Part of a former YWCA camp, this property came with 40 acres, thousands of feet of frontage on two lakes, a sandy beach, three small cabins, and a former infirmary. The clients, who have three children and six grandchildren and who have lived around the world, desired a comfortable home with Scandinavian influences that could serve as a cozy, central gathering space for their entire family while also being connected to the natural landscape.

Knickerbocker Group designed a series of three single-level forms that subsequently become more modern as they stretch away from the camp’s simple cabins: a gable-roofed open-plan living space, a low-pitched dining area with a wall composed nearly entirely of windows, and a pair of bedrooms topped with a shed dormer roof. Each volume is given distinct cladding in vertical and horizontal applications, including reverse board-and-batten siding and prefinished white-cedar shingles, all stained a muted black that mimics the bark of the pines just outside.

The large screened porch is nearly 600 square feet—more than a third of the size of the home—and is designed to be durable and multifunctional, with a granite fireplace, L-shaped custom cedar bench, polished concrete floors, all-weather wicker seating, and a cedar Ping-Pong/crafting/overflow dining table crafted by the homeowner. White walls are punctuated by black hardware, and colors are taken from surrounding nature:  nickel-gap the color of moss, white-oak kitchen cabinets in a sandy shade. Granite flows in and out of the home, including thick slabs that were found on-site and repurposed as a front step, fireplace hearth, and porch column. The site was disturbed as little as possible during construction, and landscaping was kept minimal, resulting in a cozy lakeside haven tucked under a canopy of trees.