The neighbors on Big Cedar Lake were befuddled. From the water, this midcentury summer home looked nothing like the others in the area. “The architecture of this house is not ‘classic cottage,’ and people used to wonder about it aloud as they would pass by in their boats,” recalls designer Alison Pickart, who has been summering at this idyllic Wisconsin lake since childhood.
But thankfully Alison and Dan Sinacori—a family friend who purchased the dwelling with his wife, Laura, to share with their son each summer—got it. Being different from a microregion’s architectural vernacular can be a good thing. And, because the home was previously owned by a dean of architecture at a local university, it had plenty of positives, including full walls of glass and modern lines. “When you’re in the house, you really do feel like you’re floating,” the designer describes.
Home Details
Architecture and Interior Design:
Alison Pickart, Alison Pickart
Home Builder:
Ken Pickart, AP-Build, Inc.
Before the renovation, the residence was frozen in time. “It hadn’t been touched since it had been built,” says Alison, who worked on the project with her husband, general contractor Ken Pickart. Floors doubled as ceilings, insulation was nonexistent, and finishes were basic, down to exposed plywood. Still, the bones were solid. Its pared-back exterior and glassy geometry provide a serene envelope, and inside, the surrounding landscape is omnipresent: reflections of trees ripple across windows, sunsets wash rooms in pale-pink light, and the boundary between indoors and out all but dissolves. “It’s one of the closest to the water of all the houses on the lake,” the designer notes.
That siting guided every decision she made. Some changes, she admits, were painful. A massive stone fireplace once anchored the center of the great room, but it also blocked light and views. “I wanted to be as authentic as possible, but this giant fireplace didn’t make sense for this family,” Alison says. Removing it allowed the house to breathe, opening the kitchen and living areas directly to the water. The designer also reconfigured the walls on the lower level to allow for a more generous guest bedroom and bathroom (the latter adorned with zellige tile and terrazzo—no more plywood in sight!), further aligning the home to accommodate the rhythms of lake life.
The palette, too, follows the landscape. “The lot is really wooded, and there’s a dense tree canopy in front of the house,” Alison says. “Green just started emerging as the primary color.” The hue is punctuated by soft pinks that echo the summer sunsets. Art also plays a starring role, including an Elizabeth Gorek painting in the living room that is “like another window,” the designer describes. “We loved the idea of the woman on the end of the dock looking over the water to basically mimic what the house feels like.”
Similar touches of whimsy thread throughout the dwelling. Wallpaper pops up in strategic moments, including a playful puffer fish print in the children’s bunk room, where each bed nook feels like a private fort. “When I can’t find my son, I know he’s buried away in there with the blinds closed, reading,” Dan says. In the kitchen, Alison opted for sage-green cabinetry, then lined a hidden bar with a feather-patterned paper. When the Sinacoris leave for the season, they shut it ceremoniously. “They sent us a picture of the closed cabinet as a ‘See you next summer!’ ” the designer says with a laugh.
Abnormals Anonymous’ Mr. Blow on the walls and Schumacher’s Baxter Stripe on the ceiling give the children’s bunk room a cheeky tone. The bed linens are from Schoolhouse.
As for furnishings, Alison kept the family’s needs top of mind when making selections. “There’s a lot of thought behind everything,” Dan says. “It’s not just picking out furniture and fabric; it’s considering how the furniture is going to work in each room.” Pieces were chosen to prioritize flexibility and views: swiveling barrel chairs in the living room can orient toward the lake scenery, while low silhouettes on everything from the ottomans to the stools in the kitchen keep sight lines clear.
Outside, the design loosens up even further, with pink pagoda-style umbrellas. They may even appeal to the rubberneckers on the water. “If you juxtapose something really whimsical and bright and pastel, it kind of gives this nod that something interesting is happening inside,” Alison says. And it is.
Just off the living room and kitchen, the deck offers stunning views toward the south end of the lake. Eucalyptus chaises and a pagoda-style umbrella by One Kings Lane suit the scene.
Tour The Home:
Above the kitchen island are wicker pendant lights from Design Mix Furniture. They illuminate a set of sleek leather CB2 counter stools.
Within the kitchen is a hidden bar, tucked away behind pocket doors and lined in an abstract feather wallpaper by Lee Jofa. The cabinetry by Sloan’s Custom Cabinets is painted Farrow & Ball’s Lichen and features brass Rejuvenation hardware.
Fronting glimmering Big Cedar Lake, the living room captures the inherent joie de vivre of life on the water. An original Marcel Breuer Wassily chair faces a coffee table from Jayson Home and swivel chairs upholstered in Manuel Canovas fabric. Above the Schumacher-covered Lee Industries sofa is a painting by Elizabeth Gorek.
Hand-glazed zellige tile by Zia Tile shimmers in this petite bathroom. “We wanted to treat it like a spa jewel box,” designer Alison Pickart says. The vanity, painted Benjamin Moore’s Camouflage, is topped with Caesarstone and adorned with Rejuvenation hardware. Above are Allied Maker sconces.
In the primary bedroom, the walls are papered with a Cowtan & Tout print. A Herman Miller pendant hangs near the headboard and nightstand, both by Sarah Sherman Samuel for Lulu and Georgia.
Large format terrazzo tiles by Zia Tile lay an organic base in the guest bathroom. Cabinetry painted Benjamin Moore’s Avocado and Abnormals Anonymous’ Come Fly With Me paper continue the green scheme.
Abnormals Anonymous’ Mr. Blow on the walls and Schumacher’s Baxter Stripe on the ceiling give the children’s bunk room a cheeky tone. The bed linens are from Schoolhouse.
Quick-dry mesh seats on the teak chairs from Home Goods ensure the deck dining area is almost always ready for use. A soft blush One Kings Lane umbrella offers shade in style.
Just off the living room and kitchen, the deck offers stunning views toward the south end of the lake. Eucalyptus chaises and a pagoda-style umbrella by One Kings Lane suit the scene.