Located along the shore of Lake Michigan twenty-five miles north of Chicago, this custom home is a compelling statement of minimalist design. Positioned along an 80-foot-high bluff, the architecture blends in seamlessly with its majestic coastal setting.
The home’s modern architecture was designed by the team at Robbins Architecture. The 15,000 sq. ft. residence is situated on a 3.5-acre site with a sweeping lakefront landscape. The home’s aesthetic is guided by floor-to-ceiling architectural window walls with stunning views of the horizon. Its bluff location affords a serene viewpoint of the sunrise, and weather patterns as they move across Lake Michigan. Native plant species, rolling lawns and evergreen hedgerows foster a tranquil environment on the private 400-foot-wide lot.
The home’s linear design is heightened by the selection of elongated Danish Kolumba bricks for the masonry construction. The distinctive brickwork furthers the powerful interplay of the architecture, landscape and shoreline. The slender bricks were custom fabricated using rich clay deposits and handmade waterstruck methods from a brickworks located on the Baltic Sea.
The glass, steel and masonry residence stretches nearly 180 feet in length and 80 feet in width. The fluid open floor plan offers a spacious living environment. A compelling feature of the design is a central great room surrounded by walls of glass on two sides, a main entry hall, fireplace, living room, and 12.5-foot ceiling heights. Additional design features include a primary bedroom wing with two suites, a guest bedroom wing with two suites, an open-plan kitchen, a dining room, a family room with fireplace, a music room, a study, an elevator, and a finished lower level. The clean lines of the integrated millwork, custom built of rift sawn white oak, transition seamlessly throughout nearly every room of the home.
The architecture has an intimate connection with nature. A lake-facing terrace with multiple entries flows between an outdoor kitchen, dining area, lounge area, patio, spa, and inground pool. The expansive lower level is finished with a private guest suite, a 12-seat theater, a recreation room, an exercise room, storage rooms, and mechanical rooms. At the water’s edge an alluring private beach is reached via an inclined elevator lift system that extends down from the edge of the bluff to the waterfront below.
Fully exposed to the elements, the bluff location required restoration to address erosion at the shoreline. Engineering approaches were implemented to restructure the bluff for resilience by stabilizing the footing to prevent any receding. New structural steel piles and rock revetments were built to break wave energy and reduce erosion from high water levels. Former sand dunes were replenished. Invasive plants were removed and replaced with deep-rooted native species, which anchor to the soil and prevent landslides on the bluff.
The project took three years to build. The landscape design was by Mariani Landscape. The interior design was by Andrea Goldman Design. The lighting design was by AKLD Lighting Design. The structural engineer was Goodfriend Magruder Structure.
Architect: Robbins Architecture
Interior Designer: Andrea Goldman Design
Photographer: Roger Davies Photography
