By Anne Morrissy | Photography by Clint Farlinger
For years, Linda Learn would walk by a dilapidated house on Geneva Lake just outside of town and say to her sweetheart Andy Loughlin, “I could really do wonders with that house.” Then one day, Andy came back from getting his daily newspaper and said, “Get in the car. We’re going to go on a ride that will change your life.”
By Barb Howell | Photography by Shanna Wolf
When Don and Lori Lyon started thinking about building a home on their family’s property on Green Lake, one of the lakes in the Lauderdale chain, their first concern was how to respect the past. Since the early 1950s Don’s grandparents and then parents lived on this slice of land, and to build a more functional, new home would require Don and Lori to tear down the place where the family had gathered for years — and in essence — erase a half century of memories.
By Barb Howell | Photography by Shanna Wolf
On the north shore of Geneva Lake stands a shinglestyle home that is so strikingly blue that on a sunsplashed day, with the lake’s water shimmering before it, one has the feeling that these blissful surroundings just might be heaven.
By Anne Morrissy | Exterior Photography by Clint Farlinger, Interior Photography by Shanna Wolf
In 2000, when Linda and Kurt Stier bought the lakefront property on Geneva Lake where their home now stands, they knew they would face some challenges in building their dream home. First, there was the question of the house that already stood on the property, which was ultimately burned down to make way for their Italianate villa.
Putting together a home’s interior is a special dance of fashion and function. Knowing what colors to choose, fabrics to select and furnishings to incorporate takes a special eye—and Michael John Weber of Collaborative Design in Waukesha helps homeowners do just that.
By Maura Keller
Imagine living in a house where your drapes draw themselves at sunset and open at sunrise, and your home’s heating and lighting adjust automatically based on your daily activities. Or better yet, on a blustery, snowy day, imagine using an app on your mobile phone to tell your house to turn up the thermostat four degrees and turn on the driveway defroster.
By Shayna Mace | Photography by Shanna Wolf
When guests drive up to Hans and Marijo Weissgerber’s Oconomowoc Lake home, they’re greeted by a sunny yellow manor with Spanish-tiled roof, decorative archway detail and show stopping carved Phillippine mahogany door.
By Melanie Radzicki McManus | Photography by Shanna Wolf
The crowds thin as summer departs in a final puff of heat, and autumn begins muscling her way in with a frosty kiss. But don’t think the impending cooler season means there’s nothing much to see at Olbrich Botanical Gardens. In many ways, fall is the perfect time to stop in for a visit.
For James Tye, executive director of the Clean Lakes Alliance, his connection to the lakes runs deep, as he grew up swimming, waterskiing and sailing on Lake Mendota. As a lifelong Madison resident, he has seen many changes in the Yahara lakes over the years, and is excited to now have the opportunity to work on their behalf.
By Becky Peck | Photographed by Shanna Wolf
Looking out a window and not seeing water wouldn’t feel natural to Joe McCormick. The Madison-born real estate developer and builder has lived most of his life on or near Lake Mendota. And when he’s not home, you can often find McCormick and his fiancée, Jane Carroll, sailing during summers in Madison or Door County, and in the winter, the Caribbean.
