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We love it when a home becomes a family compound with wonderful history. That is exactly what this home on Mullet Lake is. The original cottage was built by our client’s father and enjoyed by the family for years. It finally came to the point that there was simply not enough room and it lacked some of the efficiencies and luxuries enjoyed in permanent residences. The cottage is utilized by several families and space was needed to allow for summer and holiday enjoyment. The focus was on creating additional space on the second level, increasing views of the lake, moving interior spaces and the need to increase the ceiling heights on the main level. All these changes led for the need to start over or at least keep what we could and add to it. The home had an excellent foundation, in more ways than one, so we started from there. It was important to our client to create a northern Michigan cottage using low maintenance exterior finishes. The interior look and feel moved to more timber beam with pine paneling to keep the warmth and appeal of our area. The home features 2 master suites, one on the main level and one on the 2nd level with a balcony. There are 4 additional bedrooms with one also serving as an office. The bunkroom provides plenty of sleeping space for the grandchildren. The great room has vaulted ceilings, plenty of seating and a stone fireplace with vast windows toward the lake. The kitchen and dining are open to each other and enjoy the view. The beach entry provides access to storage, the 3/4 bath, and laundry. The sunroom off the dining area is a great extension of the home with 180 degrees of view. This allows a wonderful morning escape to enjoy your coffee. The covered timber entry porch provides a direct view of the lake upon entering the home. The garage also features a timber bracketed shed roof system which adds wonderful detail to garage doors. The home’s footprint was extended in a few areas to allow for the interior spaces to work with the needs of the family. Plenty of living spaces for all to enjoy as well as bedrooms to rest their heads after a busy day on the lake. This will be enjoyed by generations to come.

This refreshing white kitchen is a dream! It is brought to life by all of the details that are found in every inch of this kitchen; the gold hardware and unique backplates, the white appliances with rose gold accents, the black hood that ties in with the pendants and counter stools, and the beautiful patterned backsplash. This white kitchen definitely does not lack character and flare.

Six years after completing a large-scale renovation for one of our favourite repeat clients, they decided it was time to upgrade the primary suite. This bathroom had been left out of the first phase as it was in good condition, just lacking style. For our longtime clients, the bathroom isn’t just a functional space—it’s a sanctuary. In this renovation, we created an atmosphere that is truly serene and feminine, infused with effortless coastal elegance to create a place for our client to retreat, unwind and release the tensions of everyday life. No need to go to the spa anymore… A freestanding soaking tub takes center stage, framed by delicate sheer drapery that billows gently in the breeze. Soft, sun-washed tones, organic textures, and refined details transform this space into a spa-like escape, perfect for unwinding after a long day.

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The design was inspired by natural elements, the classical architecture of the home and the magnificent view out the large window to the treed backyard. Scale and proportion were key elements in the design that are showcased in the floor to ceiling wall tile in the shower, over-sized mirror, luxurious double vanity and large-format cement grey floor tiles. Upon entering, the space feels simultaneously peaceful yet powerful, serene yet bold, classic yet edgy. All the finishes selected are hand-polished, richly plated and timeless. Everything about this space is elevated and luxurious. In its design we created a sensual experience, a sanctuary, a place to feel pampered. It is like a visit to a fine hotel- in classic style.

