ESSENTIALSFirm Name: Wheeler Kearns ArchitectsPrincipal: Jon HeinertHeadquarters: 343 South Dearborn Street, Suite 200, Chicago, IllinoisAccolades: Forbes Architecture’s “America’s Top 200 Residential Architects,” 2025; Forbes Architecture’s “America’s Best-in-State Residential Architects,” 2025House Name: Meadow Lane RetreatLocation: Lakeside, MichiganSite Specifics: 2.55 acres of woodland overlooking Lake MichiganArea & Layout: 8,900 square feet, 5 BR, 3 BAArchitectural Photographer: Steve Hall (hallmerrick.com)AChicago couple looked to Jon Heinert, of Wheeler Kearns Architects, to design a lake house that harnessed the beauty of the natural world. As in all of this firm’s work, excellence defines the outcome.RICHARD OLSEN, Forbes Senior Editor, Architecture: In terms of scale, scope and identity, how does this project fit into your overall body of residential work?JON HEINERT: What defines our studio isn't a signature style—it's a signature process. For every project, we develop multiple schemes with genuinely divergent ideas early on and use them to have an honest conversation with our clients about what they truly prioritize. With Meadow Lane Retreat, we presented four distinct schemes at the outset, each organizing the program differently relative to the bluff, the trees and the lake. What emerged from those conversations is a home that is uniquely and personally theirs—and that's really the thread that runs through everything we do.OLSEN: Creatively, from a design problem-solving viewpoint, what are a few of the most satisfying solutions that came together here?JON HEINERT: The three-volume arrangement is the solution that satisfies most, because it had to accomplish so many things simultaneously. It creates the deliberate streetside-to-lakeside transition, but those volumes are also managing privacy from the neighbors on either side while carefully framing views—to the lake, to the internal garden between the volumes, and out to the neighboring rear yards. It looks deceptively simple, but there was considerable calibration required to get all of that working together. And then the pavilion—the floating roof plane hovering above the clerestory, the limestone wall anchoring it to the earth, and the slatted-wood ceiling running continuously from outside to inside—those details work together to genuinely dissolve the boundary between interior and exterior, expanding the space in a way that feels both intentional and effortless.OLSEN: And what’s next for the studio?JON HEINERT: We have an interesting mix of work in the office right now at various stages of design and construction, across different scales and project types, which keeps our thinking fresh and cross-pollinating in ways that benefit everything we do. At the core, what we're always looking for is the same thing this project had—a compelling site, clients who are genuinely invested in the process, and a design problem worth solving carefully. When those things align, the work tends to find its own direction.ABOVE: The house's approach from the road. "Strategically sited to minimize both visual and environmental impact, the project," Heinert says, "restores a natural stormwater ravine, which captures runoff from neighboring properties and channels it safely to the base of the lakefront bluff. This ravine is thoughtfully integrated into the design, with a vehicular bridge spanning its breadth, marking the entry. Permeable aggregate paving and pre-planted green roofs further reduce runoff, fostering a thriving bee population that seasonally pollinates the surrounding plants and flowers.⁠"Steve HallABOVE: "Set perpendicular to the lake, two living structures are staggered to increase the linear extent of glass exposure and corner views of the ever-changing vista," says the architect. "A transparent glass link connects the two separate structures, with doors that fold entirely away, creating an aperture from the courtyard to the expansive views beyond.⁠"Steve HallABOVE: "A sand-colored limestone wall wraps around the main house's ground level, extending seamlessly through the home, beneath the feet and out to a pool terrace," Heinert says. "⁠This limestone, Giallo D'Istria, creates a visual and tactile connection with the native dune landscape along Lake Michigan. Known for its durability, character and versatility, this stone allowed for various thicknesses and sizes, with flamed-edge treatments applied where requested.⁠"Steve HallABOVE: The kitchen/family room on the first floor. "Natural, native materials define the architectural palette," says Heinert, "seamlessly blurring the distinction between indoors and outdoors."Steve HallABOVE: The family room, with its unobstructed lake views. "On the lake side," says Heinert, "floor-to-ceiling openings and mitered glass corners allow sunlight to illuminate each room. A continuous slatted oak ceiling and limestone flooring seamlessly extend from inside to out, creating a cohesive visual and tactile connection between living environments.⁠"Steve HallABOVE: The west-facing pool elevation, which overlooks the lake.Steve HallABOVE: "A seamless dialogue between indoors and out—a lush pre-planted green roof leads the eye from the primary bedroom suite to the tranquil lake beyond," says the architect, "uniting architecture with its natural context."Steve HallABOVE: The south elevation, with the screen porch in the foreground. "On the first floor," says Heinert, "a dark slatted-wood siding mimics the vertical elements of the woodland, while the second story is clad in a black locust, designed to gray and weather over time.⁠ Extending toward the lakeside, bronze metal creates dynamic expressions, capturing a second-story balcony and forming a single-story pavilion with floor-to-ceiling glass, mitered corners and a green roof above.⁠"Steve HallWheeler Kearns ArchitectsMore from Forbes House of the WeekForbesForbes House of the Week: New England RenewalBy Richard OlsenForbesForbes House of the Week: A Tahoe Cabin’s ConsciousnessBy Richard OlsenForbesForbes House of the Week: At Sag Harbor’s Cutting EdgeBy Richard OlsenForbesForbes House of the Week: Rocky Mountain High ArtBy Richard OlsenForbesForbes House of the Week: A Carmel-by-the-Sea CottageBy Richard OlsenForbesForbes House of the Week: Enlightened in L.A.By Richard OlsenForbesForbes House of the Week: Sedona’s High Desert RadianceBy Richard OlsenForbesForbes House of the Week: Texas Hill Country HavenBy Richard OlsenForbesForbes House of the Week: Big Island BreakawayBy Richard Olsen