Northern Home & Cottage, June/July 2023

For the Way You Live Up North

A CABIN R EBORN

BATHROOM RENO INSPO

HARBOR SPRINGS

SUBLIME

MODERN

COASTAL

GLEN ARBOR

ENCHANTED

A-FRAME RENO

INTERLOCHEN

ART FOR

SUMMER SPACES

GORGEOUS GREAT ROOM HOW-TO

place, but yearn for timelessness.”

Frank Gehry

Photo by Beth Singer

Michael Wnek

Cara McDonald

Elizabeth Edwards

Emily Tyra

Carly Simpson

Allison Jarrell

Rachel Soulliere

Elizabeth Aseritis

Caroline Dahlquist

Tim Hussey

Theresa Burau-Baehr

Rachel Watson

Julie Parker

Erin VanFossen

Mike Alfaro

Ann Gatrell

Julie James

Meg Lau

Kirk Small

Erin Lutke

Ashlyn Korienek

Nichole Earle

Beth Putz

My home, a 1968 brady bunch-esque two-story, is filled with family pieces: my parents’ antiques collected from across the country, and furniture my grandfather made—one ancient walnut tree downed in Yonkers, New York, in the 1940s spawned a collection of chairs, tables and stools so vast I have yet to count them all. My walls are covered in my dad’s own paintings—many are Northern Michigan landscapes, but the watercolor of a jazz saxophonist playing in a Cleveland bar that he painted when he was just 16 still astounds me. In between the paintings, photos of my loved ones grace every other available inch of space.

As a woman of a certain age, I look forward to freshening my home, a task that includes improving my curating and Marie Kondo skills, though it is doubtful that I will ever clear everything out and start again. But what if I turned back the clock 30 years? What style house would I live in? How would I decorate it? I would definitely look to two of the women whose work is featured in this summer issue of Northern Home & Cottage for inspo.

In our story “A is for Amazing,” ace renovator Carrie Drier shows us how to live large in a tiny A-frame. I share Drier’s love of these mid last century cottages that feel as elemental as felled trees tied together in a teepee shape. If I were her age I’d find one, too, and then look to her for direction in curating the space and furnishings. As in: No, Lissa, you don’t need every piece of furniture your family ever sat in or dined on. How about saving just that Gothic chair with its ornate, A-shaped headrest as a whimsical play on the classic shape? (I’d sneak in those old walnut stools later.)

And the art. I truly believe my artist dad would have supported me purchasing a large Katherine Corden canvas of a beach scene to feature on that back wall of the A-frame—the one that doesn’t have a sliding door to the outside. I think he would have respected her drafting skill, especially with figures, and that she has revisited the age-old theme of leisure (Renoir’s “Luncheon of the Boating Party” being the most beloved example) in a contemporary way. That painting hanging in my new/old A-frame would do precisely what Corden wants it to, as she says: “… communicate to visitors that family and friends and leisure are important [here].”

And then I’d invite all my friends and family over in their flip-flops and shorts and swimwear to grill out on the deck—exactly the lifestyle I’ve lived Up North for well over 30 years, but with a stylish, modern twist.

P.S. And now that I think about it, there might be space on that one wall by my kitchen for a Katherine Corden print …

Elizabeth Edwards is senior editor of Northern Home & Cottage. Lissa@traversemagazine.com

in love with

THE SCULPTED SCOOP

Functional art that sweetens life’s daily moments.

By ELIZABETH EDWARDS / PHOTO BY SARAH PESCHEL

AFTER retiring as a neurologist, Richard Foa was drawn to working with wood, but not in the traditional, hand-hewn way—he was lured by the elegant, sculptural shapes created by woodturning, which allows for soft, clean curves and spheres created by manipulating wood against a lathe.

Not only does Foa use a lathe to make wooden sculptures, but he also loves elevating utilitarian items such as a simple ice cream scoop and bowl. This scoop ($25) is

made from Brazilian cherry, while the bowl ($40) is crafted from Michigan maple and coated with black milk paint, an old-fashioned and completely natural product.

Whether decorative or functional, most of Foa’s works are made from locally sourced hardwoods. “We have a host of nice woods here that people around the world envy,” he says.

