Behind the Build: Designing a Lake Home in Complete Harmony with Architecture
How Brown Design Group + Architect Mike Britton Transformed a Legacy Property Into a Multigenerational Retreat
At Brown Design Group, we believe the most successful homes aren’t just beautiful, they function beautifully. And the only way to achieve that is to design the interiors in step with the architecture from day one. One of the strongest examples of this philosophy is our Lake of the Ozarks project with architect Mike Britton.
This home wasn’t just a project. It was a place of memories, a lakeside property the family had enjoyed for more than two decades. Summers meant cousins stacked in bunk rooms, wet towels by the door, laughter echoing across the water, and weekends when 30 people could arrive at once. The new home needed to honor this history while supporting the way the family lives today.
“BDG doesn’t wait for drywall to think about living. They design how the home works, then we express it architecturally.”
From Remodel to Right-Sized New Build
The original plan was to remodel. But once walls were opened and structural limitations became clear, it became evident that the existing shell couldn’t support the family’s vision for a functional, multigenerational retreat.
Rather than compromise, BDG thoughtfully guided a pivot to a new build and brought in architect Mike Britton to translate an intentionally developed interior program into architectural form.
A new build allowed us to:
Rotate the house to maximize upper and lower level lake views
Plan furniture layouts before the walls were designed, shaping beam placement, window alignment, and lighting logic
Create large multi-panel sliders with seamless thresholds for true indoor/outdoor living
Design a kitchen for two cooks… or ten, supporting weekends full of family and activity
Preserve program integrity—the bunk room stayed. In the first draft, mechanical needs nearly eliminated the bunk room. Because BDG was involved early, together with Mike, we planned mechanical spaces intentionally, saving the bunk room and preserving a beloved family tradition.
The result? A home that feels familiar, effortless, and deeply functional, because every inch was considered early.
Brown Design Group team members Corinne Brown and Zee McCoy, together with architect Mike Britton and contractor Sam Willcut, meet on-site to review the plans. Even amid Covid challenges, this team kept moving forward
What Early Collaboration Solved
Working together from the earliest sketches solved challenges long before they became costly construction phase revisions.
1. Sightlines That Stack Beautifully
We spent hours refining views from the dining room through the living space and out to the lake. Those view corridors guided window sizes, structural placements, and even furniture orientation.
2. Natural Light Flow
By understanding the family’s patterns, morning coffee on the deck, long afternoons on the water, we placed windows and sliders where the light would support daily rituals.
3. Program Integrity (The Bunk Room stayed!)
In the first draft, mechanical needs nearly eliminated the bunk room. Because BDG was involved early, we planned mechanical spaces intentionally, saving the bunk room and preserving a beloved family tradition.
4. Kitchen Efficiency & Cabinet Layout
Together with Mike, we crafted a kitchen layout that supports the flow of large family gatherings, including a memorable design session reworking ceiling structure, cabinetry, and even exploring a two-island solution.
5. Fewer Construction Phase Changes
A full year of design work meant that when construction began, major decisions were resolved, saving time, reducing cost, and supporting a seamless build.
Designing on Site: Where Details Become Real
Throughout construction, BDG remained deeply hands-on, ensuring architectural intent and interior vision remained aligned
Selecting stone with the mason on site in natural light
Reviewing roof materials as they appear in the landscape
Marking chandelier placement directly against architectural plans
Walking through floor transitions to ensure slider thresholds were flush
Confirming room dimensions, elevations, and lighting placement during key construction phases
Our team and Mike worked side by side, rain, shine, and COVID masks, to ensure the architectural intent and interior vision remained aligned.
Project Design Palette
Exterior and Interior Selections
Staying in contact with the construction team for progress updates is essential in the project process to ensure site visit coordination happens during key phases of construction
Not a single detail was overlooked, double chandelier for the dining room placement was site checked against architectural plans to ensure proper placement with the furniture layout.
Corinne Brown, BDG owner and principal designer, and Mike Britton architect unpackaging the dining room chandeliers, marking placement, and updating construction documentation.
Rainy day for a site visit
Lighting solution for our flooring and tile site meeting with the construction team.
Mike on the Value of Interior Designers in Architecture
A Second Set of Design-Trained Eyes
Having BDG on board brought a meaningful layer of design insight that strengthened room adjacencies, window placement, fireplace elevations, and more.
Client Lifestyle Translation
Interior designers extract information from clients, details I might miss, that ultimately shape space planning more holistically.
Better Kitchens, Mudrooms & Laundry Rooms
Because BDG considers daily life down to the smallest habit, these spaces were designed with smart storage, durable materials, and efficient layout logic.
A Smoother Build
With most decisions made early, construction moved with far fewer questions, and far fewer surprises.
From Foundation to Finish: A True Collaboration
This project took roughly a year of architectural planning, plus multiple site trips across seasons. Throughout, the collaboration remained grounded in shared commitment:
Design for how the family truly lives. Build for generations to come.
The result is a calm, view-forward retreat designed for multigenerational life, open gathering spaces, intuitive movement, thoughtfully placed bedrooms, and a lake-level entry that finally works the way this family always needed it to. A home built with intention, intelligence, and heart.
Final Message to Future Homeowners
“Bring your designer in at the very beginning. A firm like Brown Design Group ensures your home is not only beautiful, but livable, intentional, and deeply personal”
Mike Britton is an architect out of Mammoth Lakes, CA. For contact information visit his website.