My Sliding Door: Prepare to Pine

Get ready to salivate over today’s tour.  It’s so good, I’m even game for a trade – something not even the million dollar one had me dreaming about.

The point of this series is to take a look at “what could have been,” if Hubby and I hadn’t dove, head first, into the lakehouse purchase, but had instead dug in our heels and waited until the timing was right for us.  This series peeks inside homes on Lake Superior that are for sale now, which is when we had thought we’d be selling the townhouse and moving lakeside.  So far, it looks like we made the right decision.  Even though today’s home is certainly gorgeous, it’s nearly double the price of our home.  Here’s the tour, along with the commentary I blurted out the first time I laid my eyes on these stunning rooms.

Whoa, this place is huge.  That deck and dock are incredible.  Look how solid they are!!  Why is our dock so janky?

I could definitely park my butt on this beach all summer.  

I think the hardwood floor with slate tile runner is a little odd, but genius.  What a brilliant way to preserve the flooring by the entrance, without having to give up hardwood flooring completely.  But why, oh why, did they swag that light?!?

This is my dream living room!!!  This is literally the living room I have designed in my head!!!  Look, it’s got TWO sitting areas: one planted in front of the tube (for catching up on Game of Thrones), and another beside the window, for lake-watching and s’mores-making in front of a roaring fire.  I hate that to watch our television, we had to position our sofa with it’s back to the view.  Arg, I love this, it’s perfect.  And that fireplace is beautiful as-is, no laborious brick painting required.

AND it has a dream kitchen?!?  This is just not fair.  Look at this kitchen: it’s modern, but quietly elegant and sure to remain timeless.  The giant windows and stainless appliances are just icing.  Who in this city even has taste this modern?!?  I’d like to be their friend.  Never mind, I’d be too jealous of their kitchen.  I can’t think of a single thing wrong with it.  I’d swap out the light fixture (why swag it?) and add some colour, but everything is just so lovely here.

In what looks like a custom home, why the need to swag so much?

They lost me with the ceiling fan.

What the heck, is this just a bonus sitting area with another crazy-good lake view?!?  I love this kind of view because it makes me feel like I’m actually in the water.  They really need a sleek white built-in bookcase and a comfy reading chair (or two).  It’s wasted as it is right now.

Are those slate floors?  I covet slate floors.  The vanity lacks storage, but it isn’t made of 80s oak, so it’s a win!  What’s with the fake flowers and bird cage?

I’m drooling over the slate-tiled walk-in shower.  The beadboard is also pretty, and the hooks on an old barn board are a cute, rustic touch that I don’t even mind.  I’ll ditch all of my mid-century mod and totally embrace modern rustic to live here.

Why does the second bathroom have such a different style?  This might be a vintage dresser turned into a vanity and, if so, that’s a fun idea.  But I wish the other bathroom had a similar vanity because otherwise it makes it look like things came from the clearance section.  But hey, not oak.

Hold up. 

Is that a freaking plastic tub surround?  In a house this modern and chic?  Someone in this city is making a killing selling these. 

Hey, genius idea friends: shall we turn this into a drinking game?  Every time we see a plastic tub surround in a lakehouse tour we add a shot of Bailey’s to our morning coffee.

Awesome bedroom with awesome view.

 

Second bedroom:

Third bedroom, with the tidiest baby in the world:

I’m not really a basement-dweller, so basements aren’t how I get my jollies.  This one seems a little meh (drop ceilings?), but I have a crawl space that’s five feet tall (we move around on wheelie chairs down there), so I really can’t throw stones.  The drape behind the wood stove feels like a bad idea, but everything else seems just fine.  You can stand upright in it, so yay.

All of the commentary above was accompanied by enthusiastic shoulder-punching of the poor soul who first viewed these photos with me.  I got really worked up about this place – it’s just SO good, and so unlike any other home I’ve seen for sale in the area, lakeside or not.

Do you love it?

It just SOLD!  2200 square feet, .75 acres, three bedrooms, two full baths and one powder room, central audio system (!!!), and only twenty minutes from the city.  Sigh.  Our guess is that this home belonged to one of the many NHL hockey players this city has produced, but we’re only basing this guess on the homemade lake ice rink for the wee ones.

Hopefully next time I can show you something in our price range.