MAY 18 • 2023 | 33 part sand. Although Roberts and her husband, Gary Roberts — founder and landscape architect at Great Oaks Landscape in Novi — had originally planned to add-on to the home, their engineers advised starting from scratch. The cottage was knocked down and the couple built a new home in its place, as frugally as possible, in 1989. Thirty-plus years and two renovations later, what started as a redo of the kitchen and staircase snowballed into finally creating their dream home — with plenty of space for entertaining and bedrooms for their grandchildren. “ A lot of our friends in different stages of life are getting places in Arizona or Florida, ” Roberts says. “We love where we live, so we decided to make our house our dream home, then travel wherever we want instead of going to the same place all the time. Living on the lake is a lifestyle. Our kids love it, our grandkids love it — it’s a great place to be. ” Roberts tapped Scott Gittleman, owner of Gittleman Construction in Farmington Hills, and John Morgan, owner of Perspectives Custom Cabinetry in Troy, with whom Roberts had worked since the beginning. A few years ago, on the Temple Israel House Tour, Roberts visited the home of designer Amy Miller Weinstein, owner of AMW Design Studio in Birmingham. “Her house was interesting because it’s not so large, but it’s so well done, so succinctly wonderful, ” Roberts says. “She has exquisite taste and has all of these ‘moments’ throughout the house. ” With Weinstein now on board, the team went to work in what Roberts says “was a complete collaboration between everyone involved. ” “We moved walls; we changed architecture, ” Weinstein says. “The home had a lot of angles and ’80s design features. We began by taking away anything that said 1986. Scott [Gittleman] brought in struc- tural people. You never know what you’re going to come across in a renovation, in terms of structural issues. Scott surmounted all of the obstacles. ” With multiple design-related degrees, including one in interior architecture, Weinstein is a master at space planning, especially useful in this 4,000-square-foot home on a 40-foot lot. continued on page 34 HOME LEFT: Very “detail-oriented and with beautiful taste,” says Mindy Roberts, Gary Roberts was precise about the placement and height of doorknobs, doors — and windows, which provide soaring views of the lake through- out the home, including the living room. “He was insistent on it,” Roberts says, “but it makes a big difference.” Lots of comfy seating — with hairy- hide benches and extra ottomans tucked under Weinstein’s signature custom parsons table upholstered in kid- and cup-friendly vinyl — offer expansive views of the lake and TV. The wood next to the fireplace wraps around to the kitchen side, becoming another pantry. Weinstein picked up the four art panels on the wall from Tyler Baker, a tattoo artist in Ann Arbor. “I try to achieve contemporary interiors that are still warm and welcoming, not off-putting and sterile,” Weinstein says. “I don’t like to overly accessorize but use just enough to give a sense of the people who live there.” BELOW: Before the renovation, the doorway was cut by angles and the stairs were tucked behind a corner. “The goal was to create a really pretty staircase that was visible from the living room, with light pouring through the whole space and views of the lake when walk- ing downstairs,” Weinstein says. The metal railing was crafted by Tom Myers. The custom zebra-wood console came from an artist in Royal Oak. BOTTOM: In a corner of the great room, behind the foyer, a card table is used for puzzles and games with guests and the couple’s grandchildren. The tall cabinet has two vertical handles that allow the doors to slide on top of each other, opening to a full bar — pretty enough to leave open. The black stone-top surface can be used as a bar or for hors d’oeuvres.