Uniting their interior and exterior living spaces was among the priorities. The couple’s motivations—and ingenuity—gave rise to the ultimate indoor-outdoor experience, which begins with rolling open the 16-foot doors in the home’s lower level. Once agape, they reveal an expansive outdoor area featuring  a swimming pool, fireplace, seating (including a dining table) and a screened-in porch outfitted with a television—and, of course, prime views of the lake’s rippling waters.

The house is aptly named “The Retreat” to exemplify the experience that Jason and his wife want in their home—for themselves, their family and their guests. At the end of a long day, he makes a beeline to the backyard area.

“That’s our oasis when we have downtime,” he says.

The intentionality and attention to detail are evident throughout The Retreat. These qualities also extend to how the rooms fit together: a harmonious collection of materials, color palettes and finishing details that all create a seamless cohesion and balance with the home’s modernity. Here, sleek doesn’t mean cold, uncomfortable or sparse. Instead, the lakefront location inspired the use of organic materials—like a mixture of wood types and natural stone—to infuse the home with warmth and style.

Jason did learn one valuable lesson after construction wrapped.

“We had to be finished last May for the Artisan Home Tour, so we built this home in 13 months,” he says. “I wouldn’t do that again—build this custom of a home on that short of a timeline. It was stressful, and there was additional pressure on everyone to do their part.”

It may have been difficult to get there, but his home’s showing on the tour earned Jason more than just acclaim for his creative vision and skill—he also gained some new clients.

“We had about 1,000 people through the house in a two-week period,” he says. “I got a multi-million dollar build job from it, as well as some other opportunities. And people are really excited about the architecture and also the finishes. The use of natural tones is so popular right now, and people loved the sourcing of different wood materials and also the contrast between light and dark hues. We’ve been able to scale some of those visions and input them into many of our floor plans.”

And who knows? One day, someone may study photos of Jason and Heather’s home and use them as a foundation for their own vision board.  To be inspired by and then inspire others—that’s the full circle of creativity at work. And every day, the Walkers’ lives unfold within the dream retreat that they made a reality.

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