Best Overall Home
Mathison | Mathison Architects
Photography by: Geoff Shirley
Brower Shores
A huge congratulations goes to Mathison | Mathison Architects of Grand Rapids, which took top honors in the Readers’ Choice Award, part of the annual Michigan Blue Design Awards. The Rockford gem, located near Grand Rapids, was one of dozens of homes that were featured online at mibluemag.com for several days during the competition, during which time readers could vote for their favorite home.
Close to both their business and their growing family, the clients selected a southern lakefront site on Brower Lake to build a family home where they could host their children, grandchildren, and friends. A primary goal for this project was for the home to have generous space for entertaining, yet remain comfortable for one couple.
The design of the home, built by Grand Rapids’ Berghuis Construction, includes an entry and courtyard with two distinct spaces on either side; a broad, layered public space with continuous indoor/outdoor areas; and a more compact, vertical design housing private spaces including a guest suite, garden deck, and roof deck. The material palette showcases natural and clean attributes, including wide-plank oak flooring and stucco walls, contrasted by blackened steel beams and black windows.
Indoors, the public areas are flooded with natural light thanks to layers of clerestory windows placed above a north-facing wall of floor-to-ceiling glass. A three-panel pocketing lift-and-slide door expands the living space to include a covered patio with an outdoor kitchen, skylights, and retractable screens. An infinity-edge hot tub recesses into the patio, looking out to the landscape and the lake beyond. The interior design is by Lisa Keller of Lisa Keller Designs of Grand Rapids, while the landscaping layout was created by Rockford-based Rivertown Landscapes.
Thank you, readers, for casting your vote. And well done, Mathison | Mathison Architects and team
