Director of Design: Jenna Campbell, Oak Street Design, Rochester, oakstdesign.com
Homeowner: Wendie Keen, Christie’s@properties, Harbor Springs, atproperties.com Builder and Contractor: Keen Build, Harbor Springs, keenbuildhs.com
Cabinetry: Wolverine Cabinet Co., Wolverine, wolverinecabinet.com
Custom-Routered Siding: Wimsatt Building Materials, Traverse City
Soapstone Counters: Petoskey Granite, Petoskey, petoskeygranite.com
Soapstone Sink: Vermont Soapstone, vermontsoapstone.com
Windows: Andersen Windows & Doors, andersenwindows.com
Perched along Lake Michigan, this quintessential Harbor Springs home, an award-winner in the Michigan Blue Design Awards competition, began as a modest summer dwelling. Nearly untouched after 100 years, a recent renovation and addition blended classic features with modern amenities, restoring and replicating original details to create a cohesive outcome.
Homeowners Brad and Wendie Keen have a passion for hospitality and wellness. Brad, a classically trained chef, serves as COO of several Boyne resorts. Wendie, vice president of Spa and Owner Services for Boyne and a licensed real estate agent with Christie’s@properties in Harbor Springs, specializes in residential rehabs and builds that are luxurious and livable. From the saltwater hot tub to the symmetrical chef’s kitchen, the Keens’ personal retreat emphasizes rejuvenation and connection.
Jenna Campbell, director of design and founder of Oak Street Design, an architectural design firm in Rochester, completed the architectural design for the project. “It was a summer cottage built 100 years ago to use a few months a year. What it had in abundance was charm — but two levels of compartmentalized rooms wouldn’t do for the current owners. Their dream for themselves, their kids, and their grandkids was to have a comfortable gathering place,” Campbell says. “We wanted to seamlessly blend the historic elements with the renovation and addition, for a cottage that’s aesthetically cohesive and proportionate, and looks like (it’s been) one piece of architecture from day one.”
Campbell says Wendie Keen, who lent her design sense to the interiors, came to the project with a vision. “Her passion to celebrate and preserve the original charm was clear from our first conversation. She and Brad had admired this cottage for a long time, and maintaining (its) character was a priority. Equally important was to take that small, uninsulated cottage and use it year-round to comfortably entertain their wide circle of family and friends. That was the goal from the beginning.”
The renovated double-height great room and stone fireplace, part of the original cottage, features arched windows that capture the natural light and stunning views, while the addition includes all of the home’s primary spaces: a walkout basement, open kitchen, dining room, pantry, a living room, and a second story. Taking up the footprint of the entire original cottage, the airy great room lives up to its name with arched windows that capture the natural light and provide spectacular views.
The great room flows into the kitchen and dining areas, and Campbell says they “bring that modern lifestyle (the Keens) really needed.” She explains that the builder refinished the original radiused windows, and made sure the motif feels cohesive with the different archways, exposed rafter tails, and architectural brackets.
The original fireplace was made with local, stacked stones. Photo By Johnathan Trasher.
Simple natural finishes and hardwood floors were used throughout the cottage.
“Everything that happens on the interior as a nod to the exterior doesn’t compete with the view and complements the site,” Campbell explains. “Great effort and care went into preserving and replicating the exterior features. They all flow seamlessly as you approach the house.
“Clipped ceilings and dormers upstairs coordinate the proportions of the new addition with the original cottage and create architectural interest from within,” she adds.Campbell credits the couple and their son, Andy Keen, the general contractor and builder, for their creative collaboration throughout the build process.
“This house really is a testament to a piece of thoughtful architecture with a very engaged client. It’s so personal and customized to them; it’s a very special design. We specialize in inheritable homes, and this is a testament to that.”
Wendie, for her part, praises Oak Street Design. “Jenna was the only one who could have solved how to maintain the integrity of a cute little cottage and add onto it. Six-hundred square feet wouldn’t have worked, but she was able to keep that authentic look in what is now a more than 3,400-square-foot generational piece,” she says.
The couple previously lived down the road, and Wendie recalls they “walked down here all the time, and the house was so darling. It was a carriage house for the Inn at Idlewild in the early 1900s that was disassembled and rolled half a mile to its current location. It was the Orr family cottage for 100 years.”
Original features include the classic fireplace, made with stacked stones from the shore. Antique family heirlooms from Wendie and Brad, as well as from the Orr family, further personalize the home. “We wanted a layered look, like it was collected over time,” Wendie says.
Multiple generations, including 10 grandchildren, can now enjoy the home, which has a bunkroom and a lakefront garden for picking flowers and berries. The chef’s kitchen, meanwhile, has a special extension, a new pantry.
Wendie says their home comfortably hosts dozens while maintaining an intimate, restorative atmosphere that makes guests — and she and Brad — never want to leave.
“Last weekend, with just family, we had 44 people,” she says. “It’s an easy house to be in, inside and out.” 
D E S I G N S A M P L E R
A few of the homeowner’s favorite things
Styled By Giuseppa Nadrowski
1. Fior Di Pizzo Pendant, Lumens, lumens.com
“The handcrafted Italian brass-and-glass pendants bring warmth and artisanal character to our kitchen island,” says homeowner Wendie Keen, who was responsible for selecting many of the interior finishes. “Their soft glow creates an intimate gathering spot that feels both sophisticated and welcoming.”
2. Aged Brass Ionian Tap, deVol, devolkitchens.com
“We chose these statement brass faucets in the kitchen and pantry for their perfect balance of traditional craftsmanship and modern functionality,” Keen says. “They anchor the kitchen with their substantial presence and develop a beautiful patina over time.”
3. Simply White, Benjamin Moore, benjaminmoore.com
Keen says this classic hue was used throughout the home’s interior, in all finishes. Matte was chosen for the walls, and the trim is semi-gloss to high gloss.
4. Seda Sofa, Cisco Home, ciscohome.net
The homeowner loves this sofa for its clean lines, length (100 inches), and luxurious comfort, and says: “It’s a perfect foundation, and it’s sophisticated and yet inviting enough for everyday family life. Most importantly, it’s slip-covered — which is essential with this large family and our sofa-loving pups. The company also has a great story; its products are made in the USA, it’s family-owned, and it’s environmentally conscious.”
