"House on Lake Michigan," by Robert A. M. Stern Architects, LLP

"House on Lake Michigan" (2007) by Robert A. M. Stern Architects | ENTRY. Photo: Peter Aaron / Esto 

What better way to launch a blog that highlights the work of our favorite design professionals than to feature a home by the venerable Robert A. M. Stern?*

"HOUSE ON LAKE MICHIGAN" (2007)

This magnificent 16,000 square foot residence appeared on the cover of the October 2009 issue of Architectural Digest Magazine.

Mr. Stern and his partner, Randy Correll, make the house effortlessly appear as if it were built in the 20s or 30s. In designing the home, they drew upon the classic "suburban Chicago estate houses of David Adler and Howard Van Doren Shaw...(and) their sources of inspiration in colonial and Georgian architecture."

While the structure is predominantly clapboard and white-painted brick, the architects used fieldstone for other components, like the library, and "a single-story family-room wing and screen porch;" this makes the house feel like it has a history, as if it has evolved over time.

"House on Lake Michigan" (2007) by Robert A. M. Stern Architects | ENTRY VESTIBULE. Photo: Peter Aaron / Esto

Great care was taken to fulfill their client's desire for a "graciously understated" home; they didn't want it to seem cold and too formal.  Therefore, the architects scrutinized every detail of the design (ten foot ceilings, "molding profiles and paneling," the size and scale of the rooms, etc.). Notice how even the entry vestibule (above) exudes a sense of warmth (with the help of carefully chosen furniture and accessories by the talented Victoria Hagan).* 

"House on Lake Michigan" (2007) by Robert A. M. Stern Architects | ENTRY HALL. Photo: Peter Aaron / Esto 

The stunning view is clearly the focal point of the entrance hall with its elegant Georgian details. Again, Victoria Hagan chooses just the right pieces in this space to simply, and so perfectly, accent the architecture.*

"House on Lake Michigan" (2007) by Robert A. M. Stern Architects | STAIR HALL. Photo: Peter Aaron / Esto

Light floods in through the dramatic Palladian window on the stair landing.* 

"House on Lake Michigan" (2007) by Robert A. M. Stern Architects | LIBRARY. Photo: Peter Aaron / Esto

The library, with its handsome dark oak paneling and traditional leather furniture, feels anything but stuffy. It's warm and comfortable, the perfect place to read a good book or enjoy the company of family and friends. We especially love the flags above the fireplace, which seem like such an appropriate choice for this classic American home.* 

"House on Lake Michigan" (2007) by Robert A. M. Stern Architects | KITCHEN. Photo: Peter Aaron / EstoThe spacious and bright kitchen features white-painted cabinetry and coffered ceilings. The wall coverings, lighting, throw pillows and upholstery in the alcove (on the left) provide a vintage touch.* 

"House on Lake Michigan" (2007) by Robert A. M. Stern Architects | EAST FACADE FROM POOL DECK. Photo: Peter Aaron / Esto

Notice the beautiful juxtaposition of the fieldstone elements (wall, screen porch) and the clapboard and white-painted brick of what seems like the "original" house in the photo above.*

To learn more about this elegant home and the talented professionals associated with this project, please follow the links below:

• Robert A. M. Stern Architects, LLP
• Victoria Hagan Interiors
• Hoerr Schaudt Landscape Architects
• "Tapping Tradition: The Splendor of America's Past Is Reborn on Lake Michigan," Architectural Digest Magazine, October 2009.