Lake Geneva House

Lake Geneva House, designed by Collective Office and completed in 2019, sits on 19 acres of regenerated prairie in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. The project was shaped by the client's wish to live in close connection with the restored landscape. Organized as a single-story residence, its form reinterprets the regional farmhouse typology and is composed of three gabled volumes, each dedicated to a primary living function. The siting and stepping of these volumes create privacy, frame prairie views, and improve passive cooling, aligning the home's arrangement with its setting while maintaining a low profile on the rolling site. The design emphasizes a restrained material palette that references local vernacular buildings. Black standing seam metal siding wraps the forms, while Alaskan yellow cedar shingles clad the gabled ends and will weather over time. The interior features wide-plank maple floors, white walls, and custom white oak millwork, maintaining a minimal yet warm atmosphere that foregrounds prairie views and the client's art collection. Flat roof connectors between the gables allow circulation and light to flow throughout the plan. Additional site elements, including a barn for beehives, support a lifestyle grounded in the surrounding prairie.