La Maison des Deux Fleurs

While a picture may be worth a thousand words, neither photos nor narrative can begin to convey the extraordinary elegance of this custom-crafted Door County home.

La Maison des Deux Fleurs

The residence was designed by the well-respected Royal Oak Michigan architect, Richard Bos, renowned for fine Lake Michigan homes from Michiana to Mackinac Island. A synergy of vision and talent existed between the owner, architect Bos, and the builder Tom Birmingham, owner of Great Northern Construction. The project began in 1999 and was completed two years later in 2001.

La Maison des Deux Fleurs

Strong nautical elements evidence the owner's long-standing love of sailing yachts, and unmistakable Frank Lloyd Wright influences are reflected in the lighting elements.

La Maison des Deux Fleurs

The exterior edifice of cedar and cypress is reminiscent of stately coastal homes.

La Maison des Deux Fleurs

The majesty of the residence is complemented by its awesome natural setting which blends seamlessly with the 21 acres of pristine woodlands and 740 feet of rocky shoreline on Lake Michigan near North Bay on the Door peninsula in Wisconsin.

Door County Estate

The grounds are well-tended with opulent, indigenous plantings, in keeping with the rugged Lake Michigan landscape.

Door County Estate

The crushed granite driveway and granite capped foundation of the home play off the massive outcroppings of Niagara Escarpment.

Door County Estate

Age-old towering cedars stand watch over this spectacular residence.

Door County Estate

A meandering drive through the woods and a graceful porte cochere welcome visitors.

Foyer

Slate floor with open ceiling allowing view to upper level landing. A two sided fireplace is viewed as you enter. Above the fireplace is a custom made mirror by David Hatch. To the left as you enter the huge cypress entry door is an ebony table with a hammered metal mirror above. Controls to turn on or off the house lights are at the entry as well as every other room in the house via the Lutron Homeworks System.

Gallery

The foyer on both the left and right lead you to a gallery. To the left is the gallery to the master quarters. To the right is the gallery to the lower level guest room, four season room, kitchen, laundry room, and wine cellar. Each gallery has walls covered in a fabric to receive hooks for hanging art and backed by a soft material. The walls are illuminated with various levels of light. The floors have Frank Lloyd Wright accent lights. The ceiling is a copy of the underside of a ship.

Main Floor Guest Suite

As you enter the bedroom there is a built-in dresser with many drawers and a make-up area. The queen-sized bed is made of metal framed lattice. The bedding and pillows are all custom hand-made. The drapes are also made by the same artisan. The sisal wallpaper is by Stark. On each side of the bed is a night stand with a beautiful lamp. Individually controlled reading lights are build into the ceiling on each side of the bed. An antique pine bench designed by Celeste Wegman and hand crafted by David Hatch sits along one wall. A large French armoire sits across from the bed. A small dressing chair with custom pillows sits in the corner.

Main Floor Guest Suite

The dramatic glass bathroom has a slate floor, glass tile walls, and glass sink. The shower is all glass and seems to float in the room. The fixtures are all from England and the wall tiles are from Ann Sachs.

Three Season Room

This room is a log/pole building constructed upon three foot high stone walls and gives a feeling of being outside. The windows can be replaced with screens in the summer. The floor is slate covered with a dramatic rug. There are two matching couches , one with three cushions and one with two. A matching chair completes the setting. The fireplace at the end of the room is a unique European design that directs the flow of heat into the room. The screen was made by an artist from Oregon who also made the screen in the Inglenook. The fireplace had a gas lighter. The chandelier is custom made for the room with mule antlers from an artist in Montana.

"His" and "Hers" Offices

The "Hers" office is set up like a study with custom drapes made by a local artist. The desk is a table that has been specially built by Woodland. The beautiful red leather chair behind the desk is made by Barclay Butera. The floor is covered with a great rug. At the head of the room is a custom-built bookcase by Woodland too. A small chair, also by Barclay Butera, sits in the corner with a beautiful pillow from the same artist that did the drapes. Next to this room and accessed by a doorway from "Her" office is a workroom for equipment, supplies, and storage containing many locked file cabinets, glass covered counter space, and shelves with doors. A professional color printer and fax/copy machine are located here with lots of outlets built-in for other equipment. The next room connected is "His" office. Slightly larger, it has a metal base desk with glass top. There is a counter behind the desk with a glass-top and additional file cabinets below. Two large black designer chairs sit in front of the desk. A beautiful rug is on the floor and bookshelves are near the workroom entrance. This office also has its own entrance from the gallery.