Find Foa’s work at Crooked Tree Arts Center in Traverse City. Sorbet from Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate in Empire.

my favorite space

DATED TO DREAMY

Gretchen Knoblock resets the style clock on the great room in a 1990s Long Lake home.

by ELIZABETH EDWARDS

GRETCHEN KNOBLOCK

and her team at New Leaf Interiors worked with contractor Jeff Simonis to transform this dated home into a flowing space where rooms open into each other to easily accommodate plenty of people, but still provide cozy respites for quieter times of reflection and relaxation.

The great room reno included removing the walls on either side of the fireplace so it felt more connected to the kitchen. The wall with the bear on it (see before photo) was also taken out, a move that opened up the entire space to the rest of the house, flooding the entry and back hallways with natural light and allowing the magnificent lake view to be seen from the entire main floor. This airy feeling was accentuated by opening the staircase to

“float” to the lower level and switching out a spindle railing with a cable version.

“We rebuilt the whole exterior wall to accommodate larger, linear, more modern windows that expanded the view,” Knoblock explains. Likewise, out went the chunky stone fireplace and golden oak woodwork and in went rusticmodern interior finishings, including white oak flooring, a reclaimed barnwood ceiling and a Wellington porcelain-tile fireplace with an inset television screen. Sherwin-Williams’ Urban Putty (walls) and Backdrop (trim) pull the look together.

The soft, contemporary furnishings include swivel chairs from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, a Surya rug, and the T-Brace coffee table and Maxwell sofa from Restoration Hardware.

Gretchen Knoblock owns New Leaf Interiors, a boutique interior design firm with studios in Traverse City, Glen Arbor and Chicago. Knoblock first fell in love with Northern Michigan while attending The Leelanau School in Glen Arbor, where she currently serves on the board of directors. Knoblock lives in rural Empire in a small farm cottage with her three Shetland sheepdogs. Her spare time finds her horseback riding, painting, traveling and enjoying our beautiful outdoors.

photo by Dave Weidner

artists & makers

BEACH BLISS

Northern Michigan artist Katherine Corden captures the loungy, lovely grace of an afternoon on the water.

By ELIZABETH EDWARDS

A MAN PULLING ON A T-SHIRT,

a woman twisting her hair into a ponytail, friends stretched out in beach chairs, chatting amiably. Traverse City–based artist Katherine Corden weaves the sublime sacredness of a beach day out of small, perfectly executed moments. “I love drawing and painting the human figure, and people relaxed at the beach are my favorite poses to capture,” she says. While Corden’s deft figures are the bones of her work (a skill she attributes to a doctorate in physical therapy), her energetic palette breathes life into the flotsam and jetsam of the day: “The unexpected colors of a beach towel or someone’s bathing suit; the shadows cast from people moving on the beach and setting up for the day; flip flops or sandals discarded in a pail … all provide inspiration,” she says.

Coming this summer: a series of 18"-x-24" paintings Corden calls “beach portraits.” In Northern Michigan, find Corden’s work at Farm Club, or purchase prints at katherinecorden.com.

Clockwise: Girls Weekend; A Summer Perspective; Keeping Cool; Together. Print sizes start at 16"-x-20" for $60.

Below: Artist Katherine Corden

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Royal Stag founder, Will Saputo, can bring this expertise in home design and the team’s unparalleled service to clients in the market for a custom home build, or design project. Whether you prefer a rustic farmhouse look or a contemporary luxury style, Royal Stag has the experience and breadth of knowledge to create a one-of-a-kind design plan they will love coming home to.

By ELIZABETH EDWARDS

Photos by PHOENIX PHOTOGRAPHY

BATHING BEAUTIES

KITCHEN AND BATH DESIGNER DAWN WHYTE BROUGHT

DAZZLING STYLE TO EACH OF SEVEN FULL BATHROOMS AND TWO HALF-BATHS IN A TOP-TO-BOTTOM RENO OF A HOME ON LITTLE TRAVERSE BAY. HERE’S A PEEK:

fter years of summering with their five children in a small, 1970s-era cottage outfitted with only one full bathroom and two half-baths, the homeowners decided it was time to add on so that the family could summer together as their clan grew in years to come. More bathrooms was a main focus of the whole-house redo that took several years. Six more bathrooms to be exact, as well as updating the original three. To make that happen, the homeowner worked with Kitchen and Bath Designer Dawn Whyte. “I walked by her shop and really liked her style,” says the homeowner. “It’s great because working with her is turnkey— she has a lot of tile and other materials right in her showroom that makes it very convenient. And she can really specialize.”

