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Great Lake Story 2017: Glen Lake – Final Chapter

Block Arbor on Glen Lake – Final Chapter

December 1, 2017

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Glen Lake Great Lake Story 2017

Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four
Chapter Five | Final Chapter

Mike and Molly Beauregard, their teenage son Charlie, New York-based older daughter Madeline and new college graduate Camille had only tallied three weekends at their new vacation property on Glen Lake when the richly wooded land, along with much of surrounding Glen Arbor and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, was razed by record-high, 100-mile-per-hour winds on Aug. 2 of 2015.

Plans to just camp at the forested site’s original rambling old ranch until Charlie finished high school were uprooted by vast damage from the storm and a motivating insurance claim.

Of key importance in delivering on the dream Mike and Molly Beuregard had of their north wood retreat Michigan BLUE titled Block Arbor for this Great Lake Story, is that builder Eric Render’s “responsiveness and attention to detail matched our own”, said Molly. “He’s just so meticulous in his level of competency. You feel his commitment the minute you meet him.”

“It was an opportunity to make this property our own,” said Molly, “and reimagine what it could be.”

Detroit-based architect Joseph Mosey was fast in sync with what Mike and Molly Beuregard sought: an authentic Shingle-style retreat tailored for the next phase of family life that recaptured the relaxed Nantucket aesthetic they had left behind.

Drawn from treasured times the Beauregards enjoyed as residents of Rhode Island in the early 1990s — and at a cottage on Block Island off its coast they owned for 11 years after moving to Bloomfield Hills in 1998 — this classic Shingle-style design provides a discourse with the past.

But it also speaks of great new family times ahead in northwest Michigan.

“Mike and Molly are very casual and fun people,” said project architect Joseph Mosey, R.A. “They wanted a real beach house, nothing formal or stuffy, and this architecture offers that real relaxed feel.”

The family’s inviting new two-story retreat on Glen Lake replicates the traditional Nantucket wood shingle/shake theme prevalent on the East Coast, where the high-style design most notably took root from 1880 to 1900 in the seaside resorts of eastern Long Island; Cape Cod, Mass.; coastal Maine; and Newport, Rhode Island.

“It’s the underlying math that makes things beautiful,” said Jeffrey Hennig, principal designer of Environmental Artists in Leland, whose design scheme for the storm-battered site included centering an elliptical-shaped green on the home’s architectural axis. Enhanced by old-growth trees, the park-like feature is approached on a new two-track gravel drive that feels decades old. To capture just the right nuance, Hennig may have laid the curve of it out five or six times. “Our design processes are complex,” he said, “but the fact is, you may not even know we were here.”

This multi-roofed lakefront home with detached carriage-style garage and guest also captures original early 20th-century character by looking as though it was added onto several times.

“When we’d been on Block Island, we’d redone an old A-frame, and it was beautiful,” said Molly. “But…we’d always drive around, seeing all of these great old shingled, traditional Nantucket-y homes. So this new house is really our dream.”

Offering great lake views and French door access to the covered outdoor porch, the home’s bright kitchen adjoins an airy dining room and the relaxed main gathering space.

Evoking the Hamptons

Environmental Artists crafted precise grade planes over the home’s lakeside terrain to create sprawling lawn terraces, including a beveled grass slope the family can look out over and walk down (pictured) and a flat game lawn that merges from there with level beach.

Led by the couple’s revered interior designer Nicole Withers, ASID from Jones-Keena, Inc., Mosey and Traverse City custom builder Eric Render, the collaborative team of Michigan-based experts that brought the Beauregards’ dream to fruition “are each amazing at what they do” and forged a vital part of its success.

Comprised of polished nickel and clear glass, two E.F. Chapman pendants by Visual Comfort from City Lights Detroit highlight the kitchen’s furniture-style island and trio of casual counter stools featuring shaped saddle seats and custom mercury finish. Easy elegance is furthered with perimeter heritage maple cabinetry by Dutch Made, polished nickel pulls, a splash of small-scale subway tiles and White Princess Quartzite. Large expanses of this durable hard surface and open walkways make it easy for multiple people to work here, said Liz Firebaugh, CKD, who tailored the timeless, functional space in sync with Jones-Keena, Inc. Keeping the island all one height can serve as a great prep top, sitting area and serving site, she added. Selected at Wittock Supply’s designer showroom in Birmingham, this haven on Glen Lake is also equipped with a large Whitehaven apron-front sink from Kohler, as well as polished nickel high-arch faucet with pull-out spray and hot water dispenser from the Metropole Collection by Newport Brass.

“It was Mike and Molly’s mojo, I think, that really brought everyone to the table to work hard and create something wonderful,” Withers said.

Striking coffered ceilings crafted by Render’s team distinguish the open dining and living spaces from more simply finished v-grooved kitchen. “Joe has a great eye for this style of architecture,” the builder noted, “so we provided a lot of choices and worked collectively through those (millwork profiles).”

Pooling input throughout the process, Mosey drew out all interior details including the living room’s custom fireplace with honed stone surround, inviting durable furnishings purchased through Jones-Keena and all lighting.

Architect Joseph Mosey’s custom multi-roofed, shingled-sided design (top) features a great gathering space with dining room, living room and gracious lake-facing porch that runs the length of both.
The den (below and top right) features custom cabinetry built on-site. Windows and doors give the appearance of being one with the cabinetry. The Silver Leaf Chandelier from the Thomas O’Brien Collection and offered by City Lights Detroit and Visual Comfort.

