You will find no campy tchotchkes on this lake house Located in a private lakeside community called 505 Ranch Club a mere 45 minutes away from the city, this modern house boasts clean lines and lovely views. Architect Michael Landrum worked closely with landscape architect Sarah Lake from the very beginning of the process so that the outside could be fully integrated into the design. He also created a functional vacation house. “A second home involves different considerations than a primary residence,” he explains. To create a space that would work for grown-ups and kids, Landrum separated the master suite and living areas from the children’s wing with a large, screened porch.
Designer Annie Hyde started work on the interiors early in the process. “Michael had a model that I could look at,” she says. “What I envisioned was something very simple. It’s so pretty there. It almost reminds me of a Frank Lloyd Wright. I wanted the interior to be very serene and calming. I wanted to create that sense like you’re outside when you’re inside.”
In other words, she wanted to avoid the musty, campy, clichéd lake house look. “I know how hectic life can be with kids—all the life and clutter. I wanted to design something that felt homey and warm but not cluttered,” she says. It was also important to create a place conducive to entertaining. The homeowner and her husband have large families, and they needed room for everyone to hang out and stay for a while. “Everything is really comfortable,” Hyde says. “I wanted it to feel like you are on vacation.”
The family couldn’t be happier with the results, and they take zero credit for the house. “Annie and Michael did everything. I’ve known Annie for years, and she literally did everything. She has a really good eye,” the homeowner says. She says they spend a great deal of time at the lake house—even celebrating Christmas and Easter there with friends and family. “The kitchen is nicer than the one I have at home. The laundry room is nicer, too,” she says with a laugh.
The neighborhood also gets high marks from the family. 505 Ranch Club boasts everything from skeet shooting and an ATV course to stocked fishing ponds and a campground with teepees. It also employs a great property manager who makes the best cookies ever. It’s one of very few places near Dallas where you can watch polo and then go for a boat ride. While that’s lovely, the homeowner appreciates something even simpler.
“I love enjoying the sunset there. In the city, we don’t really watch the sun set.”
Flowers by Haile Wossen
