Join us for a premier one-day home tour featuring 13 beautiful homes, thoughtfully designed and surrounded by stunning landscapes in Grand Traverse and Leelanau counties. The Traverse City Area Northern Home & Cottage Home Tour is Saturday, September 16 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Below is a sneak peek inside the second home!

Proceeds raised during the Traverse City Area Home Tour will benefit Northern Michigan non-profit, Child and Family Services of Northwestern Michigan. Save money by purchasing tickets online at MyNorthTickets.com or by calling 800.836.0717. Online ticket sales end Friday, September 15 at noon. Tickets are also available at the door.

Address: 6880 W MacFarlane Road, Glen Arbor (on Big Glen Lake)

Directions: Beginning in Traverse City at the intersection of M-72W and S W Bay Shore Dr/M-22: Drive west on M-72W 14 miles. Turn left at the blinking light to remain on M-72 for another 3 miles. Turn right on S Plowman Rd/675 and continue 2.6 miles. Turn left on W MacFarlane Rd/616 and continue about 2 miles.

Designer: @home Cabinetry & Interiors, 231.947.7040.

In the 1990s, log homes—one of the most timeless and beloved of all American house styles—saw a renaissance, especially in Northern Michigan, where their look is so well suited to the spirit of the North woods. Most of these homes need nothing but regular maintenance to keep their exteriors spiffed up. But preserving the rustic feel of the interiors while keeping them feeling fresh and current can be a challenge.

Such was the case with this home on Glen Lake, that designer Liz Jerore of @home Cabinetry & Interiors was tasked with updating to fit a contemporary lifestyle. “Our goal was to create an open modern space that feels as though it always existed within this home,” Liz says. To update the home while preserving its log charm, Liz worked closely with the homeowners to choose warm-feeling, natural materials, including stone, handmade tile and a mix of metals.

But first, Liz straightened out some awkward spaces that kept the kitchen from functioning as a contemporary entertaining space. The cramped mudroom was opened up to create a custom-designed wine and coffee bar that wraps around a corner of the kitchen. This stunning piece is outfitted with a walnut countertop (including an under-mounted granite bar-sink), under-lit floating walnut shelves and a handmade tile backsplash. The bar cabinetry and the base cabinetry of a new kitchen island (generous seating for six) are finished in an artisan shade called Charcoal Cordova.

Liz went on to create highly functional work zones including a baking center equipped with a mechanized lifting shelf for the heavy Kitchen Aid Mixer in that new island. She also swapped cherry cabinetry for understatedly elegant cream-painted cabinets. The wharf pendant, faucet and hardware are oil-rubbed bronze. A custom brick-tile backsplash extends to the ceiling and replaced plain-Jane square white tiles.

Liz’s touch for just the right balance of sophistication and rustic style continues throughout the home and its four bathrooms—including some truly head-turning natural slate brick in the upper guest bath. This is a home filled with fabulous dream-renovation ideas and tourgoers will love it!

Preview all 13 homes on the Traverse Area Home Tour in the August 2017 issue of Northern Home & Cottage.


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Photo(s) by Dave Speckman