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photos by Nancy Vandervoort, N. Vandervoort Photography
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It’s the perfect “forever home” for a Silver Lake family — everyone has their own space tailored to their interests, and there’s plenty of room for family time.
The husband jams out on guitar in his soundproof music studio, the wife appreciates the views from her dream office and their adult son has a high-tech model train room and an entire in-law suite where he has his own space.
“This is the first time the three of us have actually been able to live in peace, where there’s something for everybody,” the husband says.
The project, which was originally a first-floor remodel but turned into a demolition and new build, let the talents of interior designer Julia Schumacher and general contractor Don Brown of D.F. Brown Construction shine. The two of them worked together to design a home that exceeded the homeowners’ goals.
Beyond wanting to upgrade to a spot where they can all have their own space, the homeowners had another goal — taking advantage of the picturesque Silver Lake views.
From the great room, they point toward Silver Lake, visible through the windows facing the street, and then they turn toward the back of the house, where there’s an up-close view of the 24-acre Crystal Lake right beyond the backyard.
“It’s a total offset to a busy life,” the husband says. “Out here in the backyard, I have a beaver dam. They’re swimming. The bats are flying. … We have geese, ducks, turtles.”
“We’ve always loved the water,” the wife adds.
Those views are brought into the house through large black-framed windows and natural tones.
photos by Nancy Vandervoort, N. Vandervoort Photography
“The use of natural materials, of wood floors, big windows and then the palette — it’s all very neutral, nice, simple wood tones and white,” says Schumacher, the owner of Akron-based Schumacher Designs. “Thinking of light and nature were the driving forces for the design, and timelessness.”
That vision shines in the open-concept great room and kitchen, starting with the quarter-sawn oak cabinetry flanking the 16-foot cast stone fireplace.
“We wanted a huge fireplace, something tall to hold up this side of the room,” Schumacher says.
Quarter-sawn oak beams break up the ceiling while visually connecting the fireplace to the range hood and quarter-sawn oak kitchen cabinetry on the opposite end of the room. Nearby, a quartz-topped island is set with seven chairs, and a walk-in pantry/food prep area completes the kitchen. An adjacent breakfast nook features an oak table from the husband’s parents and some green cabinetry for a pop of color.
Soft indirect light shines upward from light coves, which, along with the white walls, create a non-cluttered, calming atmosphere. Throughout the rest of the first floor, the white walls, black doors, trim and windows and hickory floors weave the space together.
Those trim details carry through to the wife’s office — her dream space. Sliding doors separate her space from the rest of the main floor, while a fluffy light fixture floral in appearance and square downlights augment the room’s natural light. The walls are pale pink, and a piece of floral art by Columbus artist Susanne Dotson provides summery color no matter the season. “On a gray day, you have Mother Nature,” Schumacher says.
The wife loves the space, where she has a great view while remaining close to the action in the great room.
“It’s private. It’s feminine. It’s something I’ve always wanted,” she says.
Overall, Schumacher and Brown ensured the main floor flowed seamlessly, while still integrating the family’s personal touches.
“We wanted open, kind of eclectic,” Schumacher says. “Downstairs, it is more like a lounge and an Irish Pub.”
After descending, you enter a living space complete with cozy furniture, a fireplace and framed guitars on the walls. A one-of-a-kind Don Drumm guitar sculpture rests in the corner. Nearby, a soundproof music studio filled with guitars and customizable LED lights provides a spot for the husband to play.
“This is my little sanctuary,” he says, as his wife likens him to Jimi Hendrix.
Across the space, the Irish-pub-inspired bar with knotty alder trim draws attention. There’s a geometric tin ceiling, a mirror television and speakers in the walls — perfect for gatherings and Browns watch parties. A picture of the husband’s dad looks over the bar, a nod to the Irish family’s history.
A nearby door leads to an outdoor space with a kitchen, grill, pizza oven and enough seating for 20 guests. Although the space is perfect for game days and fun parties, the family still wanted to put focus on how they would use the house in the future.
The couple plans to age in place, with amenities to make everything accessible, from the low kitchen appliances to an elevator and the walk-in shower. And just as they thought of the future, they also wanted to connect their forever home to the past. They kept some things from their old house — bricks in the wall by the bar and a sketch the husband drew under some old wallpaper. There’s also a jar of smooth glacial sand collected from the land their new home was built on. Overall, it’s a perfect fit for the family.
“It’s a dream come true,” the wife says. “We are just so happy with it.”
Closer look:
photos by Nancy Vandervoort, N. Vandervoort Photography
The downstairs wine room features intricate grape-adorned custom iron gates, exposed stone and iron racks for bottles instead of the more traditional choice of boxes.
“In our design meetings, we knew we wanted the openness to look through and … to be able to see the stone,” says Julia Schumacher, the owner of Schumacher Designs, who led the project with general contractor Don Brown of D.F. Brown Construction. “It was all ideas that we’ve gathered from experience and life, and then finding the right sources to implement them.”
The room full of custom finishes wasn’t in the original plans for the new build, but it fills the space under the front porch in a creative, beautiful way the couple can enjoy.
