Transforming a Home for Family, Flow + Everyday Style
The Vision
This renovation reimagined the main and lower levels of a 1977 lakefront home to better support a modern family’s full-time lifestyle and love of entertaining. While the home had been updated by previous owners, this was the first renovation undertaken by the current homeowners—who wanted to tailor the space to their routines, preferences, and long-term goals.
The Results
The completed renovation transformed both the main and lower levels into a contemporary retreat that supports the family's lifestyle.
Kitchen: A full gut remodel introduced a large central island, improved flow, and zoned appliances. The new layout makes everyday cooking easier and turns the island into a natural gathering spot for family and guests.
Main Floor: Aesthetic updates included replacing all wood floors and trim with a cleaner, more contemporary profile, and painting the built-ins black for contrast. The family room fireplace was modernized with large-format porcelain tile and a streamlined profile, omitting the hearth to free up floor space. New doors and windows enhanced both natural light and energy performance, with strategic expansions to improve lake views.
Foyer: Once dominated by a built-in fish tank, the entry is now open and welcoming. The redesigned staircase - featuring deeper treads and improved proportions - offers both safety and a striking design feature.
Lower Level: The lower level now functions as a true extension of the home, with the bar, gym, family room and arcade. LVT flooring, electrical cleanup and a new gas fireplace make the space durable, inviting, and fully integrated.
The result is a flexible, inviting home that balances sleek design with everyday comfort.
Project Goals
The project focused on transforming the kitchen, improving the main floor layout and finishes, and turning the underused walk-out lower level into a true extension of the living space. With both homeowners working remotely and hosting frequently, key objectives included creating two dedicated home offices, an open-concept kitchen with a large island, and updated circulation between interior spaces and the outdoors.
Project Challenges
Turning these goals into reality came with challenges:
- Layout limitations: Achieving a modern, open layout without altering the home's footprint required careful planning.
- The stairway: Steep, shallow treads posed a safety risk, especially after a family member had fallen. Assessing code compliance and exploring options to rebuild the stairs became a priority for both function and peace of mind.
- Balancing aesthetics and practicality: The homeowners envisioned a sleek, contemporary design - but this also needed to support everyday living for a family with a teenager, a dog, and two remote professionals. That meant designing flexible, hardworking spaces: two home offices, a kitchen for both cooking and gathering, and a basement that could transition from arcade, to bar to gym to family hangout.
Navigating these technical and lifestyle needs required a creative, detail-oriented approach.
Product Selections
The house has been updated to reflect a balance of craftsmanship and product selection, featuring the following finishes:
Before Photos
Interested in Meadowlark’s remodeling services? Let’s chat.