Scenic Views & Social Settings

By Katie Faulkner
Photography by Philip Slowiak

This lakeside lodge is a perfect place to lay low or entertain with a high profile. For Bruce and Martha Malone, it has been a buzzing gathering place for friends and family alike since they moved in 10 years ago. With wrap-around views and a nature-inspired, eclectic design, they spared no effort in creating their ideal abode.

The craftsman-style entrance is accented in tapered columns, board and batten-style siding, and stacked natural stone. The entrance foyer is spacious and welcoming, washed in sage green, and opens into an impressive three story lodge-like dwelling.

Immediately to the left of the foyer is a delicately adorned guest room. A four-poster bed supports an arched, crocheted canopy, while a cozy, quilted white bedspread and soft sky blue walls evoke a peaceful ambiance. A black granite dual vanity, travertine tiled floors, and a walk-in shower complete the en suite bathroom.

A wood plank ceiling, which is carried throughout the main living spaces, is made from knotty pine out of Germany’s Black Forest.Walking farther into the home, the great room further captures the essence of the nature-infused design elements. The fireplace is stacked ceiling-high with natural, local stone from Dayton Mountain. A Manzanita root coffee table is an eye-catching centerpiece in this room. “We found that at a gallery in Arizona and loved it,” Bruce says of the unique focal point.

Across the seating area, oversized picture windows and windowed patio doors frame a sweeping view of the surrounding lake. In the windowed corner of the great room is an Asiatic-style dining table. In the opposite corner, a Chinese wedding chest, a stylistic companion to the dining table, is one of the Malones’ favorite pieces of furniture.

The adjoining kitchen is a galley-style layout, but with an excess of space and a doorway to one of the many porches surrounding the home. Custom-built maple cabinetry with a dark coffee-colored glaze is accentuated by black and brown granite countertops. The four-top island tends to be a favorite hang-out spot for the Malones’ friends when they entertain. “Somehow or another everyone ends up in the kitchen,” Martha laughs. “I would guess it’s for the view.” In the kitchen, some of the best sunset vistas can be enjoyed. “We really love cooking together, so this kitchen is great because it’s plenty large enough with tons of counter space for both of us to be working in here at the same time. And we can enjoy a sunset inside the house while we’re finishing up dinner,” Bruce says.

Adjacent to the kitchen is a dining room with a pub-style table that unfolds to seat as many as 12 people. “We love to have friends over for dinner all the time, and we always host Thanksgiving. Usually, we have so many people over for Thanksgiving that we have to use this table and several other seating options in the house,” Martha says. A traditional Oriental rug, corner hutch, and extra-long buffet round out the dining space.

Upstairs, the master bedroom boasts a serene simplicity, with a view into the charming lakeside community from one side and a view out toward the lake from the other side. A jetted bathtub in the adjacent bathroom adds to the home’s vacation-worthy features.

Bruce and Martha’s favorite place to spend time is on any of their surrounding porches and decks. They have two levels of outdoor living spaces, which they use for everything from seated dinners to holiday celebrations to outdoor wine tastings for up to thirty people at a time. They’re also members of a supper club which they host often. As Bruce says, “We never get tired of looking out across the lake. There is such a variety of bird activity, from eagles and herons to seagulls in the winter. The occasional fisherman or water skier passes by periodically as well. There’s always something to watch!”

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