. Once we saw his beautiful, custom woodworking, we were sold.” Another stand-out is the blue wax cabinet bar. “I wasn’t sure I wanted this large piece of furniture in my kitchen,” admitted the homeowner, “but I
The screened-in porch is a favorite space with its sweeping view of the lake. The tongue-and-groove pine ceiling adds warmth and character and the fireplace mantle was crafted from one of the beech trees that was lost in the fire.
The lower level is a great space for entertaining or to just to hang out. A full bar is centrally located for convenience. A game area, complete with billiard and card tables on one end and a cozy fireplace surrounded by comfortable furnishings on the other. This level also accesses the pool, making it a favorite space all year long.
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trusted Missy’s vision and it is incredible!” “I am really proud of the painters,” added Jeff. “This was an intense 9-step paint and wax process that took Ryan Hoekstra of Hoekstra’s Painting LLC almost three weeks to accomplish just the right sheen.” The bar is topped with quartzite and the rest of the counters are easy-care Dwyer engineered quartz offering no staining or acid etching. Since cooler greys are on the way out and design is trending warmer, Missy brought in honey-toned woodwork. “Cabinet hardware and plumbing fixtures are relatively easy and to swap out,” explained Missy. “We like to be trend setters, not trendy, and we try to provide our clients with items that are inexpensive to change out should tastes change in ten years.”
With our in-house carpenters and cabinet shop, the sky’s the limit on what can be created because the communication is so tight and it’s all under one roof.”
Norbert's Glass & Mirror Co. of Grand Rapids offers superior custom glass and mirror designs for residential, commercial and industrial customers. • CUSTOM SHOWER AND TUB GLASS • MIRRORS • DECK RAILINGS • THERMOPANE WINDOWS • TABLE TOPS • CABINET GLASS 560 44th Street SE Kentwood, MI 49548
616.531.1110 www.norbertsglassandmirror.com
– Jeff Sherwood, Sherwood Custom Homes
BEST OVERALL Several rooms in this home stood out and elevated this home to win this category. Adjacent to the kitchen are striking metal and glass French doors that open into the owner’s office. From her desk facing the front yard, she can see and hear the fountain just outside her window. The heart of this room, however, are antique doors the owner discovered at an Italian market. By chance, they survived the fire because they had been taken off-site during the renovation to be fitted with antique glass. Missy used artist Tammy Lynch of TLC Interior Finishes to create the silver leaf technique that makes the coffered ceilings glow. Studio M Interiors is very selective about the lighting used in the home and very specific in how it functions. “We’re just as technical as we are creative, and our lighting plans include cad drawings and lighting control integrators, which indicate where and how lights are switched on,” Cosmopolitan Home Grand Rapids | 17
explains Missy. “I love the whole process because it is the jewelry of the home.” The screened-in porch is everyone’s favorite space with its sweeping view of the lake. In Jeff ’s opinion, “There’s something appealing about bringing the outside in that I love. The tongueand-groove pine ceiling adds so much warmth and character to the space.” The fireplace mantle was crafted out of one of the beech trees that was lost in the fire so it serves as an important symbol to the family. “It is such a pretty setting,” reflected the owner. “You dream about how it is going to turn out and I walk in there every day and feel how blessed we are. When fall comes, we can close it up and enjoy the heated floors and fireplace, so we’ll be out there until snow drives us inside!” When that happens, there is also a glassed-in sitting area off the homeowner’s suite that provides a serene place to regroup and take in the lake view. “Close collaboration and open communication is critical and no one can work isolated from the others,” Brad continued. “This is not my project, not Missy’s, and not Jeff ’s; and we all welcomed the homeowner’s collaboration. “It’s sort of like watching a duck gliding along the surface of the water, but underneath it is paddling like crazy. The build-design team is working tirelessly behind the scenes, bouncing ideas off each other and learning new things, but when we present something to the client, we are calm, collected, and all on the same page.” Although all members of this build-design team had not worked together before, they knew the emotional stakes were high for this family, and they pulled together to raise a lovely new home from the ashes. Their efforts were enough that our readers collectively agreed. ❂
RESOURCE INDEX BUILDER Sherwood Custom Homes ARCHITECT Brad Douglas Design INTERIOR DESIGN Studio M Interiors CABINETRY Houtnerf Cabinet Co. CONCRETE COUNTERTOPS Hard Topix CUSTOM METALWORK CTS Welding DECORATIVE HARDWARE Modern Hardware ELECTRICAL Bolt & Regnerus Electric Inc. FIREPLACE SURROUND Hard Topix FLOORING Village Custom Interiors FOUNDATION Wever Concrete GLASSWORK/MIRRORS Norbert’s Glass & Mirror OVERHEAD DOORS Bouma Bros. PAINTER Hoekstra’s Painting LLC VIDEO & SOUND TruMedia 18 | autumn 2021
CUSTOM INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR RAILS, FLOATING STAIRCASES AND MORE
THE GUYS TO CALL FOR ALL YOUR ELECTRIC NEEDS
616.669.6373 2285 Pine Ridge Dr SW, Ste B, Jenison, MI 49428
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269.521.4481 chris@ctswelding.com ctswelding.com Cosmopolitan Home Grand Rapids | 19
616.862.2144 hoekstraspainting@outlook.com
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PEOPLE
The Beechtree Manor Dream Team
616.669.6373
616.899.4086 boumabros.com
616.862.2144 hoekstraspainting@outlook.com
269.521.4481 ctswelding.com
TALENTED
616.662.9800 hardtopix.com
616.878.5000 villageci.com
Wever Concrete 616.681.2101
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