Architecture studio Searl Lamaster Howe has used charred cedar and slate to create this holiday home for a Chicago couple.
The clients spent years searching for a perfect property to build a weekend home. They decided on a forested property about two hours drive east from the city in Michigan that sits on the edge of a nature preserve, called Lawless Park.

The couple hired Chicago studio Searl Lamaster Howe to create a modern-style retreat with a high level of transparency and craftmanship.
The clients also desired a home that would help them slow down and feel a sense of serenity.

Lawless Retreat is designed as a quiet, rectilinear dwelling that is tucked into the woods. Roughly T-shaped in plan with a flat roof, the house totals 2,425 square feet (225 square metres). "While spacious in feel, the house is quite compact, leaving not a square inch of wasted space," the studio said.

Perched on a ridge, the home is surrounded by a canopy of leaves. In the winter, when the leaves have fallen, the clients are afforded views of a valley down below.
Environmental concerns influenced the project's design. Passive features, such as ample glazing and broad roof overhangs, help with heating and cooling, as does a geothermal system. The home was carefully positioned so that no mature trees were harmed.

The exterior is wrapped in durable materials such as charred cedar and cement-board lap siding. Dark hues are intended to help the dwelling take second stage to the &quo...