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...

country kitchen

wine bottle storage

blue and white beachside style

a chandelier by a staircase

stone fireplace and wooden spiral staircase

fireside in winter
For more from the Cottage Company, click here.


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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.
I'd looove to sleep in that porch!!!!! The bed looks so cozy and the exteriors look awsome and calm.
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.
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!
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?
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
That porch is to die for and ... what a view!
Delikatissen
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
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
For eastone777:
http://www.mynorth.com/My-North/Vacation/Cottage-Rentals/
Most comprehensive listing of "soulful" Northern Michigan cottage rentals. Have fun!
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!
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
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!
I used to vacation in Glen Arbor, at some stupid resort, but it's still a lovely place. I hope I get a chance to go back sometime, but I would rent a cabin on the lake instead. Now, we vacation in the UP (Big Bay, near Marquette) and that is also wonderful. Lake Superior is a dream!
This post is old but, yeah - I've been looking on Home Away and other sites for a nice place to spend a long weekend but every one I see is either cheesy or horribly sparse. I want to stay somewhere with a bit of style (like all the cottages you see from Scandinavia).