The exterior of the house fits right into its forest surroundings in Shawnigan Lake, with an upper deck looking toward a stream at the side of the property.
Jackson Leidenfrost and Alyssa Boynton enjoy some coffee while chatting around the large kitchen island. The island not only holds the kitchen sink but plenty of storage cupboards.
The upper deck off the master bedroom looks out over the forest and the defunct E & N Railway line toward a stream.
The couple built a fire pit just steps from the back door, and plan to create a vegetable garden this summer.
The guest bedroom has vertical windows to take in the forest view.
Photo by Evgeny Atamanenko/Shutterstock
From choosing houseplants to the proper chairs, science has a lot to teach us about creating joyful spaces that promote healing and togetherness.
When Susan Froetschel, a mystery writer, moved from Washington, D.C., to East Lansing, Michigan, for her husband’s teaching job, she had only a week to find their new home. Her real-estate broker was certain she had the perfect house. It was in the location Susan wanted just blocks from the town’s main street and at $130,000 well within the couple’s budget. Still, Susan balked.
“From the front it was completely plain and boxy without any outdoor space,” she says. “I didn’t even want to walk inside.” But the interior was lovely, and Susan had a vision of an enclosed front porch lined with windows on three sides. Today, some three years later, the 20-by-8-foot porch, with its view of a maple tree, is the blissful center of Susan’s home. “The porch is shelter and observatory,” Su