The pair’s search for just the right fixtures and surface elements extended from Whyte’s Petoskey showroom to Detroit and Grand Rapids. The result is a bevy of bathing beauties—all charming, all completely different. “I didn’t want them to be boring,” says the homeowner. “I wanted them fun and unique and to take advantage of all of the different tiles available.”

Thibaut palm frond wallpaper, Modern Matter bamboo pulls and Ann Sacks kanso fish scale mosaic floor tiles create a playful jungle theme in this bathroom adjacent to the girls’ bedroom. The Ayr cabinets were custom designed by Whyte.

Mint gloss FEZ WOW tile in the shower plays off the colors of the lake out the window. The bathroom floor tile, shower floor and shower wall accent are Glazzio Tile’s flower series in Ming green and Thassos white flower polished stone. The countertops are honed marble and the flower petal door style and glass mullion mirror frame are bespoke by Ayr Custom Cabinetry.

In the main floor powder bath, Thibaut mulberry tree wallpaper creates a fairytale feel played out with a Kohler Kallos spun glass sink and Brizo Virage wall mount faucet in luxe gold.

This tiny bathroom explodes with fun black-and-white Artistic villa mosaic tile on the shower wall and ceiling. The shower floor is Nero Marquina black marble mosaic tile, the bathroom floor is Soho Studio evo hex marble mosaic tile and the counterops are Enigma engineered quartz in black marble.

The homeowners especially love their primary bath with its electric fireplace next to the tub—both set against a wall of Artistic Jazz Glass blue note circle tiles. The cabinets are painted SherwinWilliams blissful blue, “just the color that I was looking for,” says the homeowner. The tub is a blue and white Victoria and Albert Amalfi style and the shower has an anti-fog heated shave mirror below the shower head, as well as an aromatherapy and chromotherapy steammist unit. The floor tile is Artistic sarri mosaic.

resources

Architect Gorman Design

Builder

Bosma Builder

Kitchen and Baths

Designs by Dawn, Petoskey

Finish Carpenter

Joe McCarthy

Plumbing Contractor

Northwest Mechanical

Electric Squier Electric

A IS FOR AMAZING

By CHASE EDWARDS

Photos by KRISTEN TURICK

Carrie drier has always loved the rustic charm of A-frames—the iconic cottages admired for their affordability and snowshedding roofs that spread throughout ski country in the middle of the last century. Drier once even planned a vacation to Salt Lake City around a stay in a particular A-frame—there, she learned an important lesson about functional space. “Use of space is hard with an A-frame,” she explains. The cabin in Salt Lake was so tight it didn’t have space for a dining room table, and the living room was overly cramped.

When she bought her own A-frame outside of Lake Ann several years ago, Drier knew she wanted to maximize the living space with a full kitchen and enough room to play games at the kitchen table. She also envisioned an open living area with views from the dining room table into the loft above. That dream was just the beginning of a much-needed total makeover for the old structure (built in 1991) that had long been used as a hunting camp.

Drier was in Covid-19 quarantine when she first saw a listing for the 1,100-square-

A DESIGNER TRANSFORMS A CRAMPED COTTAGE INTO A BRIGHT AND SPACE-SAVING HIDEAWAY WITH A FRESH, MODERN VIBE.

In the living room, a green L-shaped couch plays off the colors of the forested setting outside. Removing the fireplace and replacing it with a mini-split heating system opened up the living area, making space for a dining room table (game night!) and a daybed under the stairs to the loft. Finally, Drier replaced the hodgepodge mix of beat-up wood and cheap sheet vinyl flooring with luxury vinyl. The living room light is a 13-inch Mirage Chainmail Pendant from CB2. A Cosmo Bronze Pendant from Crate & Barrel hangs above the dining room table.

foot cottage, so she sent her husband along with her contractor, Kevin Umbarger, to look at the place. “It was in really rough shape,” Drier says, “but from the beginning, I had this vision of scalloped cedar shingles and a black metal roof.” A closedin front porch interfered with the sleek lines of the building, but, she says, “I knew once we ripped the front porch off it would make the whole A-frame stand out.”

