A contemporary craftsman home blends into its sublime shoreline site in Glen Arbor.
This article first appeared in Traverse Northern Michigan. Find this story and more when you explore our magazine library. Want Traverse delivered to your door or inbox monthly? View our print subscription and digital subscription options.
Understatement: it isn’t hard to fall in love with the idea of a home on Sleeping Bear Bay in Glen Arbor. Especially for these homeowners, who for years had spent winters snowboarding and skiing Sugar Loaf and The Homestead along with summer vacations mooring their boat in the bay and offshore near South Manitou Island. When it was time to upgrade to a cottage of their own, the couple homed in on Glen Arbor, eventually narrowing their search to two houses, one on each side of the bay. Both homes, while different, were lovely, met their requirements and had drop-dead gorgeous water views.
In a stroke of genius, they asked their Realtor if they could spend an evening on each deck to watch the sunset while getting a feel for the property and setting. Cottage #1, they found, was a masterpiece of serenity. It offered a few more days of sunsets over the bay before the sun slipped behind Sleeping Bear Point at summer’s end, but it had less protection from the prevailing winds. At Cottage #2 they fell in love with the raised deck, bigger windows and open floor plan. The cottage’s layout made them feel more connected to the beach and the outdoors in general. A surprise was that the height of the deck nearly eliminated mosquitoes. They also observed a hive of activity on the beach. As they would learn later, the home next door was owned by people known far and wide as the gold standard for a big, friendly, fun-loving and active extended family.
Photo by Jacqueline Southby
Their decision? The deck and the more protective westward setting of Cottage #2 triumphed. Bay Cottage, as it was named, was a comfortable 1980s two-bedroom, three-bath home with an open floor plan and no garage. The couple knew that eventually they would need more space for their own big, friendly, fun-loving and active extended family. After 10 years, they decided it was time for Bay Cottage 2.0—a new cottage that would include the features they’d come to love about the old one, while adding bedrooms and storage.
Drawing on the inspiration from a folder of ideas the couple had meticulously gathered over the years, Caleb Norris and the team at Norris Design Productions worked with them to design a home that added space while retaining the features of the existing home. They kept the expansive raised deck and open floor plan, replicated the original living space so that it lived small when it was just the two of them, but added space for family and guests.
Photo by Jacqueline Southby
Photo by Jacqueline Southby
Photo by Jacqueline Southby
The couple chose to work with Caleb’s father, Scott Norris, owner of Scott Norris Construction. In addition to building high-quality homes on-time and within budget, he also had a reputation for being super honest, approachable and transparent, all traits that were important to the couple.
The finished product is modern coastal design. Six bedrooms (four on the lower level) plus a bunk room over the garage welcome family and frequent guests. A shallow roof pitch and sand-colored cedar shingles help the house blend into the sublime shoreline. The interior is flooded with views of Sleeping Bear Bay through expansive windows and glass doors that span the main floor—perched as it is 10 feet above ground level. Interior designer Carrie Long, who has previously worked with the homeowners, helped them pull together the design details. “We ping-pong ideas off one another and it builds this energy,” she says. What Long calls a “casually chic” style blends natural materials including white oak flooring and cabinetry, quartzite counters, gray stone marble fireplace and a leather sofa. Long calls the unique collection of lighting pendants that she and the homeowners found from across the country “the jewelry of the space.”
Over the years, the couple has enjoyed becoming a part of the community. Which brings us back to those neighbors with the steady hive of activity on their beach. What became of them? Both of the friendly, fun-loving and active families have become, well, like family.
Read Next: Inside a Quaint Glen Arbor Cottage That was Once a Train Depot
Photo by Jacqueline Southby
Home Resources
- Designer: Norris Design Productions
- Contractor: Scott Norris Construction
- Interior Design: Carrie Long Interiors
- Windows: Pella
- Granite & Marble Surfaces: Granite Source of Michigan; Stratus Marble & Granite
- Kitchen Design: Creative Kitchens
- Kitchen & Primary Bath Cabinetry: Crystal Cabinets
- Shower/Bath Doors, Custom Mirrors: TC Mirror and Shower Door
- Fireplaces: Phillips Lifestyle
- Art: Sleeping Bear Gallery, Empire
- Timbers: Grand Traverse Timber
Photo by Jacqueline Southby