Home Stretch
Interior finishes enliven Crotty Cottage remodel
By Beth Anne Piehl
Photography by G. Randall Goss
Technically, Tuscany is on the lake, too. It’s just a little bigger body of water.
When Jack and Mimi Crotty laid out the design plan for their new, old cottage on Crooked Lake, they combined two different tacks into one scheme — Tuscan-meets-nautical. Tuscanautical?
“Jack and Mimi’s style intent was to have a lakeside influence on a Tuscan palette,” said Laura Gray of Plum Tree Interiors in Boyne City, the Crottys’ interior designer. “The couple are wonderful hosts, full of energy and passion toward life. They are very close with their family and thoroughly enjoy making special summer memories with them here.
“I knew their interior should reflect these qualities and support an entertaining lifestyle.”
Then let’s get this party started.
It’s a very, very busy day at the Crotty cottage.
The appliance van has arrived with stainless steel necessities, the carpet installers are hunched to the floor and the plumbing-and-heating guys are working their connections. There are painters and stainers, grout needs are being met and someone is pounding something in the garage.
It’s the hustle of a house coming together, down to the nitty gritty now.
“Many little details come up, especially in the finishing stage, and having a competent designer who stays ahead of issues and has answers before you asked the question is super,” said Jack and Mimi, in an e-mail exchange from their winter home in Florida.
The Cincinnati couple hasn’t seen their cottage since a visit in December and they plan to return to Northern Michigan and have a final walk-through on April 20, in between HomeLife’s press time and mailing. They’ve been kept apprised of progress via e-mail.
Not to brag, but wait ’til they see it in person.
Where the 1914-built family cottage had charm and creaks, the new has charisma and currency. The interior was gutted and redone to reveal a completely new layout, plethora of fresh color choices and modern updates that brought steel to the appliances rather than the counter.
A half-bath off the foyer exudes raspberry red; dark and light and spa blues complement tan and beige and cream, even a hint of keylime in an upstairs guest room. The blend of shades from room to room result in that Tuscanautical feel.
“I needed to rely on Laura and Steve (Steffes, project manager) to send photos of our progress and areas of discussion,” Mimi said. “For example, our master bath travertine appeared more gray than beige, so Laura sent the actual material for me to approve. If there was any area of concern, she caught the potential problem and made me aware of the solutions and recommendations.”
The unveiling in late April will reveal the great room which now incorporates a kitchen/dining/living space and custom furniture designed by Gray, like a commanding, one-of-a-kind bar in a shade of weathered lake blue and a deep cream banquette seating area off the kitchen.
“The challenge was to take this one large space and create comfortable gathering zones within it that were distinctly different yet did not feel isolated from the others,” said Gray. “Varying ceiling heights and the inclusion of wood beams in the living space helped to open up the lake view while keeping the scale more intimate.”
By the time the lake’s warm enough to swim in once again, the personal feel and comfort of the spaces will find their place once again, too. Historic photos of generations of Mimi’s family, their children and relatives that lined the old walls will hang from new nails; Mimi’s blue china will be displayed atop new cabinetry; and they’ll rest in the evening in a master suite that looks out over the lake in their Tuscany-meets-Petoskey cottage.
“It truly is a new home for us,” Jack and Mimi wrote, “and we are really excited to see it.”
Nearing the finish line
Since fall, HomeLife has been following a major remodel project at the Crotty cottage on Crooked Lake. The longtime family cottage, owned by Jack and Mimi Crotty of Cincinnati, was gutted, reconfigured and refreshed. In this issue, we take a look at how the interior design elements come together as the last stage of the project. In our July/August, we’ll feature the completed cottage and talk to the Crottys about their home on the lake.
Remodel partners
Project Manager: Steve Steffes
Contractor: Ironwood Construction, Petoskey, Dan and Steve Steffes
Architect: Jessica A. Moore, Pellston
Interior Design: Plum Tree Interiors, Laura Gray, Boyne City
Finish carpenter: Joe Richardson, Alanson