“Ninety percent of all the fixtures came from visiting the designer showroom at City Lights Detroit,” said Withers, noting many bear a star theme that adds whimsy in the house. The dining and living rooms are respectively brightened by Eric Cohler Venetian Single and Double-Tier Chandeliers with star-shaped canopies in polished nickel, while Eric Cohler Star Flushmounts sparkle in the hallways and an E.F. Chapman Moravian Star adds second-story dazzle.

Integrity of design is evidenced by no less than the necessity of natural light. “Old Mission
Windows worked with us on proper proportions and divided light patterns,” Mosey noted. “It’s rare in this industry to find suppliers who work as diligently with the design and construction team on these small but very important details to maintain architectural integrity.”

The second floor houses three guest rooms and the master suite with private porch. The white walls in the master suite are ostensibly quiet to provide a serene escape. The white bed is of carved bamboo. The settee at the foot of the bed was reclaimed from the original home on the property and reupholstered and refinished by Jones-Keena and Company. The long chest of drawers (page 57, left) and over-dyed rug on the oak hardwood floor were purchased in High Point, North Carolina.

The home’s long open covered porch and adjoining screened room with authentic New England stone fireplace both feature cool ashlar-patterned bluestone and beaded fir ceilings hued light blue, colors drawn from lake and sky. Designed eight feet wide, the lengthy stretch of porch suits outdoor dining and Adirondack seats, but isn’t so deep it thwarts natural light from brightening main indoor living spaces. Distinctive copper screening used on the enclosed lakeside porch — designed off to the side so it won’t block views of blue — will also patina over time, noted builder Eric Render.

The master bath sink, shower, tub and toilet faucets are from the Kohler Artifacts in polished nickel collection purchased through Wittock Supply. All lighting was supplied by Jones-Keena and Company through City Lights Detroit and Visual Comfort.

The powder room bath, near the entry to the den (above), is accented by Wittock Supplies’ Kohler Antique line in brushed nickel and a one-piece Toto Guinevere toilet. The vanity and sink is a custom piece of Jones-Keena and Company with a marble bowl. The custom-burnished Silver Leaf Sconces from the E.F. Chapman collection were selected by City Lights Detroit and Visual Comfort. The Christian LaCroix flowered wallpaper reflects Molly Beuregard’s love of nature and flowers.
The mudroom half-bath (left) is styled with Kohler Artifacts in polished nickel faucet on the Kohler Caxton sink built into a reclaimed pine wood with white lacquer finished cabinet with bluestone countertop and louvered doors supplied by Jones-Keena and Company. The toilet is Toto Promenade by Kohler.

Distinction between the two upstairs guest bedrooms is easily drawn from the color scheme, wall treatments and ceilings. As with each room in the house, exquisite lighting fixtures are the collaborative work of Jones-Keena and Company and City Lights Detroit. Jones-Keena and Company used their interior design acumen for the bamboo bed selection, furniture bench, wall covering and lighting suggestions. The green guest suite bathroom (right) again features products by Wittock Supply and Kohler. Flooring is polished marble in herringbone pattern.

Clearly, builder Eric Render had a highly competent team assisting him, not the least of which was architect Joseph Mosey, whom he had worked with before. Mosey had previous experience working with Jones-Keena and Company, whom Mike and Molly had worked with on their Block Island retreat. Jones-Keena’s knowledge and comfort of sourcing with City Lights Detroit and Visual Comfort made them willing accomplices. Jeffrey Hennig of Environmental Artists used the authenticity of the natural landscape to enhance the architectural qualities and Old Mission Windows allows all the wonders of the setting —sky, Glen Lake, trees and landscape—to bath the home in the warmth of every season. Liz Firebaugh of Signature Kitchens had overseen thousands of kitchen designs and remodels before being called on for the Beuregard’s home. Render knew well that Firebaugh would fit nicely with the team. Wittock Supply, with locations and dealers throughout Michigan and a vast array of products among their inventory, was the apt choice for all plumbing fixtures.

Molly Beuregard had previously purchased furniture she wanted used in the yellow guest bedroom (left). The ceiling light is a Gilded Iron Lamp by City Lights Detroit from the Suzanne Kasler collection. The upper landing hallway cutout (top right) is accented by an artfully designed bannister partition with burnished silver leaf star light fixture by City Lights Detroit. Molly wanted something unique that accentuated the cottage feel of their home for the entryway stairwell. Oak hardwood steps were graced with a carpet runner (bottom right). The star motif of the hallway lighting complemented similar usage in the house.

Elements such as the home’s striking coffered ceiling, comfortably elegant kitchen and bluestone porches also speak to the synergy that builder Eric Render brought with regional specialists, like Old Mission Windows in Traverse City and Liz Firebaugh with Signature Kitchens in Petoskey. An entirely other high level of craftsmanship was design and executed by landscaper Jeffrey Hennig of Environmental Artists.

Michigan BLUE thanks Mike and Molly Beuregard for allowing us to share their Great Lake Story from Glen Lake in Glen Arbor. Please enjoy every chapter at mibluemag.com, including this 16-page feature.

Photography for Great Lake Story was provided by Beth Singer. Learn more of her work at bethsingerphotographer.com.