On that first tour, Drier’s husband took a video of the cottage for her and when he showed her the kitchen, he tried telling her it wasn’t in too bad shape. Though she didn’t say anything at the time, Drier knew immediately it all had to go. The new

kitchen features black stainless-steel appliances and cabinets she bought unfinished and painted Sherwin-Williams’ Cavern Clay, a terracotta shade. A furniture piece acts as a small kitchen island with two seats. Enclosing the old back door created space for a stackable washer and dryer, and a new sliding door opens up to the backyard.

Drier has been designing vacation homes since 2015 through her company Roost North and had done several smaller remodels before this A-frame project, so she’s had plenty of time to refine her style: a blend of streamlined modern with cozy and unusual accents—which is why she chose to keep some of the wood paneling inside the house.

“I DIDN’T WANT TO RIP OUT EVERYTHING,” SHE SAYS. “I WANTED TO KEEP SOME OF THE CHARACTER.”

Drier painted the walls with what she describes as her go-to white—Origami White from Sherwin-Williams. The terracotta color of the kitchen cabinets bounces off the white walls, giving the inside of the A-frame a light pink hue—not part of Drier’s original plan, but she likes the way it turned out. “I decided it’s what the space is meant to be,” she says.

“I didn’t want to rip out everything,” she says. “I wanted to keep some of the character.”

Creating space wherever possible became a priority. The team tore down a half-wall that divided the toilet from the vanity and closed off one of two separate entrances, creating room for a new vanity with double sinks. Sherwin-Williams Origami White walls and a custom mirror that mimics the shape of the A-frame round out the bathroom’s clean style and create a sense of spaciousness.

Under the roofline upstairs, Drier carved out room for a bedroom outfitted with twin beds, each with custom built-in shelves. She found more storage by replacing what she describes as an “ugly” old railing across the open side of the loft with a custom art deco-style bookcase that doubles as a railing. The newly freshened loft also features a king-size bed, new carpet and expanded

“USE OF SPACE IS HARD WITH AN A-FRAME,” DRIER EXPLAINS.

When Drier’s contractor tore down the paneling in the bathroom he found a surprise—a giant mural of a lake. Sentimental as the mural might have been for someone else, Drier had the mural drywalled over—preserving a bit of mystery behind the walls. “The mural is still there for someone to discover in 30 years if they remodel again,” she says.

windows overlooking a new 916-square-foot deck (built with black composite decking) that artfully encapsulates an existing tree. The living space extends with a new deck, which acts as an outdoor room offering plenty of seating. A pea-gravel pathway leads to a nearby fire ring and two custom A-frame storage sheds for keeping firewood dry.

Although the hideaway is just minutes from the village of Lake Ann, Drier hopes the tiny A-frame creates an in-the-middle-ofnowhere feeling of spaciousness and escape and a backdrop for the next generation’s memories.

Drier carved out room for an extra upstairs bedroom under the eaves.

house and home

FITTING IN

By ELIZABETH EDWARDS

Understatement : it isn ’ t hard to fall in love with the idea of a home on Sleeping Bear Bay in Glen Arbor. Especially for these homeowners, who for years had spent winters snowboarding and skiing Sugar Loaf and The Homestead along with summer vacations mooring their boat in the bay and offshore near South Manitou Island. When it was time to upgrade to a cottage of their own, the couple homed in on Glen Arbor, eventually narrowing their search to two houses, one on each side of the bay. Both homes, while different, were lovely, met their requirements and had drop-dead gorgeous water views.

In a stroke of genius, they asked their Realtor if they could spend an evening on each deck to watch the sunset while getting a feel for the property and setting. Cottage #1, they found, was a masterpiece

A FAMILY REIMAGINES A BEACH HOUSE TO BLEND PERFECTLY WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD VIBE.

Photos by JACQUELINE SOUTHBY

The homeowners debated the need for a screened-in porch but now admit it is the “best room in the house.” The nautical-vibe light fixture is a Tracer Bar by Luke Lamp Company. Teak furniture is by Sutherland Furniture Franck Collection.

of serenity. It offered a few more days of sunsets over the bay before the sun slipped behind Sleeping Bear Point at summer’s end, but it had less protection from the prevailing winds. At Cottage #2 they fell in love with the raised deck, bigger windows and open floor plan. The cottage’s layout made them feel more connected to the beach and the outdoors in general. A surprise was that the height of the deck nearly eliminated mosquitoes. They also observed a hive of activity on the beach. As they would learn later, the home next door was owned by people known far and wide as the gold standard for a big, friendly, funloving and active extended family.

