Set on the shores of Crystal Lake in northern Michigan, this renovation and addition transforms a long-admired childhood cottage into a full-time home. The design draws inspiration from the Petoskey stone—fossilized coral found along these lakeshores—mirroring its contrast between rough and refined. This contrast became the conceptual foundation for the project: the original cottage remains as the uncut stone, while the new glass addition serves as its polished surface. The existing structure is preserved and framed by a transparent pavilion, with a hand-laid stone wall embedded with actual Petoskey stones from the client’s personal collection. Oriented to synthesize stone, light, and views, the home finds its center at the kitchen island, where framed perspectives connect lake, cottage, and sky. This is a deeply personal project, grounded in memory and place, where material and light carry meaning, and the architecture quietly reflects the story behind it.

A Petoskey stone is a fossilized coral found along the shores of northern Michigan, known for its rough exterior and distinctive hexagonal pattern revealed when polished. As a child, the client spent summers combing the shores of Crystal Lake, gathering these stones one by one. Years later, her late collection found a place in the walls of the home. The architecture layers natural materials with personal history, using contrast—between glass and stone, old and new—to create an architecture of deeply meaningful memory.