Lummi Renovation Ideas

A view from the front door shows that the bright and airy open floor plan leads straight through to the backyard.

“I wanted the house to feel like a boat in the middle of the forest or on an island, standing alone,

The interior is lined almost entirely in birch plywood panels.

Reflecting the diversity of the Maine forest, the kitchen island and floors are maple and the stools are oak. A colorful painting by Jenny Prinn provides contrast.

A breezeway complete with swings connects the front and back decks. “We knew we wanted a covered entry, but we left it open to create a larger outdoor space,” says Scott, who admits to occasionally using the swings himself. Mud guards are built into the Kebony decking to keep dirt from being tracked inside. The teak chairs are by Skagerak.

Walls of double-pane, tempered, laminated glass surround the upper living space furnished with Tolomeo lights by Artemide, vintage midcentury chairs, and a custom-made redwood burl table.

"On most days, from almost all vantage points, the boathouse reflects the forest or lake and is challenging to identify until you are immediately in front of it," says the firm. Pressure-treated SPF timber lines the outdoor deck.

A short footbridge leads to the white, oak-and-glass front door of the upper living space. On the left is the small outdoor tap that uses pumped lake water.

Set on a four-acre, moderately sloped, rocky site by the lake, the Kawagama Boathouse minimizes its site impact with small-diameter pier foundations and a natural material palette that blends the building into the surrounding forest.

A platform bed keeps things simple in the master bedroom. “We said that everything that could be made of wood should be—including the shower stall,” says Tomas.

Now, a walk-in shower and soaking tub are tucked under the roof line.

Streamlined, flat-front white cabinetry melds with white walls and doesn’t detract from the views.

The kitchen was relocated to the rear wall.

The oak-colored custom built-in entry bench by Schuchart | Dow provides a welcoming contrast to the dark steel baseboards by Alpine Welding that cut the space vertically.

Outside the master bedroom, a small deck is tucked beneath the flat roof. The tub is by Maax.

Reminiscent of a shade that Lou’s grandfather, an advertising creative, liked to use in his work, the red of the Fred Meyer barstools matches the Bluestar range. A pair of steel-wrapped vents rise from the fir plywood millwork, built by Schuchart/Dow.

Black and red wooden panels supported by barn door tracks from Richard Wilcox elongate the narrow hallway connecting a series of bedrooms to the living area.

The partial basement holds storage and an entertainment room. A skylight over the stairs floods the area with natural light.