Lakewood has seen many changes over the decades, but Nick and Katie Welch’s home reminds the whole community of its beginnings.
Remaining true to its original design and time period, the home has the feel of a treehouse in nature and is one of the original homes built in the neighborhood in 1973. In fact, the current owners have lived there for less than a year and are only the second owners.
They love that the previous owners did not change much and even gave them original wallpaper and carpet samples. They have also found promotional materials for Lakewood from the ‘70s featuring the home.
“It was a ‘70s time capsule,” Katie says. “We want to stay true to the original house and the era in which it was built.”
With A-frame architecture, the abundant natural lighting is one of the most notable features. Floor to ceiling windows in the living room provide views of the lake and the neighborhood, and several upstairs rooms and balconies look out to the living room and capture this view as well. A wrap-around porch also provides for outdoor living space.
These elements give the home a sense of cohesion with the outdoors. In fact, the owners say it sometimes is hard to tell when the outdoors stop and the indoors begin.
Other unique features include stone fireplaces in both the living room and downstairs den, a spiral staircase that connects all three levels and colored tile in the bathrooms. The master bedroom features a loft as well as an outdoor balcony.
While the owners have made minimal changes, they have updated the kitchen island and counter tops and put in hardwood floors in the living room. They say they will eventually make more updates to the bathrooms, but they want to keep the colored tile as a nod to the ‘70s.
The owners love both vintage and modern items, and they are trying to incorporate the ‘70s feel into the home through furniture, including the living room couches.
Overall, the home has four bedrooms, four bathrooms and is about 3,200 square feet.
In the future the owners want to use a section of wall in the living room to display art that represents various works from the ‘70s until now.
While many are quick to update homes and go with the newest trends, this home’s connection to when it was built provides a unique perspective into the past.
