Waters Edge
Patio and Outdoor Living Space | Swim Spa | Outdoor Kitchen | Lighting
Perched above Baldwin Lake in Union, Michigan, everything about this space embraces its bird’s eye water view. The client had visions of incorporating pool-inspired conversations and get-togethers to escape the pull of daily life. Whether it’s taking a nap in the bed swing, reading a book under the pavilion, or cooling off in the plunge pool there is a place for everyone to land.
Project Description
In the beginning, this beautiful lakeside home possessed very little opportunity to be outside enjoying the view of this inland lake. The backyard was a plain series of landscaped terraces and sloped lawn. Not surprising, the focus pointed to the lake. But the owners wanted to make something of the space between the house and water.
As you step outside toward the lake, new glass sliding doors bring connectivity to the backyard from the finished basement. A plunge pool serves as the heart of the upper terrace. Its petite size makes it possible to serve multiple purposes. It meets cooling-off needs in the summer months and then serves as a hot tub in the winter. A small water fountain spills into the pool creating a relaxing soundtrack.
The pool is flanked by an open pavilion on one side and the other a dining space with a nearby kitchen. The pavilion seating area invites a slower pace for lazy conversations or quiet reading. The kitchen provides a means for grilling events with a nearby bar to sip a beer. One can soak it all in while swinging on the bed swing or dine al fresco at the round table overlooking the new perennial gardens.
Repurposed fieldstone boulders create elevated perennial gardens filled with ornamental grasses, coneflower, cranesbill, and bluestar. The relatively low-maintenance species provide seasonal color in the months when lake activity is at its highest. The plants add softness to hardscape necessary to support the upper terrace and pool.
At night a moody glow emerges with the help of the landscape lighting. They provide safe passage from the lake back up to the house after a night cruise. And when the winter brings lake living inside, the lights remind you where you’ll be come summer again.