Master Bedroom

Across the gallery from the offices is the master suite. The large bedroom has a dramatic view of the lake and woods from two walls of shade windows. The windows are electronically controlled and can be covered with drop down shades shades, either for total privacy or to produce a "see through" screen. The bed is king-sized and has been upholstered with a deep rich woven fabric. The bedding is custom hand-made, as are the drapes from the same artist. Each side of the bed has a nightstand with lamp and over the bed are built in reading lights. and a ceiling fan is located above the bed. Near the foot of the bed sits a lovely chaise with pillows covered in fabric by Barclay Butera; a standing lamp is behind. The walls in the master bedroom are covered in a lovely yellow Natural Grass Cloth by Phillip Jefferies. A beautiful bench sits in front of one of the windows and a large modern designer armoire is located near the double door entrance to the suite.

Master Bathroom

From the bedroom you enter a vestibule with a pendent light made of natural alabaster. The floor in the master bath is from Ann Sacks and it is a soft suede grey. This room has a grey suede colored tile floor. The walls have the same Natural Phillip Jeffries grass cloth wallpaper as the bedroom. A beautiful red antique oriental rug on the floor. The custom cabinets are surrounded by beach stone trim. The cabinets with Rocky Mountain hardware are an aged Chinese red and have been hand rubbed to give the finish of a fine antique piece of furniture. The left side of the room is the "his" side and has a stone counter slightly higher than "her" side. Both his and hers vanity mirrors are framed with Ann Sacks stalked pebbles. Behind the mirrors on each side is a hidden LCD TV that shows through the mirror - the TYs appear when on and vanish when off. You can also play DVD's or listen to music and each side has its own speakers. The counter top is a natural cut stone with a natural edge. The his and hers vessel sinks that "float" above the counter are white bronze by Ann Sacks. The faucets and hardware are all English. The "her" side also has a sit-down make-up area with chair, special lights, and a small sink by Kalista. The water closet is in the adjoining private space with lovely art work on the walls, custom built glass shelf, and custom sliding glass doors for privacy.

Master Shower

The shower is generous in size with an extra thick glass shower door. The floor in the shower is flat beach pebbles by Ann Sacks surrounded by the suede tiles. The bench is the suede tiles. One can select the high volume rain shower, standard shower, hand shower, or steam. A bench in the shower allows you to relax and enjoy the natural setting as a large window looks onto the nearby gardens and woods and has magnificent views of the Lake Michigan shorefront. "As if you are showering with nature." There is in-floor heating in the master bathroom, shower, and master closet.

Study

At the end of the master gallery is the most dramatic room in the house. The study is a 6-sided cathedral type structure with built in AV equipment and bookcases. The windows have slate covered sills to hold the owner's orchards. A beautiful rug dominates the center of the room along with two large couches and two leather chairs with a table between. The couches are fronted by a large glass and metal cocktail table. At the upper level of the room is a series of round and rectangle shaped windows.

Entertainment Area

Directly in front of the entry foyer is the living room, inglenook, piano room, breakfast room, and dining room. The kitchen flows into this area and makes a grand entertainment area. Heart of pine flooring is used extensively in this area as well as in the galleries, study, and offices.

Living Room

The 2-story living room has drop down lights on small cords. The ceiling is made up of metal braces and wood mimicking the structure of a boat. The main seating area includes a four cushion couch, glass coffee table with metal base, and three swivel red leather chairs over a grand rug. On each side of the couch are two tall torch lamps. A comfortable chair with ottoman and an antique rocker finish off the main seating area. The piano room contains a piano that is not being sold with the home.

Inglenook

This recessed area adjacent to the main living room features the custom stone fireplace (gas starter) and a built-in AV center. The fireplace screen was made by an Oregon artist. A long L-shaped couch faces the fireplace and television screen with a glass table upon a silk prayer rug in between. A side table has a tall wood lamp.

Breakfast

Off the living room is the breakfast area with a beautiful rug and a glass top table on an aspen wood base. The six chairs match the four bar stool chairs in front of the kitchen counter.

