Seven years ago, this property along the south side of Michigan's Brower Lake was purchased with the intent of creating a memorable summer home. Eventually, the owners sold their family business and began planning their dream home with architecture firm Mathison | Mathison and Rockford-based Landscape Architect Dan Miller, PLA from Rivertown Landscapes. Two years later, the property that formerly housed two cottages has been transformed with a modern structure and landscape tied together with repeated linear elements.

Rectilinear Design Concept
The client was interested in a mid-century modern design for both the home and the landscape, a gathering place where all their children and grandchildren could hang out together. This design aesthetic in the home called for an emphasis on long, straight lines and broad blocks of materials.

To integrate the landscape with the architecture, all specified elements were chosen along these same lines - literally. Rivertown Landscapes created a design philosophy called the "Rectilinear Design Concept" wherein linear lines, materials, forms, shapes, and plantings are synthesized in such a way that the home and its architecture extends into the surrounding landscape and broader community. To support this concept, some landscape elements directly match components specified in the original blueprints for the building's exterior, like the thin, veneered limestone fixed to the poured concrete retaining walls. A unique gate in a custom horizontal fence extends the modern lines with horizontal bands that alternate and blend into the fence. With these touches, the Landscape Architect used the lines of the home in concert with the topography of the property to erase any boundaries between the structure and its surroundings.

A Grand Entrance
The Rectilinear Design Concept is introduced to visitors as soon as they step foot on the property. Large, natural bluestone slabs and solid bluestone steps along the front guide visitors to the main entrance and around both the east and west sides of the home. The gaps between these slabs were planted with Creeping Mazus (Mazus reptans) to soften the hardscape elements. The slabs traverse the lawn between the main and side driveways to continue this design philosophy.

 
Due to their natural, multi-layered structure, English Yew (Taxus baccata 'Repandens') and Lily turf (Liriope muscari) were planted to give the front of the home a two-layered approach as pockets of perennials add interest along the front path. From the main entrance, the bluestone pathway continues through a glass hallway that connects the living space, kitchen, and entryway of the home.

An Outdoor Living Room
On the other side of the glass hallway, the path continues, leading to an entertainment area that is frequently used during beautiful Michigan summers. To maximize the square footage, the architects included a moving wall of glass between the outdoor and indoor living rooms that instantly doubles the space. The screens along the patio edge are managed through a button or an app that controls many other elements in the home and landscape.

The main patio's most prominent feature is the custom, stainless-steel, vanishing-edge hot tub from Diamond Spas. The client initially wanted a swimming pool along the shoreline with a hot tub and vanishing edge; however, their request was denied during the permitting process, so a hot tub was integrated into the patio area on the home's main level. Retaining the vanishing edge detail was key to giving the occupants an interrupted view of the lake. In addition to the hot tub, the patio was designed with a complete entertainment and dining area as well as an outdoor kitchen and grill.

The Lower Terrace
Past the main patio, the pathway proceeds to the first terrace via a short stairway flanked by veneered stone retaining walls. The limestone that was used on the home's exterior was also used to face the concrete retaining walls, tying home and landscape together. This detail helps the transition from the house to the shoreline appear as if the entire layout was part of the architect's original design.

Between the main patio and the lower terrace, a pathway flows from the custom entrance gate through and around the east side of the home, allowing for east-west foot traffic. Creeping Mazus and Miniature Creeping Thyme (Thymus praecox 'Minus') once again delineate and accentuate the rectilinear design of the paving stones.

At this level, paving materials include ceramic tiles, bluestone slabs, and concrete around concrete, linear fire pits that anchor each of the two patios along the lower terrace. The larger fire pit is the homeowner's 'public' fire pit that boasts unobstructed views of the lake. The other patio houses the homeowner's 'private' fire pit. Veiled by tall perennials, grasses, and low-growing trees, including a Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum), this area provides a much more intimate setting. In the summertime, both patios are surrounded by flowering shrubs and perennial plantings to make the transition from the home to the lake enjoyable and attractive.

Leveling-Up
The biggest challenge with the site lay in two grade changes taking place over a distance of 160 feet. The old site layout featured two cottages with no basements, but the design for the new home included a lower level and a crawl space that forced the structure to rise out of the ground more prominently than before. Raising the lowest level increased the grade leading up to the structure, with a 6-foot difference over the 44 feet between the shoreline and the north side of the home and a 4-foot grade change over 37 feet from the south side of the house to the street. To make this transition smoothly, the Landscape Architect used steps and terraces in the design for the walkways and patio systems.

The lack of space to the east and west of the structure required a different approach. On the east side, a 48-inch retaining wall was built along the property line so the screening plants would remain at main floor level. On the west side, the retaining wall was placed closer to the garage side door and the steps that lead down to the lower-level restroom and mechanical room. With the hot tub pump, heating elements, and home computer system hidden in this lower level, isolated from the main living level and outdoor areas, the property remains visually clean and the ambience is not disturbed by the hum of machinery.

Lakeside Illumination
Controlled by the whole home computer system, five scenes of landscape lighting complete the atmosphere by providing aesthetic flexibility. Broken down, these illuminated sections comprise the front trees, the house walls and pathway lighting, the side pathways, the firepit patios and stairway risers, and the lakeside trees and pathways. An indirect lighting design minimizes the number of visible fixtures while maximizing the effect of the lighting on the plants and amenities. This strategy derives from a common trend in mid-century modern design, where light bulbs were placed out of view. As the interior of the Brower Shores home includes this design detail, extending the strategy outdoors is another way this project harmonizes with the mid-century modern theme.

A Legacy Location
The Landscape Architect worked hard to include virtually everything a client would want in a modern lakefront home. A personal challenge involved making the exterior common areas and the garden areas different from any other project Rivertown Landscapes had ever done. This was accomplished in the way the materials and design harmonize with the lines and simplicity of the home. The clients love what was created and are excited every time they have family and friends over to enjoy it.

As seen in LASN magazine, April 2025.