This Cozy Lakeside Home Is Built From a Kit, But It Feels Anything But Cookie-Cutter
Home sweet (hygge) home.
Home sweet (hygge) home.
Vacations often invite you to fantasize about the possibilities of another life; they’re an escape, an opportunity to dream "what if." For homeowners Stephanie and Bob Gilbreath, a dreamy holiday at a short-term rental in Leelanau County, Michigan, became the catalyst for making fantasy into a reality.
Their rental, Birch Le Collaboration House, felt different from the large Victorian home they had in the city. After a little research, they found out it was a Hygge Supply home—and the company not only operates vacation getaways, it also produces clever modern home kits.
"They connected with the feeling and design," says Sean Karcher, founder of Hygge Supply. "They knew they wanted to build something very different from what they had."
"My intention was to create a simple and inexpensive way to build a home with a high design concept that could also be built relatively quickly," says Karcher. "It made sense to create a system for the build concept, employing a panelized structural design with prefabricated pieces and parts for rapid assembly." Design aspects, like Inception Shades by J Geiger, are customizable yet modular enough to expedite installation.
Photo by Diana Paulson
Hygge Supply’s sustainable approach and panelized build system offered a built-in opportunity for Bob and Stephanie to make the change they craved. Karcher connected the couple with Gary Mott from G. Mott Builders, who had constructed several other Hygge Supply homes, and they hit the ground running.
Soon, the Gilbreath House was sitting quietly on the lake too, providing the family with vacation living on the daily.
The home kits are an expression of Karcher’s personal desire to live simply: each design takes inspiration from Scandinavian aesthetics and simple design-build principles and practices. The construction process is intended to be quick and painless, featuring floor-to-ceiling windows and seamless indoor/outdoor living.
"It was really important to Stephanie and Bob and their children that they kept all of the trees intact on the property," says Karcher. "Our kits allowed for that to be possible in the build process."
A panelized kit allows a home to be built tight into the environment. "When you pair the panelized kit with the helical pier system, you can slide the panels into particularly tight spaces allowing one to keep more trees intact and the landscape minimally touched," explains Karcher.
Photo by Diana Paulson
Inception Shades by J Geiger are a key component to the minimalist, nature-first vibe of this striking Scandi-cool home. The patented shade bands conceal all wires and screws, eliminating the need for valances, fascia, or ceiling pockets.
"The shades allow for a seamless connection to nature," notes Karcher, who even utilized the J Geiger Inception Shades along the walls of the glass shower. "I wanted the indoor showers to feel like outdoor showers," he explains.
When not in use, the shades are nearly invisible, blending into the understated architecture of Hygge homes—providing privacy when needed without overpowering or overcomplicating the aesthetics and design.
The home sits on the banks of Lake Leelanau, in the heart of farm country; nearby, you’ll find cherry and apple orchards and several vineyards. Floor-to-ceiling windows offer a mood-boosting indoor/outdoor connection, and Inception Shades integrate seamlessly with window frames so as not to detract from the view.
Photo by Diana Paulson
See the full story on Dwell.com: This Cozy Lakeside Home Is Built From a Kit, But It Feels Anything But Cookie-Cutter
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