The Warmth of Wood
Precision craftsmanship brings the outdoors in
By Beth Anne Piehl
Photography by G. Randall Goss
Talk about literally having your work cut out for you.
For woodcrafters, carpenters and contractors, it’s an exacting craft to carve, fit and integrate natural wood components and accents into an entire home.
If the trim, the crown molding and built-ins are to be painted, there’s a little room for error (and coverage). But not when the end result will be a thin coat of stain that further highlights the wood’s beauty and grain — and any little imperfection in intersection or quality.
But the look is incomparable. Wood in its natural tones exudes warmth, originality, timelessness and the “Up North” ambiance that many area home and cottage owners prefer.
“We wanted a home that fit into the woods,” said Dave Heatherly, a Lake Charlevoix homeowner whose floor-to-ceiling cypress-wood interior is a mastery of wood craft. It was constructed a decade ago by crews from Andre Poineau Woodworker, the East Jordan firm known for its exacting and quality craftsmanship at some of this area’s most preeminent homes.
“There are quite a lot of intricate details,” Heatherly added. “My wife (Jean) wanted something that was more-or-less in the arts and crafts style home. She has a lot of talent in design and a lot of feel for it. Andy designed it and he has an architect on staff, and Jean worked with them on the design.”
The result is a spacious cottage on the lake where the couple, from Marshall, Mich., can relax and feel at home.
“It makes us feel good every time we walk in the door,” Heatherly said.
Poineau himself said the appeal of natural elements in home design is a preferred approach by many of his clients; a popular way to describe the look has become “rustic elegance.” In the Heatherly home, Poineau chose American beech for the floor and cypress for everything else, because “it’s clear and has a warm, natural color,” he said.
The wood complements the natural, secluded setting of the 4,400-square-foot home removed far enough from neighbors that the homeowners don’t even need window treatments. “It’s all about being able to bring the outside in,” Poineau said.
Demanding craftsmanship is the hallmark of a North Star Group-constructed home in Bay Harbor. The cherry wood cabinetry, built-ins and flooring extend from the simple-and-stunning foyer to the kitchen and to the headboard in the master suite.
The homeowner said she sought a natural, low-key look for the seasonal residence that reflected the couple’s modest style.
“I wanted natural materials and an open, simple design,” she noted. “Mike (Pattullo, the architect), got it right away. I like simplified Craftsman style. I’m an artist and I really like things that are made by hand, things that people do originally.”
The approach they were aiming for was achieved. Doug Houlmont, of North Star Building, said the contemporary home design was accomplished with crews from his firm and his affiliated Creative Carpentry. Pattullo, the architect, is with Shoreline Design, also part of the design-build team of Petoskey-based North Star Group, Inc.
Pattullo’s design talents are evident in touches found throughout the house, like inset display niches in the hallway and trapezoid-shaped cherry-framed windows in an inviting, comfortable sitting room that looks out over the Quarry golf course skirting the home.
“You don’t get to do a lot of real, natural wood these days,” said Houlmont. “It just really makes the house stand out. There are no mistakes in doing this kind of work. It shows a good craftsman.”
The house, completed in August 2008, presents an informal mood in an elegant way, with interior designing by Deborah Darnell of Harbor Springs.
“I want to feel like the outdoors comes in,” the homeowner said. “I like more simple, contemporary things. The usual, more elegant (approach) doesn’t appeal to us.” HL