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The Audacity Of Authentic
Door County, a peninsula extending into Lake Michigan, is nicknamed “The Cape Cod of the Midwest.” Like its eastern counterpart, there are two distinct sides: the northwestern shore, which meanders along sparkling Green Bay—a yachtsman’s paradise—and the southeastern shore, which fronts the mesmerizing vastness of Lake Michigan. Dotted along both shorelines are charming towns, each with its own personality.
The centrally located town of Fish Creek, on Green Bay, was the first to attract the smart set, particularly wealthy industrial families from Chicago and Milwaukee. On an especially breathtaking bluff is Cottage Row, home to many magnificent lake-style houses built at the beginning of the twentieth century. Redbird Manor is one of them—an authentic Jazz Age retreat.
Sadly neglected for far too long, the house and its outbuildings were in bad shape. Wood had rotted, windows were failing and the porch had collapsed. Yet rather than tear it down and start from scratch, the owners embarked on a courageous two-and-a-half-year restoration. What was usable was carefully removed and refinished; what wasn’t, was faithfully reproduced. The end result is a magically luminous house firmly rooted in its evocative past but perfectly poised for the future.
The owners desired a home in which “to celebrate, study, ponder big-life decisions, and sometimes just reacquaint yourself with who you are.” Indeed, they received that and so much more. Interior and exterior paints were custom blended to match the house’s original colors, and family heirlooms were carefully integrated with new furnishings that were curated for comfort and timelessness. “Meaningful bits and pieces from long ago quietly grace every room,” says one of the owners. And there, atop a gentle rise of verdant lawn at water’s edge, a much-loved old lake house lives on for generations to come.
The same local stone that was used for exterior elements such as retaining walls and door surrounds reappears indoors for the charmingly scaled chimney.
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A unique turquoise paint color adds an element of eclecticism to the main living area.
Little details such as octagonal windows and artful knotty-pine millwork provide personality in even the smallest spaces, such as this tucked away powder room.
The sunny enclosed porch is almost completely lined in bead board, save for the stone chimney and nostalgic checkerboard floor.
