5 ways the design of this Door County rental brings the outside in
With it’s stunning blue-green waters, scenic overlooks with crashing waves and beaches of signature white rocks, Door County is the obvious choice for a summer vacation spot. But the past few years we have found ourselves drawn to the peninsula in the quieter months of the winter and spring tourist off-season. Our last getaway also allowed us to stay at a cottage outside of Bailey’s Harbor right on Lake Michigan. While there is always the chance the house you rent won’t be as impressive in person as the images on their website, this new construction cottage not only lived up to the photos but it felt like it was built effortlessly into it’s surroundings. Here are 5 design details in this rental that will remind you why it is so easy to fall in love with Door County’s rustic nature.
A Stunning Stone Fireplace
There is nothing more Door County to me than the stone that you will find peeking out from the craggy bluffs as you drive through Fish Creek and Egg Harbor. This unique sunken sitting area was the show piece of the first floor with a fireplace of light toned masonry complemented by a live edge wood mantle and copper firebox.
This area brought in the natural elements of the outside while also creating a cozy reason to want to BE inside. A crackling wood fire on a cold night is the perfect end to a day spent hiking through the cedars and across snow drifted beaches.
Natural Slate Flooring
With the stone feature walls in this cottage so neutral, the blues and rust tones of the floor feel vibrant without stealing focus from the other elements. Slate is one of the most natural flooring materials you can choose and the sense that each piece is just a slice of stone will always reflect an extension of bringing the earth right through the door.
Windows that highlight the View
Opposite the stone fireplace wall in the living room s a wall of windows with views of the amazing cedar trees that the shores of Door County are famous for. The builder of this house must have worked around these trees and the cedars flanking the road to make the place feel as if it was just placed among them.
Covered Spaces
For when you want to be outside but not entirely in the elements…what waterside vacation home would be complete without an awesome covered porch area to retreat to on a rainy day or cool off from the sun.
The first floor bedroom also had sliding patio doors to a covered deck on the other side of the house with similarly stunning views of the cedar grove and looming beach beyond. The designer of this home added the modern cable style railing to play off the horizontal lines of the beach and create less obstruction between the boundaries of the house and nature.
Wood Ceilings
This wood ceiling is the ultimate way to bring the outdoors in. The designer chose to contrast the simplicity of the stone, the lineal quality of the railing and the large scale of the glass windows with a traditional width planking busy with knots and natural red tones. A more modern take would have been wider white ship lap, which is why I appreciated the vision to keep this wood raw and allow it’s natural beauty to shine.
It speaks to the cedars that grow precariously over the shoreline, some supported only by a worn boulder carved away by years of high tides and rough stormy waves. It also reminds me of the many ships that have come to rest in the depths of these relentless waters. They would have been constructed of beautiful wood when ship building was prominent in the Door. The shipwreck history of the Great Lakes is a fascinating rabbit hole to go down with a museum in Sturgeon Bay giving even more insight if you are interested in additional history.
And that’s my review of the design of a very well done Door County vacation rental. From being able to sip my morning coffee with a view of the Cana Island Lighthouse to the warmth and texture of the slate, stone and wood, I wouldn’t hesitate to stay here again. This newer construction could have taken us out of the elements with farmhouse chic and trendy modernism, but instead it focused on what brings one to vacation in Door County over other locations. And that’s truly what bringing the outside in is all about.
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