LOVELY
LAKE
LIVING

■ BY LISA BRODY

Opposite: The
great room
features a
beveled inlaid
carpet by
Masland. The
free-formed
couches have a
custom
designed fabric
by Goodman-
Krass in taupe
and teaberry on
a cream
background. All
photos by Beth
Singer.

Below: The
multi-colored
beige brick
exterior with
wood trim is
contemporary in
design.

M

any of us dream of getting
away from it all, heading
back to nature. Maybe a
little cabin on a lake, a lot
of trees, a little motor boat to get sup-
plies and to water ski. Peacefulness,
beauty and relaxation. And privacy.
One couple left behind subdivision
life and built a lakefront home in
Oakland County two years ago."1 like
the woods, nature, space, and I like my
privacy," the husband says.
He has all of those basic re-
quirements met with a spacious, con-
temporary 12,000 square foot thome
that overlooks the lake from almost
every angle. Their most visible
neighbors are likely the birds in all of
the trees around them. Having raised
a large family in a typical 3,000 square
foot home in Southfield, he and his wife
were ready to head, not to the hill, but
to the lakes.
"I had wanted to be on the water for
years," he continues, "and had boats
for a long time. After having lived for
24 years in our old house, as soon as
I saw this property I knew it was the
time to build."
Working with architect David Lubin,
builder Robert Orloff and Barbara
Goodman-Krass, owner of Colorworks
Studio of Interior Design, the owners
were able to convey their dreams and
see them realized. The home is built
to take advantage of the view and

lifestyle the lake offers. The rear of the
house, built on many levels with several
wings, is almost completely glass, pro-
viding the owners and their guests the
feeling that they are almost outdoors.
But a lot more comfortably.
The owners are casual and comfor-
table, living most of the time in jeans
and sweats. They wanted a house that
would reflect the attitude that one can
sit down in any room and put up his
feet. "Everything in this house is wash
and wear" the wife says.

The exterior of the home is deceiv-
ing. Its multicolored-beige brick ex-
terior is contemporary in design, but
belies the home's size. Upon entering
the house with its spacious foyer and
great room, you realize you are in for
a treat.
The first thing you notice is the lake.
The full back of the great room and ad-
jacent dining room are glass from floor
to ceiling. There are no window
treatments. Low E glass was used for
the windows, so the rooms are not cold

SPRING '90

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