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A Riverside ‘Pod’ Home in Michigan Gets a New Look
A neutral palette plus pops of blue freshen up this unique home, while two hidden built-in beds add to its function
This floor plan shows how the pods connect to the main, central portion of the home.
The home’s foyer leads in three directions: to the great room, dining room and kitchen. If you’ve just entered, to your right is the breezeway that leads to the great room pod. Straight ahead is the dining room. And to the left is the kitchen.
The wall art is a wire sculpture from a local gallery. The table is composed of a custom Carrara marble top on a new Herman Miller base. The floors are distressed white oak stained a dark tobacco color.
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The wall art is a wire sculpture from a local gallery. The table is composed of a custom Carrara marble top on a new Herman Miller base. The floors are distressed white oak stained a dark tobacco color.
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The family selected teal wallpaper to back the dining room bookcases and sprinkled this color throughout the home, which has an overall palette of neutral cream, white and wood. Cannarsa sourced the modern, orbit-like pendant chandelier above the table. The bookcases contain many of the homeowners’ beloved family photos.
The family room is just off the dining room and adjacent to the kitchen. Cannarsa helped the homeowners select new furniture, including the blue velvet sofa, which takes its cue from the dining room walls, and an off-white sofa upholstered with performance fabric that resists stains, a useful quality for a house on a river. The designer also selected the art over the fireplace from a local gallery.
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Browse sofas in the Houzz Shop
This image shows how the kitchen relates to both the front door (in the center-right background of the photo) and the dining room (on the left side in the background). The family room is just beyond the wine refrigerator (in the left foreground of the photo).
Cannarsa helped the previous owners remodel this kitchen four years ago, at the time pairing lower driftwood-look laminate cabinets with glossy white uppers, both in a flat-panel style. The previous owners were hobbyist chefs and equipped the kitchen with all new appliances. Cannarsa placed a high-top table over the end of the peninsula as a convenient eat-in area. The peninsula has a mirrored backsplash on either side of the cooktop.
As part of the work with the new homeowners, the designer added the glass around the stairway, which leads to a guest suite and multipurpose room.
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Cannarsa helped the previous owners remodel this kitchen four years ago, at the time pairing lower driftwood-look laminate cabinets with glossy white uppers, both in a flat-panel style. The previous owners were hobbyist chefs and equipped the kitchen with all new appliances. Cannarsa placed a high-top table over the end of the peninsula as a convenient eat-in area. The peninsula has a mirrored backsplash on either side of the cooktop.
As part of the work with the new homeowners, the designer added the glass around the stairway, which leads to a guest suite and multipurpose room.
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The kitchen has an island that stands directly across from the family room. The back wall houses the sink and a fancy espresso machine to its right.
During the most recent round of improvements, Cannarsa added new bar stools. He also took out the railing for the staircase leading to the lower level, replacing it with glass.
The home’s lower level has three bedrooms and two bathrooms, which Cannarsa says still look “pretty much like 1972.” The owners plan to upgrade the guest suite on the lower level next. “They’re just going room by room,” he says.
During the most recent round of improvements, Cannarsa added new bar stools. He also took out the railing for the staircase leading to the lower level, replacing it with glass.
The home’s lower level has three bedrooms and two bathrooms, which Cannarsa says still look “pretty much like 1972.” The owners plan to upgrade the guest suite on the lower level next. “They’re just going room by room,” he says.
From the foyer, a breezeway leads to this space, the great room. On the right, you can see the breezeway and its floor-to-ceiling glass, which looks out over the Kalamazoo River.
The walls of the room are cedar and the ceiling is pine. The beautiful large rug is a family heirloom. Cannarsa sourced the leather and velvet chairs, as well as the coffee table, from a local shop.
The walls of the room are cedar and the ceiling is pine. The beautiful large rug is a family heirloom. Cannarsa sourced the leather and velvet chairs, as well as the coffee table, from a local shop.
The riverside home has become the place where the owners’ family members gather for holidays. The wife loves to cook and host and wanted a table with seating for 12. Conveniently, the owners were able to purchase this large walnut table from the previous homeowners. Cannarsa had the table stained a darker color. The chairs are also walnut.
The breezeway just off the kitchen leads to the pod that contains the master suite, added by the previous homeowners. To the right of the accent wall behind the bed is the master bathroom; to the left is a mirror that reflects the built-in bookcase.
For the new homeowners, Cannarsa gave the wall behind the bed a new paint color (Kendall Charcoal by Benjamin Moore). He selected furniture, art and accessories to go on the bookshelves. He also selected the chandelier.
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For the new homeowners, Cannarsa gave the wall behind the bed a new paint color (Kendall Charcoal by Benjamin Moore). He selected furniture, art and accessories to go on the bookshelves. He also selected the chandelier.
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The master bathroom was redone by the previous owners. The floor and shower tile is travertine; the back shower wall is blue glass mosaic. The spa-like shower features two shower heads.
The stairs leading up from the kitchen go to this bonus room, which doubles as a guest suite. In the most recent work, Cannarsa hired a cabinet company to make the custom built-ins, including the wall cabinet below the TV and two spare beds. One of the beds is a pullout, extra-long twin-size trundle hidden in the window seat. The upper level (the seat part of the window seat) can be used as a twin bed as well.
Behind the sofa, hidden behind what looks like a wardrobe cabinet (to the right of the door) is a queen-size Murphy bed.
The new lighting fixture is made from corrugated cardboard.
The new lighting fixture is made from corrugated cardboard.
A screened room down on the water level behind the great room gives the homeowners an outdoor space protected from pesky summer insects. All of its seating is upholstered in durable outdoor fabric. The indoor space in the background provides a roof in case of sudden rains and was designed to fit a bar cart.
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Who lives here: This is the weekend home of a family from Indiana
Location: On the Kalamazoo River in Saugatuck, Michigan
Size: 4,691 square feet (436 square meters)
Designer: John Cannarsa of Cannarsa Structure and Design
The owners of this getaway home on the Kalamazoo River in Saugatuck, Michigan, hired designer John Cannarsa to furnish and light their home. Though they didn’t realize it when they found him through word-of-mouth, the designer had actually worked on the 1972 ranch house before.
Eight years ago, Cannarsa helped the previous owners with selections for their master bedroom and bathroom, contained in a new “pod” addition on one side of the original structure. A second pod, added before Cannarsa was involved, contains the home’s great room. Each pod is connected to the main living spaces via a breezeway. This photo shows the pod that contains the great room. Rebar and concrete footings support the pod over the hillside.
Cannarsa also helped the previous homeowners do a full remodel of their kitchen in 2015.