When does a house become more than a shelter and a refuge? In the case of one Alabama family’s Lake Martin home, it’s when it’s also a love letter to stone and wood that beguiles loved ones to gather.
The homeowner, a successful businessman with an equally accomplished wife and daughter in her 20s, hoped to build a vacation retreat that honored the timeless appeal of classic lake house architecture while remaining luminous, inviting and au courant. Renowned for its elegant approach to rusticity, Lake Martin is such a place the client has loved for decades, as the project’s architect, David Baker, explains.
The architect and his client scoured Lake Martin for more than a year before finding the perfect property: a 1980s residence with good bones sited on a small peninsula within the 44,000-acre waterway. “Part of my initial plan was to bring the lake as close as possible to the house,” Baker reveals. He delivered on that objective in a variety of ways, including the stacked wall of windows overlooking the pool and patio on the waterfront side of the home.
Home Details
Architecture:
David Baker, Tippett Sease Baker Architecture
Interior Design:
Susan Ferrier, Susan Ferrier Interiors
Home Builder:
Trent Calhoun, Calhoun Construction
Landscape Architecture:
Ryan McKnight, McKnight Landscape Architects
Landscape architect Ryan McKnight was enlisted to amplify the connection between the house and lake with an emphasis on the hardscape. Part of that effort involved installing a raised infinity pool, its vanishing point blending imperceptibly with the lake itself. Furthering symmetry and connection, “The width of the pool aligns with that of the large bank of windows at the center of the home,” McKnight notes. The pool’s custom interior also was tinted to mimic the precise color of the lake, reinforcing the illusion of continuity between land and water.
With builder Trent Calhoun coming highly recommended by friends, the client was eager to recruit him for the renovation. Baker found Calhoun to be resourceful, meticulous and hands-on throughout every step of the process. Together, they elevated the construction to a work of high craft. Still, the project’s most fortuitous union was between Baker and designer Susan Ferrier, who have built a marvelous rapport over the years through more than 20 collaborative projects.
Ferrier understood the assignment from the jump: to create a getaway so alluring, guests would be helpless to resist its gravitational pull. The designer’s secret weapon? Her ability to blend luxury with lifestyle, carefully considering every moment of daily routine. To wit, she transformed the primary bathroom into a splendid oasis, complete with a wall-to-wall vanity offering multiple spots to sit or stand while getting ready.
In the adjoining bedroom, a rich bronze tone envelops the walls, ceiling and trim, lending alluring contrast to the home’s lighter spaces. The complex hue pulls from several points on the color spectrum, hints of which are continuously revealed with the shifting sunlight. “It reacts to whatever light is filtering through those windows off the lake,” Ferrier explains, emphasizing how the saturated room harmonizes with the verdant landscape. “Compared to the brightness of the public spaces, the primary suite is such a private area, so it gets a little richer, a little cozier,” she comments. “We struck a balance of dark and light throughout this house.”
Fenestration by Kolbe Windows & Doors provides the backdrop to Gloster rocking chairs by Henrik Pedersen and a Greenwich side table by Danao. The arrangement gathers at the edge of the pool, which Baker designed in concert with landscape architect Ryan McKnight.
Both Baker and Ferrier were committed to creating something quite sophisticated—think the luxury trappings of a stay at Claridge’s, rather than a rugged overnight in the country. With the wife’s input, Baker paired deep-mink lap siding with naturally aged cedar shingles, linking the abode’s material palette to the surrounding hardwood forest while offering a contemporary take on Adirondack architecture.
“When you walk in the front door, the house reveals to you where you are,” Baker expresses. That warm sense of welcome begins at the threshold, where the lake beckons beyond the expanse of tall windows. Smaller transoms throughout the main level let the rooms drink in the daylight. The transition from the home’s striking charcoal exterior to its refreshing white interior, Ferrier describes, is “almost like breaking into a piece of fruit.”
One of the most remarkable elements within the house is the dramatic scissor truss that crisscrosses over the kitchen and family room, giving this free-flowing area the feeling of a cathedral ceiling. This feature also keeps the 17-foot-tall vaulted heights from feeling too overwhelming, “bringing humility to the space,” Baker explains.
The quality time the family now spends at the lake is a testament to that welcoming aura. “This is a place where your biggest decision becomes, ‘What bottle of wine am I going to open?’ ” Ferrier says cheekily. “A second home should reflect who you aspire to be—the inner you.”
The family room offers unobstructed views through corner windows by Kolbe Windows & Doors. Ferrier furnished the setting with sculptural pieces such as wing chairs by Anees Furniture & Design from Paul Plus and floor lamps by Pfeifer Studio.
Walk Through The Home:
The living room features a BDDW club chair alongside a Highland House sofa upholstered in Mark Alexander linen, topped by pillows wearing Dedar fabric with Holly Hunt trim. A collection of Tommy Mitchell wall sculptures brings dimension and contrast. The vintage iron-and-marble side table is from Showrooms 2220.
Designer Susan Ferrier selected pieces to enhance the living room’s sense of airiness—like Formations’ Umbrian lanterns from Jerry Pair. Flanking the fireplace of Vetter Stone-sourced Indiana limestone is a wing chair covered in Marvic Textiles’ Albano fabric.
Architect David Baker’s scissor trusses anchor the kitchen. Gregorius Pineo stools from Jerry Pair line the island by Graham Heilman Cabinetry. A custom chandelier from Charles Edwards lights the Sub-Zero appliances.
The family room offers unobstructed views through corner windows by Kolbe Windows & Doors. Ferrier furnished the setting with sculptural pieces such as wing chairs by Anees Furniture & Design from Paul Plus and floor lamps by Pfeifer Studio.
A Holland MacRae mirror reflects the primary bedroom’s scenery, including a Casamidy chaise and an Ironies bed wrapped in Kirkby Design velvet. Above, a triptych by Atlanta artist Ashton Watson enriches the atmosphere near a Paul Ferrante chandelier.
Fenestration by Kolbe Windows & Doors provides the backdrop to Gloster rocking chairs by Henrik Pedersen and a Greenwich side table by Danao. The arrangement gathers at the edge of the pool, which Baker designed in concert with landscape architect Ryan McKnight.
The loggia embraces comfortable upholstery with curvaceous details, seen in the Kettal dining chairs from Paul Plus. Daybreak daybeds by Link Outdoor join a Kartell lounge chair from Switch Modern for ample seating.
Continuing sight lines from the center of the home to culminate at the lake, the knife-edge infinity pool’s PebbleTec interior was color-matched to mirror the water’s hue. Gloster’s Kay chaises frame the feature, specified by McKnight.