The Kessler lake room

A 1970s lake house living room rebuilt around the view: a window wall, stone fireplace, and a white oak ceiling.

The house faced Lake Monona; the living room did not. Two small windows and a wall of shelving stood between the sofa and the water. We replaced the lake wall with a structural window unit, added a window seat that runs its length, and lifted the room with a white oak slat ceiling that hides both structure and lighting.

Lakefront setback rules made the permit path the hardest part of this one, which is why it took a design-build firm rather than a window contractor. Worth it: the owners now describe the room as “the reason we stopped talking about moving.”