Formal Dining Room

Surrounded by windows the formal dining room features a table for ten with custom fully covered cloth chairs. The storage cabinet at the head of the room has two candle wall sconces on each side. The dramatic chandler is all metal and appears to be branches of a tree. It weighs almost 300 pounds and was made by Originals 22. The ceiling of this room has metal braces and wood that mimic the interior of a boat.

Kitchen

The front section of the kitchen is the main cooking area and has twin dishwashers, twin ovens, warming drawer, hood, high BTU gas burners, wine bar with cooler, freezer drawers, and refrigerator. Granite counter-tops surround the area. Custom cabinetry is finished in a special blue hue and the upper cabinets have glass fronts. The triple sink has a garbage disposal and an instant hot water dispenser. A trash masher is located near the sink. The back area of the kitchen is for prep and storage and is a caterer's dream. It includes a large freezer, wide counter space, and another large sink with garbage disposal and instant hot water.

Overlook

On the way to the second floor is this special place that peers over the living room with a grand view of the lake and woods, plus it provides a close-up look at the metal work and ceiling details of the living room.

Overlook

An antique oak round table with four chairs, two comfortable reading chairs, and a small table invite one to stop and relax. The railing was custom designed.

Second Floor Foyer

This area separates the two bedroom suites located on the second floor.

Second Floor Foyer

This foyer features amazing wall sconces and four Indian type rugs, accompanied by an antique radio, desk, and two (2) antique English tables that line the walls. Furthermore, there are two large storage rooms off the foyer. Both rooms are shelved and one is cedar-lined.

Suite A

This suite contains a large bedroom, bath, dressing area, huge walk-in closet, and storage room. The room is furnished in an outdoor woods theme. The king bed, table, and couch all feature heavy log type wood frames. In front of the couch is a large coffee table. The night stands on each side of the bed have a twig-like lamp while reading lamps are built into the ceiling with individual controls. In addition, a ceiling fan is above the bed. A 42" plasma TV sits in front of the couch and is seen easily from the bed, while a comfortable chair in a corner encourage reading. A desk/AV center custom-made by David Hatch is fronted by an antique cane chair.

Suite A

The dressing area has a large walnut dressing cabinet. The bathroom has tile floor and a large walk-in shower with heavy glass door. All hardware is custom-made and the sink top is marble. A private deck with outdoor furniture offers a beautiful view of the lake.

Suite B

This suite has a sitting room, dressing room, walk in closet with dresser, large bath with tub, and a large storage closet. The queen-size bed has two nights stands and two unique twig lamps. A custom-made desk/AV center by David Hatch hosts a small beautiful leaf lamp and has two proximate antique cane chairs. A small table with lamp sits across from the bed. Another private deck, similar to the one in Suite A, makes the outdoors readily accessible. The sitting area has two large comfy chairs with a table and lamp between.

Suite B

The dressing area has a chair to sit in front of the dressing mirror and drawers. To the left of the dressing area is a large walk-in closet with a built-in dresser. The bathroom is dramatic with a round front vanity, round front glass shelves, and hardware specially made to complement the room. A combination bath tub and shower has glass doors. The tiles and wall paper are in purple tones.

Exercise Room

This room is located in a tower accessed from the second level foyer up a specially built spiral staircase. The room overlooks the entire estate. The equipment is of the highest quality and features: two adjustable benches, rubber coated free weights and rack, bell bars, leg lift machine, elliptical Life Cycle machine, mats, and more. A TV/storage unit at the head of the room makes working out easy and pleasurable.

Exterior

The deck that surrounds most of the lake side of the house is made of granite with deck furniture from Viet Nam and custom-made cushions. At one end of the deck, there is a large propane bar-b-cue with marble top.

Exterior

Exterior speakers provide music and lighting accents the deck, trees, bar-b-cue, and yard art.

Exterior

Your children or grandchildren will enjoy the play house and apparatus, while awaiting you lakeside is a fire pit and canvas chairs.

Garage

Across the porte cochere from the front entry, a large, heated garage (42 x 28 feet) with three (3) motor vehicle doors awaits. Plus, it has significant workshop and/or studio space on the upper level. In addition, an outdoor, half-court, basketball hoop awaits your inner Jordan.