DESIGNS THAT STOOD THE TEST OF TIME: NORTHWOODS

DESIGNS THAT STOOD THE TEST OF TIME

A RUSTIC & REFINED NORTHWOODS HOME

​Unwittingly, the theme of this month’s newsletter has turned into the Dream Home. Speaking for myself, building a dream home lands among the top three dreams of mine, and I doubt that I am alone in admitting that my dream home has been carefully cultivated in my mind since I was very young. The idea of a dream home may even be a universal human desire; a home provides a sense of safety and security, can act as a canvas to 

reflect one’s personality, and can make daily ​life more comfortable and more joyous. When I was younger, anytime I saw a design that I loved or a home feature that piqued my interest, I mentally filed it away for that time in the future when I could build a dream home of my own.

​Our newsletter stars this month began their dream home project over a decade ago, so they are veritable experts on Designs That Stand the Test of Time. Bill and Kathy R.'s Northwoods-style dream home was the culmination of a lifelong dream; the land they built on—a forested cabin resort property overlooking a gorgeous lake—has over fifty years of family history entwined within it. Their family spent many vacations in this spot, and in 2011, when Bill and Kathy’s children had families of their own, they decided to bring this place, so full of nostalgia, into a new stage. They commissioned Studio21 Architects to design the home of their dreams, complete with two guest suites for their grown children, a bunk room for the grandkids, a recreation room, a sunroom, an expansive dining deck, and even a fishing center! The pair knew from the start that their dream home had to embody the Northwoods cabin style because, with so much love for the area, their dream home couldn’t go against the style indicative of the landscape—it had to be complementary.

When designing your dream home, it becomes even more important to Define Your Sense of Home in a concrete, organized way. It’s called a dream home for a reason—it should be the truest reflection of what YOU want in a home. Bill and Kathy's home exemplifies this mindset, for their Northwoods home incorporated not only the style they love but features that meshed with their lives and suited their goal of a home that could host the whole family. While they are currently embarking on a new design adventure with a new home, this Northwoods home still shows that design that is true to you is one of the best ways to stand the test of time. One of life's guarantees is that with time comes change; because of that, we can all have more than one dream home! Keep reading to hear from Kathy R. about her and Bill's gorgeous dream home and the story behind it:

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Studio21 architects: Thank you for speaking with me! I know that you are in the beginning stages of your next home design project, but you lived in your Northwoods home for more than ten years, correct? How have you been enjoying it since completion?

Kathy R: Yes, we are about to begin our next project after being in this home since 2011. We thoroughly loved our Northwoods home; we built it with every detail in mind and was the culmination of a lifelong dream.

s21: above you mentioned it was a lifelong dream to create this home. can you tell me a little bit about your motivation to begin the original project? did you purchase the land with the intention of a custom home, or did that intention grow over time?

KR: Our property has many years of family history behind it, which dates back to the mid-1950s. So when we 

purchased it, we enjoyed the previous Northwoods resort property in its original state for twelve years before we tore down the two, three-season cabins to build our current year-round home. This had been our original plan when we purchased the property in 1997.

The site pre-construction—still idyllic!

s21: were there any features or design choices that you knew you wanted right from the start?

KR: Yes, we had always wanted a Northwoods-style home with cedar siding and river stone. One of our must-haves was a large floor-to-ceiling wood-burning river stone fireplace in the great room. A large Montana/Colorado deck was on the list, too. A large kitchen island and pantry, as well as a large laundry room, were also must-haves. Actually, I could check off everything that was on that list, but then I'd pretty much be listing out the entire home because we were able to build our perfect home!

s21: what would you say was your number one goal for the home?

KR: Our number one goal absolutely was to build a family home. We have three grown children and their families, and we wanted to have a place where we could all be together and enjoy one of our favorite places that the family had grown up enjoying. We also built it for our own place of tranquility.

s21: Do you have a favorite part of the house? A specific room or feature, for example?

K: For me, I think my favorite parts of the house are the kitchen, great room, and sunroom. I love our great room’s stone fireplace with our beautiful hand-carved mantle. For Bill [R.], it’s his fishing center, the kitchen, and the sunroom.

s21: what would you say makes your home feel timeless rather than trendy?

KR: Our home is definitely Northwoods, but it feels open and has clean lines. It’s a very good mix of wood, tile, stone, and plaster. You have the feeling of being in a cabin, but also in an updated home.

Test of Time Advice: Aesthetic trends vary so widely from region to region and even person to person. If you focus on updating the functionality of your home with more pragmatic features, you can allow yourself more freedom with stylistic choices.

s21: looking back, is there anything you think you would have done differently in the design, given the chance to do it again?

​KR: Bill and I have often spoken to each other about that and have always said 

Geometric Windows + Cathedral Ceiling = Gorgeous!

that ​there's nothing we would have changed. It took us two years to work with Bill Styczynski on these plans and to this day, we believe we did it just right.

Test of Time Advice: Taking your time to hone in on your dream home's vision can be extremely helpful, but if you don't find yourself having the extra time, that's okay! At Studio21 Architects, our team works diligently with you before starting the Design Phase, so we can learn exactly what you need and want in your home. 

s21: Last but not least...what advice would you give anyone who is considering starting their own custom home project?

KR: I think our advice is to not rush; take your time. First and foremost, find the property and then make sure that your dream home will work on that property before you purchase it. Use Bill’s [Styczynski] knowledge and expertise to make sure you have no regrets before you even get started. Also, I have always had a running list of ideas and pictures of various things I wanted in the house. This worked out very well when it came time to build; we were able to incorporate a lot of those ideas into the home. And lastly, but very importantly, be patient and have a very good relationship with your architect and builder. Being able to feel at ease communicating with these people is essential to a successful and enjoyable experience and outcome.

Kitchen with handcrafted features to match the whole home!

Test of Time Advice: What Kathy just mentioned perfectly encapsulates why a Research Phase is so important in the design process. Without an expert, it can be impossible to know if your property will work for the project you have in mind. Our Design Discovery Review investigates your existing site or space, helps you organize your ideas for the home, and develops a plan to get you the result you've dreamed of. 

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see more northwoods photos!

a huge thank you to bill and kathy for participating in this article! This home is truly so beautiful and has a wonderful meaning behind it. We are so happy that we get to join you on your next home design journey!

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Written by: emma h.

Emma H. works as the Marketing Coordinator at Studio21 Architects. For each of our newsletters, Emma conducts interviews, writes articles, and formats the pages to make sure they reflect the great design we value so strongly at this firm. She may not be an architect, but she certainly makes sure that the marketing materials have architect-worthy design as well!