As designers, we know good things take time, and the kitchen design process of our Lakehouse New Build most certainly proves that point. Over the course of nearly two years, we had the privilege of walking with our clients through each phase of the project, ensuring their one-of-kind custom home became everything they envisioned, plus much more. Although the home’s more remote location in Michigan presented some unique challenges during construction, we’re so thrilled with the finished product, making the extended process feel worth it in every way.
Our clients love cooking and entertaining and wanted a kitchen to share beautiful meals with their favorite people. To that end, we prioritized quality appliances with top-notch performance and made sure to include ample prep, bar, and storage space to allow for entertaining with total ease. The overall layout was kept simple for easy movement, ensuring a seamless flow for day-to-day cooking and special gatherings alike.
Our new build home project timeline included 12 months of designing, presenting, tweaking, and perfecting, all to create the custom space of our discerning homeowners’ dreams. While our clients were living in Denver at the beginning phase of design and construction, we relied heavily on email and FaceTime to finalize details and bridge the long-distance. We worked with a Denver-based kitchen showroom, Bulthaup, to make final cabinet selections. Their entire team was incredibly accommodating, even arriving on-site to help guide the install. As more details of our design began to take shape, we planned several offsite trips with our clients to Chicago’s Merchandise Mart and numerous New York City showrooms, making the most of every moment spent in-person during the process.
Our lakehouse homeowners appreciate a more modern aesthetic, so we wanted to make design choices that worked within their tastes, while also incorporating elements of classic and cozy style. Appliances were selected from Miele, Sub-Zero, and Wolf, with the LaCornue Chateau cooktop serving as the true star of the show. We balanced the glossy white finish of the perimeter cabinets with the more rustic weathered dark oak finish on the island and bar cabinets, in addition to the wood-paneled ceiling and beams, plus a custom walnut cutting board adding more warmth and texture. The oversized Moooi pendants infused an element of modern whimsy and helped fill in the higher ceiling without feeling heavy or obstructing the gorgeous lakefront views.
Two of the best features in the kitchen are the classic honed Carrara marble featured throughout, as well as the large windows which work to bring the outside in. One of our favorite moments of the project was going to Levantina to shop for slabs. We purchased four in total to cover the island, countertops, and backsplash for an air of understated elegance throughout the kitchen. While there, we also unexpectedly found some gorgeous soapstone to use in the outdoor kitchen!
As the final pieces of the design puzzle came together, we pulled in some carefully curated styling elements, including a vintage runner, stunning vases, and additional wood elements to help complete the look. From the cutting boards to serving pieces, wicker seat barstools, and more, each brought a hint of rustic warmth to soften the modern edges of the space for a beautifully balanced design.
PROGRESS PHOTOS
What simply began as a kitchen design evolved into a labor of love, with many talented hands working together to bring the project to fruition. While structural challenges and winter weather construction delays always kept us on our toes, we’re so thrilled with this top-to-bottom custom kitchen, which has quickly become our favorite space in the entire home.