Searl Lamaster Howe Architects has designed the ‘river house,’ a rural retreat for a Chicago-based family along the shores of the St. Joe River in the small town of Buchanan, Michigan. Nestled on a 14-acre property, the home captures views of the river on one side and a meadow on the other, providing the family with a respite from city life for themselves and two generations of extended family.
While contemporary in form—a nod to the older generation’s leanings—the house is built from traditional, rustic, and resilient elements such as a rough-hewn cedar shake roof, locally mined granite, and old-growth fir beams. Its east footprint parallels the bluff edge. The low ceilings of a pair of sitting areas help frame views downward to the waterline thirty feet below.
These spaces also create a welcome intimacy since only two people often occupy the house. Larger groups are attracted to the vaulted ceilings of the kitchen and living room, which open onto a broad meadow to the west that slopes up to a fruit orchard. The importance of group dinners is reflected in the bridge-like form of the dining room, which connects the two wings of the house.
This home boasts 2,900 square feet of living space, featuring four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a powder room, a spacious living room, an open kitchen with a sitting area, a modest foyer, and a mudroom. Additionally, it offers a screened porch with a fireplace and an outdoor dining area overlooking the river.
Above: The metal roofed dining room links the two wings of the house while providing views down to the water in one direction and up to an open meadow in the other.
Above: Instead of a grand formal entry, the main door is at the intersection of two paths of circulation. To the right is the kitchen. In the foreground is the hall leading to the mudroom, powder room, and garage.
Above: Hand-rubbed blackened steel frames the fireplace and a recessed niche for extra wood. A reclaimed beam serves as the mantle. The lower ceiling area to the right is a more intimate secondary seating area.
Above: Soft green viens in the Vermont Danby marble on the backsplash and counters, and pick up the cabinetry color. The beams overhead extend from the kitchen, through the dining room, and into the living room beyond.
Above: A streamlined farmhouse sink is set into crisply framed painted cabinetry. Copper fittings provide an accent and will patina over time.
Above: A small cozy seating area extends off the kitchen and provides a link to the deck, which has a view down to the St. Joe River.
Above: A small porch is tucked between the house’s oversized granite chimney and the guest bedroom wing. Skylights bring in light filtered by the tree canopy.
Above: A corner window expands the scale of the main bedroom and offers up views of a ravine in one direction and the St. Joe River in the other.
Above: Simple black hardware and fittings finish off the field-painted cabinetry. Terrazzo flooring adds both visual interest and resilience.
Above: Two sets of site-built bunks comfortably sleep up to eight. The trundle beds can be pushed in to allow for extra floor space. This space is a little over nine by 17 feet in dimension.
Above: The guest bath, at times, will be used by up to twelve people. The tub/shower and water closet are each behind their own doors to facilitate sharing. An extra-deep counter and the ledge above provide space for guests to lay out toiletries.
Above: An outdoor dining area is set off to the side of the large kitchen window, which overlooks the river below.
Above: The house sits at the edge of a small bluff that overlooks the St. Joe River
What We Love: This beautiful family retreat features a unique floorplan layout spread out over one level and following the gentle arc of the river and bluff. Minimizing the home’s presence on the property, it blends seamlessly with nature and the surrounding landscape. We love how this home is designed to accommodate anywhere from two to 14 people at a time throughout all seasons, offering varied spaces that provide both privacy and communal enjoyment. Overall, the architects created clever design solutions that maximize functionality within small spaces.
Tell Us: What are your overall thoughts on the design of this river house retreat? Let us know in the Comments below!
Note: Be sure to check out a couple of other fabulous home tours in the state of Michigan that we have featured here on One Kindesign: Step inside a stunning Michigan farmhouse retreat surrounded by woods and Take the ultimate tour of a modern barn-like house in rural Michigan.
Above: An aerial view shows the house at the boundary between a wooded bluff and an open meadow. The house’s shape mirrors the top of the bluff, which leads down to the St. Joe River.
Above: At night, the house peeks through the trees that dot the bluff.
Above: A small fireplace in that screened-in porch shares an oversized granite chimney with the fireplace in the living room beyond.
Above: The transparency at the front of the house is afforded by the long private drive through woods.
PHOTOGRAPHER Tony Soluri Photography Inc
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