Tasked with designing a second home on a multi-property lakefront site, our team was asked to create a spacious, 11-bedroom residence that could accommodate an extended family of up to 50 guests, while still maintaining a sense of intimacy, flow, and connection to the landscape. The original 1990s home nearby served as an inspiration for the architectural character of this new structure, but the design was deliberately differentiated through refined detailing and updated proportions.

Influenced by the grand early-20th-century vacation estates in the New England Lakes Region, the house takes on a modernized shingle-style form, balancing generous massing with cottage-like warmth. We drew from traditional architectural elements, such as white cedar shingle siding, Tuscan columns, and a cedar shake roof, but refined their expression for a more tailored, balanced façade.

The home’s orientation and layout were driven by waterfront access and view prioritization. Great consideration was taken to provide lake views to all major bedrooms, while the bunk rooms (facing the driveway) were designed to maximize flexibility. Since the array of guests shifts often, each bedroom was designed with modularity in mind, allowing for future reconfiguration to accommodate king beds, twin beds, or bunks.

With a multigenerational family in mind, we implemented sound-mitigating materials, including a specialty floor assembly with a sound mat, wall insulation in shared walls, and carpeting to buffer the activity of the family’s grandchildren and large gatherings. The bedrooms are intentionally separated from common living areas for privacy and relaxation.

The garage pass-through provides direct access to the lake for watercraft and equipment, and links the new and older home, reinforcing the physical and visual connection between the two properties.