Photography by Werner Straube
When Luxe Interiors + Design featured our Modern Farmhouse, the story began with the words my client used when we started: he didn't want a weekend house; he wanted this house to be his weekend. He traveled constantly for work, and coming home needed to feel like a getaway, a lake house, a place none of them would ever want to leave.
That brief shaped every decision. Working alongside architect John Vetter of Vetter Denk Architects and builder Bruce Nordgren of Northgreen Builders, I was responsible for every interior detail, from the furniture and finishes down to the towels and bed linens. It's rare for a client to extend that much trust, and I never took it lightly.
A few moments from this project still make me smile.
The comfort test. My client is six foot four; I am not. He wasn't available to try furniture before we ordered it, so I recruited the tallest men I could find to sit in every chair and rate it. What feels perfect to me can feel cramped to someone a foot taller, and good design has to fit the person living in it.
The hood. He envisioned a large stainless steel range hood. I made the case for plaster instead, something quieter that would sit comfortably with the quartzite and let the limestone chimney be the star of the great room. He agreed, and I think the kitchen is better for it.
The table. The custom solid wood dining table is so heavy it took four people to carry it inside; it's sturdy enough for dancing, as I told them. The chairs are slipcovered in a durable indoor-outdoor fabric, because a beautiful room should also forgive children.
The office. His office has leather-covered walls with cabinetry stained to match, and it's the one room where the senses do as much work as the eyes. The smell of leather when you walk in is wonderful.
The reveal. After nearly two years of construction, we staged the entire house, down to the last towel. Then, on a Friday night, the family walked in for the first time. They were floored. That moment, when a family realizes their home is finally theirs, is why I do this work.
The year after this feature ran, Luxe named Twig & Trove to its 2020 Gold List, an honor that still makes me proud.
Read the full feature by Tate Gunnerson, with photography by Werner Straube, published in Luxe Interiors + Design in October 2019.