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Inspiration: Michigan Cottage Style from Harbor Springs

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Living so close to Michigan, we try (like many Chicagoans) to make it up there at least once each summer for a mini-vacation. Homes along the lake can range from all-out country decor to laid-back cottage style to modern and minimal. We found a great resource this week that gives a glimpse into the range of Michigan's lakeside living spaces. The Cottage Company in Harbor Springs designs and renovates houses in the area, and their online gallery is worth a look for inspiration...

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country kitchen


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wine bottle storage


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blue and white beachside style


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a chandelier by a staircase


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stone fireplace and wooden spiral staircase


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fireside in winter

For more from the Cottage Company, click here.

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country house, inspiration

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Comments (13)

That sleeping porch looks lovely! I didn't realize they were common in Michigan. I always thought of them as a very Southern, pre-A/C practicality for those nights when the air was as thick and hot as pea soup.

posted by Monica on January 28th 2009 at 3:07pm
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I'd looove to sleep in that porch!!!!! The bed looks so cozy and the exteriors look awsome and calm.

posted by eddie p on January 28th 2009 at 3:45pm
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have you ever been up to goodhart? its right up the lake from harbor springs. there are many nice minimalist cabins along that route. i spent many times in one in particular that was owned by my fathers late friend. he had a nice wassilly chair in front of a large picture window overlooking lake michigan with all of his books close by. it was designed by his father, who was an architect in detroit. it is easily one of the best places in michigan, in my opinion.

posted by andrasklang on January 28th 2009 at 3:54pm
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Judging by the looks of those leafless trees and whitecaps, no one would be sleeping on that porch the day that photo was shot! Probably 40 degrees with a stiff westerly. But on a hot August night? Yes, please. Northern Lower Michigan has a wealth of inspiring homes. Come on over more often, Chicago AT!

posted by farmhousemoderne on January 28th 2009 at 3:54pm
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Ah! Harbor Springs is LOOOOOOVELY! In fact, Michigan offers an abundance of beautiful spots like it. But don't tell everyone... we don't want it to get crowded, do we?

posted by modtramp on January 28th 2009 at 4:03pm
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i was actually hoping to plan a weekend getaway to michigan but have NO idea where to begin in finding a cozy house or cluster of cabins to accommodate a group of about 12 people.. really trying to stay away from the tacky or soulless mega 'resorts' i've been finding.. anyone have any suggestions?? thanks

posted by eastone777 on January 28th 2009 at 4:22pm
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That porch is to die for and ... what a view!

Delikatissen

posted by delikatissen on January 28th 2009 at 4:22pm
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sleeping porches are acutally very common in the midwest... it's just that so many of the old ones have been enclosed as an interior bedroom.

those wacky old-timers were germ-a-phobes and believed sleeping in fresh air prevented illness. the would hunker down under the blankets and sleep on the porches. (i love the old year books at the local college... the frats would reference spying on the girls sleeping on the sleeping porches. so scandalous then!)

anyways... at some point, people realized you didn't have to freeze your butt off outside to prevent illness and they stopped using the porches year-round. then remodelers who don't know anything about historic preservation later on would say "oh, let's make junior a bedroom" and wall them in. drats.

enough rambling from the historic preservationist...

http://cottageofstone.blogspot.com

posted by puck on January 28th 2009 at 4:27pm
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didn't know "puck" thanks for the info, very interesting! it's a pity that they've started to wall their porches...

you've got a lovely blog btw

Delikatissen

posted by delikatissen on January 29th 2009 at 5:36am
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For eastone777:
http://www.mynorth.com/My-North/Vacation/Cottage-Rentals/

Most comprehensive listing of "soulful" Northern Michigan cottage rentals. Have fun!

posted by farmhousemoderne on January 29th 2009 at 2:13pm
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I love Michigan and the cottages that come with it. My family has vacationed in Leland every year since my birth, in a lovely little 'resort' full of quirky cabins and rooms. I think Northern Michigan is the best place in the world, I'd be happy living there for the rest of my life!

posted by Miss Jess on January 30th 2009 at 9:08am
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sleeping porches arent common in michigan... i've lived there for 23 years and never seen or even heard of one. And my family owns a bunch of beachside houses

posted by RalphEMole on January 30th 2009 at 9:49pm
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I have a house up in Harbor off Traverse Street and used to live in Traverse City. Now I'm in South Carolina, but Northern Michigan is the greatest place on earth!

Never seen a sleeping porch. It still gets cool at night even in the middle of the summer!

posted by mscoulte on May 16th 2009 at 8:28am
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