Skycatcher – A Michigan Lake House
Skycatcher captures light, air, and openness through a pinwheel of shed roofs and shifting volumes that reach toward the sky and lake. Designed for lakeside living with seamless outdoor access, the home blurs the boundary between inside and out—centering around a courtyard, framing skyward views, and opening to the water, all while treading lightly in its natural setting.
Set on a densely wooded Michigan lot with neighboring homes nearby, the design brief called for a modern lakeside retreat that would feel immersive yet private, open yet discreet. In response, the home’s footprint rotates around a central courtyard in a pinwheel geometry—an organizing move that protects sightlines, invites natural light, and amplifies the experience of the sky.
Conceived from the outset as a named idea, Skycatcher is more than a lake house—it’s a design philosophy brought to life. As the client expressed early in the brief, “The home needs to have a name, and the name needs to drive the design.” That simple yet powerful directive became the project’s north star, shaping everything from form and orientation to materials and atmosphere.
Privacy was essential. By turning inward and reaching upward, the home embraces the sky instead of its close neighbors—creating a tranquil sense of seclusion without losing its openness. Expansive glass walls open the interiors to the lake, while carefully composed screening and orientation preserve intimacy. The result is spatial clarity without exposure—each view and moment curated to connect deeply with the landscape.
At the heart of Skycatcher is the courtyard—a serene outdoor room encircled by living spaces and visible from nearly every angle of the home. It acts as a breathing space within the architecture, reinforcing the home’s relationship to air, light, and seasonal change. This shared core allows for private outdoor enjoyment sheltered from lakeside winds, bringing calm and connection even when the weather shifts.
Materially, the home expresses a modern take on local materials. Vertical wood cladding, decking, and natural cedar shingles are used in crisp, contemporary forms. These materials were selected not only for their honesty and texture, but for how they weather and evolve—allowing the house to settle quietly into its environment over time.
Together, these elements form a home that is at once grounded and lifted—anchored in place, yet always oriented toward light, sky, and quiet reflection. Skycatcher is a retreat not only from the everyday, but into the essence of lakeside living: immersive, thoughtful, and deeply connected to its setting.
