The upper terrace offers a lovely view of the main house, inspired by 19th century Swedish country cottages. In the foreground, iris and lilac bloom in the kaleidoscopic English-style garden.
Architecture & Interiors
At Home on the Lake
Inspired by memories of summers past, artist George Carlson and his wife, Pam, created a lakeside idyll that celebrates the natural beauty of Idaho’s high country.
STORY
Elizabeth Cunningham
PHOTOGRAPHY
Gordon Gregory

After many years spent in Colorado and the Southwest, artist George Carlson longed for a home near the water. He also wanted a place where he could spend summers in the quiet and solitude necessary for his painting and sculpting. He discovered northern Idaho the day before he met Pam Gustavson, his future wife. After they married, the couple found the place of George's dreams: a 55-acre parcel of land near marshland. You see, George's childhood summers were spent at the Swedish enclave of Lake Lorraine in Wisconsin, where he passed many hours watching, identifying and cataloging birds in the marsh. There he honed the powers of observation that have served him throughout his lifetime as an artist.

As George began to design the home that would occupy the site, memories of Lake Lorraine summer cottages stirred him to research the architecture of Swedish country homes of the 1700s and 1800s, like the Sundborn cottage of Swedish painter and illustrator Carl Larsson. Once George had drawn the design, he and Pam found builder Steve Cramer--who had just moved to the area after working on Jackie Onassis's house in New Jersey--to help execute their vision of a simple yet elegant summer home.

The House

The Pergola

Although the Carlsons often dine alone or with family in this garden area, the pergola also would accommodate a summer luncheon party of twenty or a larger cocktail gathering. Guests approach the pergola from sloped rock stairs in front, and gather at flower-festooned tables centered in the pergola's interior. Depending on the season, wafts of apple blossoms, lilacs, roses, or lavender complement gourmet meals created or planned by Pam Carlson. After dinner, company often wanders up to the small gazebo nestled in the trees above the pergola to watch birds or view the lake from a higher vantage point.


For the full story, pick up the May/June 2008 issue of Mountain Living.