Completed near the shores of Lake Michigan in southwest Michigan’s harbor country, Sol Haus Retreat is a Scandinavian-inspired vacation home designed as an all-season escape for relaxation and reconnection with nature.
Chicago-based architect Katherine Zalewski with builder GreenSpan Construction built the 1,700-square-foot home with five bedrooms, four bathrooms, and an open floor plan that boasts a dramatic double-height living space. From the main area, guests in the fall months can cozy up on the adjacent veranda that features a grand wood-burning fireplace, while summer visitors can open the two moving glass walls, blending the indoors with the outdoors and revealing the home’s natural surroundings and 40-foot swimming pool.
At one end of the pool, a shipping container was repurposed as a sauna. According to Dorothy Zalewski, a custom kit was created by Tennessee-based The Sauna Place to fit the container space, while an opening was cut for the front sliding door and side entrance into the changing room. The result delivers a true Scandinavian spa experience to complement the home’s design and purpose.