Built for the Bluff, A Sea Ranch Home is Remade from the Inside Out The house had always been grounded, on an ocean bluff at The Sea Ranch. It sits unencumbered, adjacent to one of the most dramatic stretches of the Sonoma coast with protected commons meadow to the east, uninterrupted Pacific views to the west, and a bluff trail running alongside. What it lacked was the feeling of home, one that could hold up its own against the natural landscape. The owners are entrepreneurs with deep involvement across tech, real estate, and development and they know how things are built. The Sea Ranch house had been in their lives for years, a second residence and a place for family to gather. Built for a different time, it felt more compromising than comfortable. Sitting in a closed off nook, the kitchen fit one cook at a time and turned its back on the rest of the house. The entry was dim and compressed, divided by a structural column that presented itself at exactly the wrong moment. The primary suite was small relative to the view outside it. A large rear bedroom sat behind a lowered ceiling with a bathroom that had never been added. The house was certainly worth the trouble of doing it right. What followed was not one project but four, each with its own design challenge, each addressed over a period of time. Where the House Meets the Ocean The most complex piece of the project, in both structural and spatial terms, was the kitchen expansion. The existing room was a single-person galley squeezed in as an afterthought with no meaningful connection to the dining room, the living space, or the deck outside. To make it useful for a family that cooks and gathers, it needed to grow outward into an existing patio and flow into the rooms around it. A big challenge was the roofline. Several planes at different pitches and angles converged directly where additional volume was needed. A new form had to join that geometry without reading as a correction. The solution found the simplest possible connection between the existing angles, a roofline that from outside the structure, appears entirely original. From the bluff trail where the addition is visible, there is no discernible seam. Inside, the kitchen is now open to the living and dining rooms without interruption. A large sliding glass door connects the space onto the rear deck. The deck itself was expanded and oriented so that the body of the house shields it from the coastal wind which is a common consideration that determines whether outdoor space at The Sea Ranch actually gets used. The result is a room that works for large family gatherings where no one feels cutoff, and one that makes the boundary between being inside and outside easy to ignore. Welcoming Light A structural column stood at the convergence of eight distinct roof planes in the entry. It was load-bearing, but it was also the reason the entry had always felt like a hallway rather than a welcoming arrival. With the structural engineer, a custom steel connector was designed to receive beams from six separate directions, redistributing the load through a single new continuous beam. The column was surgically removed. Three triangular skylights were then cut into the roof above, their shapes drawn from the existing geometry of the planes around them. The entry is now bright and open. The skylights feel native to the structure because they follow the logic already present in the roof. Two Suites, Two Views At opposite ends of the house, the two bedroom suites were each reconfigured, and each found a different way to introduce more of the landscape into the room. An addition to the primary suite extended the structure outward to create a wraparound plan with a loop from the bedroom through bath and closet that had not been possible before. The expansion opened a slot view from the tub and shower toward the ocean. The view is precise and private. The ocean view is present and deliberate. The rear bedroom absorbed an adjacent storage room to transform it into a full second suite with a vaulted ceiling, a large bathroom with a tub, a shower, and a sauna. A private fenced garden courtyard sits just beyond the glass bringing the outdoors inside. The tub was placed so that, looking past the courtyard and through the bedroom beyond, the ocean is visible at the far end. It is a long view and it makes the room feel larger and more settled than its footprint would suggest. Glass on Four Sides, Fire at the Center The main living and gathering room had always been caught between two competing facts: glass on four sides meant exceptional views but at The Sea Ranch, it also meant a cold room. A 360-degree cylindrical fireplace was added at the center on a raised stone base, providing radiant heat in every direction and giving the room a focal point around which a group naturally orients itself, whether that means two people at the end of the day or the whole family after dinner. Owners Who Picked Up the Tools The owner was not a passive client. they came with construction knowledge, specific ideas, and the desire to be an active part of the process, a dynamic that other architects may had found difficult, which Klopf Architecture accepted as an asset. They took it upon themselves to complete some of the work during construction, including the installation of a new radiant heating system beneath the floors. The radiant system added to the older and less-desirable forced-air setup. At The Sea Ranch, that change matters as the house sits close enough to the ocean and moving air competes with the sound of it, where radiant heat does not. Solar panels were added to the roof as part of the new system. Insulation was upgraded throughout the walls, roof, and crawl space. The house that had always had the right setting now holds warmth the way a house on the bluff should. They were also deeply involved in the design and selections throughout, and the finished house reflects both of them in ways that are specific rather than generic. The process took longer and moved through more iterations than a more arms-length relationship might have allowed. The result is more defined and personal because of it. The Landscape Holds Priority Every exterior decision was shaped by The Sea Ranch Design Standards, which require that buildings defer to the landscape around them rather than compete with it. Because this house sits on the bluff and is visible from the public trail, the additions faced a close review. Existing materials were matched. Geometries were resolved. The additions had to become indistinguishable from the original building. From the trail, the house reads exactly as it always has — low, cedar-clad, secondary to the meadow and the water. The setting holds priority. Inside, the house has been remade. Klopf Architecture Project Team: Geoff Campen and Trenton Jewett
Contractor: Shawn Bettega Construction
Photography: ©2025 Mariko Reed
Year Completed: 2023
Location: The Sea Ranch, CA

