When designing lake houses, providing an abundant amount of windows to frame views of the surroundings is paramount. While lake houses exist throughout the world in various climates and locations, they all tackle site-specific issues relating to regulatory restrictions, accessibility, transparency, and respecting their environmental contexts.
We just started work on an exciting new project in the office. It’s a lake house in North Carolina on a two-acre site with dense trees along the shoreline. As part of our pre-design process, we study projects similar in type, size, context to learn how other designers solved the design challenge. This helps give us ideas on what has been successful and what hasn’t.
For now, we’re specifically studying other lake houses on wooded sites since our site has a tree-lined shore. Because most of the views on our site are filtered and partially obscured, the way we approach the design challenge will be different than if there were wide sweeping views. That’s where studying precedents comes in handy.
Here are a few notable modern lake houses on wooded sites that we’re looking at and drawing inspiration from.
Dragonfly by Olson Kundig
[Dragonfly Residence by Olson Kundig. Photos by Nic Lehoux.]
Inspired by the dragonfly in the way that it blends in with its natural habitat and sits lightly on the land, this Montana home is perched on a knoll with views over the treetops at the shore. The project includes retractable window walls to maximize natural ventilation (taking advantage of natural breezes coming from the lake), a broad, overhanging roof to prevent overheating, and reclaimed-barn wood siding that will silver as it weathers, along with a landscape filled with native plants and green roofs.
The home’s materiality helps it fold into the landscape. It also has varying degrees of enclosure, from large window walls and operable doors, to covered decks, fire pit, and gravel paths, to allow the family to engage with nature during all seasons.
Englishman Bay Retreat by Whitten Architects
[Architect: Whitten Architects. Photos by Trent Bell.]
Englishman Bay Retreat is a narrow, U-shaped building. The bedroom wing faces the quiet, protected cove while the living/dining/kitchen wing angles toward the beach and open ocean beyond. The home is elevated on steel columns creating a tree-house vibe. It’s clad in local hemlock, allowing a hiking path to extend beneath the building as it connects much of the site, from the parking area to the water’s edge. The house is low-impact allowing surrounding trees to stay intact while allowing gaps for water views.
Crowning the entry tower is a rooftop deck for star-gazing. The interior of the home feels like another of nature’s paths, thanks to expansive glazing that creates an immersive experience in the woods. Curated views are abundant. There are large sweeping views from the glass-encased, three-season porch. There are also pocket views from the principal bedroom that frame views of the island’s lighthouse.
Shoreland Overlook by Murdough Design
[Architect: Murdough Design. Photos courtesy Clayton Boyd.]
The Shoreland Overlook is a series of rectangular volumes connected by covered decks and glass breezeways. Breaking up the buildings into smaller parts creates opportunities for intimate and grand exterior spaces. It also allows for transparent links to the surroundings. The massing and roof lines follow the natural topography of the slope and take advantage of views and access to the landscape. Minimal tree clearing occurred to maintain the site’s natural state and preserve the shoreline.
The central building acts as the day-to-day residence for the clients and a gathering pavilion from which guests can descend onto a generous deck and enjoy views of the cove and mountains beyond. The south wing houses an art studio while a guest house occupies the north wing.
The building’s exterior aligns with the natural surroundings on the wooded site. It’s dark stained cedar siding and glazing disappear or reflect the surroundings. Interiors are Western Red Cedar paneling and American Black Walnut, evoking a natural, but modern presence.
Hood Cliff Retreat by Wittman Estes
[Architect Wittman Estes. Photos by Andrew Pogue.]
As avid bird watchers and naturalists, the homeowners wanted an indoor/outdoor family retreat that would immerse them in the forest and capture the delicate Washington sunlight and views toward Hood Canal and the Olympic Mountains to the west.
Hood Cliff Retreat takes cues from the native killdeer bird that pulls away the existing brush, burrows into the existing forest, and nests on the ground. Here, the retreat seeks a similar relationship with the ground feeling both connected to and protected from the elements. It consists of a collection of compact, low-slung volumes with overhanging roofs connected by continuous decks place greenery and trees front and center, giving family members opportunities to spend time together while still having some privacy.
Located atop a bluff the cluster of cabins includes an original, 20′ x 20′ cabin; an addition connected by a glass link; and a new bunkhouse nestled on the northern end of the site.
Simple details and a restrained material palette kept the construction budget to a minimum. Exterior walls are clad in rough-sawn cedar that will weather over time and dark cement panels. Large expanses of glass bring in natural light and dissolve the barrier between inside and out.
Notice any characteristics that are similar across the projects?
From these inspiring lake (and ocean-front) houses on wooded sites, we can see a few similarities that are effective:
- There’s a strong connection with place (drawing from the local topography, foliage, family heritage, wildlife, and historical context).
- There’s a desire to be large enough for family gatherings while still feeling intimate, private, and scaled to the site.
- The homes are about building a legacy of memories (stargazing, hiking on long-worn paths, bring family together).
- Low-impact design is key (minimal site disturbance, maintaining existing views, keeping existing trees)
- A variety of outdoor spaces is a must (covered decks, open decks, look-out points, balconies, screened-in porches, a fire pit, hot tub, hiking paths)
- … As is varying degrees of enclosure and transparency (solid walls, glass walls, operable glass doors, screened porches, open terraces) for the family to engage with nature during all seasons.
- Materials pull from the natural color and material palette of the surrounding forest. This helps the structure blend in rather than stick out (wood cladding, stone, natural colors, glass to reflect the landscape).
The cue from the killdeer is quite something. I like the idea. I can imagine having plates and other serving ware the color of its eggs. Very inventive.
Love the dark colors, the glazing, how the homes fit the surroundings. This is how I have imagjned the home I want for our acreage. Minimal tree removal. Unlike so so many who just scrape off their entire lots of vegetation. We are hand clearing and designing the home to fit around the trees.
Yes! That’s awesome. Being intentional about the design and paying attention to how it integrates with the surroundings are key to a successful project. Keep up the good work!
I love anything by Salmela Architect. He works primarily in the North woods of Minnesota and the Great Lakes, and his work draws heavily from the Scandanvaian heritage of the region. His work is so authentic to place – I would check it out if you’re not already familiar!
Hi Kevin,
We agree. It’s unique, authentic, and appropriate in its setting. We’ll be sure to keep his website bookmarked. Thanks for the comment.