Early in the last century, the land around Oakland County lakes was cottage country for Detroiters who had the means to buy a weekend getaway accessible by early cars.
Pre shopping mall, auto executives hunted and golfed with industrialists in areas that today are bustling suburban enclaves.
A few residential throwbacks to that more rural time are still tucked away here and there in the local landscape. One such home in north Oakland County has the look and feel of an old Adirondack lodge — one that envelops generations of family and friends in a world of tennis doubles, mahjong contests, quail hunting, at-home weddings, wiener roasts, and ski sweaters.
Just as nicknames are an expression of affection, well-loved homes tend to have rooms designated by names with more character than just “living” or “great.”
Such is the case with this home, which dates to 1915, when it served as a fishing camp and weekend cottage for a Detroit automobile executive. The current occupants refer to the big log room, the little log room, and the big stone room. All are well-used, with no pristine company-only space. The big log room is the oldest; it was originally a barn on the four-and-a-half acre property. An addition in 1924 turned the rustic camp into a gracious family home.
Its current occupants discovered the home’s charms more than two decades ago and were so smitten that they chucked a house with Knoll International-style furnishings and moved their family into the cozy past.
“We both had a desire to live in an architecturally authentic home,” they say. “We needed more authenticity.”
Before making the transition, just to be sure, the parents took their young children to stay in the Adirondacks in the winter. They quickly discovered: “We just loved it.”
Photographs by Roy Ritchie
In the ”big log room”, interior walls are lined with basswood. Furnishings and accents seem to find their way to the home. “We inherit everything” from people shutting down their cottages, the homeowners say. The husband describes the décor as masculine with a lot of refinement.
The back entrance (which non lake dwellers would call the front) is vine bedecked and welcoming with Adirondack chairs.
The “front” or lakeside of the home has traditional American landscaping.
The four-and-a-half acre property slopes down to the lake, making for good winter sledding. The French door leads to a balcony overlooking the lake.
A second-floor son’s room is fit for a classic Ralph Lauren ad.
Rustic décor includes animal trophies, wildlife imagery, American antiques, and a painting of the owner in a vintage Chris Craft.
A private staircase leads from the master bedroom to the yard.
It’s a summer home and a winter home, the owners say of the feel and furnishings of their house. Paintings lend a clubby feel, as with this unsigned piece in the “small log room.”
The horse sculpture is by 19th-century French sculptor Isidore Bonheur.
The “large stone room” built with local fieldstone has been described as powerful and a good setting for drinking red wine. An iron railing defines the entry to the room. The chandelier and sconces are original to the 1920s.
The screen porch has classic striped roll-up blinds. With the nearby fireplaces glowing and blinds closed, the owners are able to use the porch well into the chilly months. In the foreground is a remote-control pond yacht.
In the high-ceilinged big log room, second-story height windows provide additional glow. The stone fireplace is freestanding. Many furnishings came from original neighboring homes of similar vintage.
The sunny walls in the large master bedroom are painted with Ralph Lauren “Golden Yellow.” The rug, originally in a Grosse Pointe home, was purchased at DuMouchelles.
The butler’s pantry, just off the kitchen, glows warmly, thanks to a rather rustic installation of copper. A roofer working on the house nailed the copper to the original countertop.
A bank of windows open to breezes off the lake. Floors in the home are pine and oak. When the home-owners discovered missing elements, such as doors or hinges, they had them reproduced custom in the original substantial weight and style.
The cozy main-floor office is a “small space among large spaces.”
The kitchen is classically furnished with an oak pedestal table and transferware platters displayed in an open hutch. A television above the fireplace is concealed behind shutters.
The bison trophy, a gift, has a place of honor in the log room.
