Canandaigua lake house embodies tranquility and natural beauty
Bathed in light and soft neutrals, the two-story lake house encapsulates the reasons people want a summer home - to unwind, to soak up natural beauty, and to find solace in small luxuries.
The Canandaigua Lake setting has sentimental value, too. The grandfather of the homeowner bought a cottage just five doors down in the 1920s.
“We spent summers in this neighborhood when I was a girl. I can see the chimney from my window,” said the woman who purchased the lake house with her husband during the heart of the coronavirus pandemic while hunkered down in Florida and a previous summer home outside Chicago. Structural problems made renovations impossible. The couple opted to tear down and rebuild on the site to create the house of their dreams. “We wanted a bright and cheery house with a fabulous view of the lake,” the wife said. “We also wanted a unique floorplan and an elevator.”
To achieve this, they hired Rochester-based Ketmar Development Corporation, whom they had long admired for their workmanship in Canandaigua. Marie and Charlie Kenton serve as president and vice president, respectively, and Justin McCombs is the field supervisor.
“Charlie’s attitude is, ‘If it’s your dream, we’ll make it happen,’” she said. “Everyone was delightful to work with.”
Through the builder, they found their architect, Pete Heintzelman, founder of Method Architecture Studio, based in Stowe, Vermont. “Peter made everything work,” the homeowner said. “I would send him pictures of homes I liked, and he would fit them to scale. When we had to make a change to the footprint of the house, he worked it out beautifully.”
Early on, they brought in interior designer Elizabeth Butler, owner of Elizabeth Butler Interiors, and landscape architect Sue Steele.
“Elizabeth has such an eye,” the homeowner said. “She made the house feel gentle and peaceful and like everything is supposed to be here.” Steele beautifully incorporated the homeowners’ favorite flowers, including roses, alliums, turtleheads, and climbing hydrangeas, into the landscape.
Butler said the work of everyone involved with the project reflected the homeowners’ vision of tranquility.
“My sense was to dial the design back and keep the look gentle and natural,” she said.
She accomplished this by painting the downstairs in Benjamin Moore Cedar Key, a warm neutral, and the second floor and bedrooms in Benjamin Moore White Dove. They installed pale, wide plank oak floors throughout the house and creamy carpet on the stairs.
In the living room, Butler worked with the homeowners to choose airy seating with rattan and cane frames and custom upholstery, accented in pale aqua blue. Accessory pieces were sourced in Rochester, and landscape paintings commissioned from artist Brian O’Neill completed the contemporary and peaceful feeling.
Glass doors flanked with textured floor-to-ceiling drapery panels divide the living room from the adjoining sunroom in an airy way. Anchored by a vintage white leather loveseat and companion swivel chairs, the sunroom is simple and elegant.
“The view takes over, not only of the lake but the surrounding gardens as well,” Butler said.
“With its heated tile floor and retractable sunshades, the sunroom is enjoyed year-round.”
The kitchen, with its Parsons-style glass cabinets and granite countertops, features an octagonal seating area with full-height windows overlooking the water, as well as a wet bar and butler’s pantry that adjoins the dining room and kitchen.
“Every amenity you’d want is thoughtfully presented in this house,” the homeowner said. “I love all the window treatments. They are subdued, so they don’t distract from the lake or the landscape.”
Upstairs, the three bathrooms are all done in a tile purchased from ArtWalk Design in Rochester. The wife’s bathroom is painted a soothing aqua while the husband’s is pale brown.
Simple touches like egg-shaped glass discs for the door hardware reflect the lakeside locale in a subtle way.
“The entire house has a clear, uncluttered look,” Butler said. “Tranquility is the essential element of this house. It is a soothing space flooded by natural light that quietly directs your attention to the lake and gardens beyond.”