In Fairfax, this family wanted a kitchen that felt more open, functional, and better suited for entertaining. Their existing space lacked flow, storage, and sufficient workspace, so our designer reimagined the layout to create a more efficient and inviting environment. The result is a beautiful, highly functional kitchen tailored to their lifestyle. With a passion for cooking, the homeowner now enjoys a space where he can easily prepare meals while staying connected with his family. The spacious island has become a favorite gathering spot, where the kids can sit and enjoy meals served right from the kitchen. Crisp white lacquer Cabico cabinetry paired with Cambria countertops gives the space a clean, polished look while making maintenance effortless. Thoughtful design details and personalized touches throughout the kitchen truly make it feel like home.

This secondary master suite has is own balcony to step out and view the mountains on the horizon. The room is simple with the wire brushed oak floor and lack of window and door casing to create the traditional European masonry construction feel.

This 1916 home received a complete Renovation of the existing 3-seasons porch which was added by a prior owner. Included is a new entry functioning as a mudroom and a 3/4 bath with laundry on the first floor, something the home was lacking.

A new home can be beautiful, yet lack soul. For a family with exquisite taste, and a love of the artisan and bespoke, LiLu created a layered palette of furnishings that express each family member’s personality and values. One child, who loves Jackson Pollock, received a window seat from which to enjoy the ceiling’s lively splatter wallpaper. The other child, a young gentleman, has a navy tweed upholstered headboard and plaid club chair with leather ottoman. Elsewhere, sustainably sourced items have provenance and meaning, including a LiLu-designed powder-room vanity with marble top, a Dunes and Duchess table, Italian drapery with beautiful trimmings, Galbraith & Panel wallcoverings, and a bubble table. After working with LiLu, the family’s house has become their home. ---- Project designed by Minneapolis interior design studio LiLu Interiors. They serve the Minneapolis-St. Paul area including Wayzata, Edina, and Rochester, and they travel to the far-flung destinations that their upscale clientele own second homes in. ----- For more about LiLu Interiors, click here: https://www.liluinteriors.com/ ----- To learn more about this project, click here: https://www.liluinteriors.com/blog/portfolio-items/art-of-family/

Built in 2007, this Chastain Park home was not short on space, but the design was dated and lacked the sophistication the homeowners desired. Much of the first floor was included in this renovation, completed in early 2024, including the kitchen, butler’s pantry, primary bathroom and closet, and pool bath.

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White custom cabinetry and gold handles make a great backdrop for the warm tones of the custom island, new oak floors and table
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Built in 2007, this Chastain Park home was not short on space, but the design was dated and lacked the sophistication the homeowners desired. Much of the first floor was included in this renovation, completed in early 2024, including the kitchen, butler’s pantry, primary bathroom and closet, and pool bath.

This kitchen, while spacious, was lacking in several ways: it had a broken work triangle, aging low-end finishes, and an awkward placement within the house that kept other spaces from reaching their full potential. It was time for a do-over. We shifted the location of the kitchen to allow adjacent rooms to grow and reorganized it to create more efficiency. Now, the new kitchen not only has custom designed and crafted cabinetry topped with exquisite stone; it has a tight work triangle, expansive island, key and bag drop zone, large pantry and display shelves, a comfortable circulation path, and more daylight than ever. Function, beauty, and craftsmanship come together to create a one-of-a-kind central hub for this home.

Michael J. Lee Photography for DESIGN NEW ENGLAND magazine
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