Their decision? The deck and the more protective westward setting of Cottage #2 triumphed. Bay Cottage, as it was named, was a comfortable 1980s two-bedroom, three-bath home with an open floor plan and no garage. The couple knew that eventually they would need more space for their own big, friendly, fun-loving and active extended family. After 10 years, they decided it was time for Bay Cottage 2.0—a new cottage that would include the features they’d come to love about the old one, while adding bedrooms and storage.

Drawing on the inspiration from a folder of ideas the couple had meticulously gathered over the years, Caleb Norris and the team at Norris Design Productions worked with them to design a home that added space and storage while retaining the features of the existing home. They kept the expansive raised deck and open floor plan they had come to love, replicated the original living space so that it lived small when it was just the two of them, but added space for

Kitchen countertops are Polished Elite Quartzite. A Pelle Designs Bubble Chandelier hangs above the dining room table. The cabinetry is custom by Crystal Cabinets.

THE INTERIOR IS FLOODED WITH VIEWS OF SLEEPING BEAR BAY

THROUGH EXPANSIVE WINDOWS AND GLASS DOORS THAT SPAN THE MAIN FLOOR.

Black-clad Pella windows frame the view of Sleeping Bear Bay. The fireplace is faced in honed gray stone marble. The Rio Chaise Sectional is by Medley Furniture. The homeowner made the coffee table.

All the bedrooms in the home are named for local geographical locations. The primary bedroom, shown here, is named The Crib, which is the local name for the North Manitou Shoal Light Station that can be seen from the bedroom window.

The bunkroom is above the garage and sleeps six. The bunkbeds were a collaboration between the wife, interior designer Carrie Long and Norris team lead carpenter Lucas Johnson. A futon adds more sleeping space.

family and guests.

The couple chose to work with Caleb’s father, Scott Norris, owner of Scott Norris Construction. In addition to building highquality homes on-time and within budget, he also had a reputation for being super honest, approachable and transparent, all traits that were important to the couple.

The finished product is modern coastal design. Six bedrooms (four on the lower level) plus a bunkroom over the garage welcome family and frequent guests. A shallow roof pitch and sand-colored cedar shingles help the house blend into the

sublime shoreline. The interior is flooded with views of Sleeping Bear Bay through expansive windows and glass doors that span the main floor—perched as it is 10 feet above ground level. Interior designer Carrie Long, who has previously worked with the homeowners, helped them pull together the design details. “We pingpong ideas off one another and it builds this energy,” she says. What Long calls a “casually chic” style blends natural materials including white oak flooring and cabinetry, quartzite counters, gray stone marble fireplace and a leather sofa. Long calls the unique collection of lighting pendants that she and the homeowners found from across the country “the jewelry of the space.”

Over the years, the couple has enjoyed becoming a part of the community. Which brings us back to those neighbors with the steady hive of activity on their beach. What became of them? Both of the friendly, fun-loving and active families have become, well, like family.

The expansive deck off the great room offers front-row seats to the view of Sleeping Bear Bay.

Bradley J. Butcher, AIA 989.705.8400 sidockgroup.com

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Environmental Consulting & Contracting Since 1990

resources

Designer Norris Design Productions

Contractor

Scott Norris Construction

Interior Design

Carrie Long Interiors

Offices: Petoskey, MI

email: met@sault.com St. Ignace, MI www.mackinacenvironmental.com

RESIDENTIAL • COMMERCIAL • INDUSTRIAL Asbestos Survey, Assessment, Remediation Protocol Indoor Air Quality Services, Including Mold Testing and Air Monitoring

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Windows Pella

Granite & Marble Surfaces

Granite Source of Michigan

Stratus Marble & Granite

Kitchen Design

Creative Kitchens

Kitchen & Primary Bath Cabinetry

Crystal Cabinets

Shower/Bath Doors, Custom Mirrors

TC Mirror and Shower Door

Fireplaces

Phillips Lifestyle

Art

Sleeping Bear Gallery, Empire

Timbers

Grand Traverse Timber