Many homeowners ask the same question before starting a project like this: Can you renovate a condo in a meaningful, whole-home way? This whole-house condo renovation in South Haven, MI offers a clear answer. By approaching the remodel holistically, Peacock & Company transformed this dated lakefront property into a modern, durable home designed for lake living, family gatherings, and everyday comfort.
Table of Contents
- A New Chapter for a Familiar Place
- Designing for How They Live Now
- A Whole Home, Thoughtfully Reworked
- Where the Lake Becomes Part of the Kitchen
- Opening the Stairway, Reframing the Home
- Built for Bare Feet, Beach Bags, and Real Life
- When the Home Becomes a Gallery
- A Thoughtful Approach to Condo Remodeling
A New Chapter for a Familiar Place
The owners are a couple who previously lived in South Bend and already had a smaller condo in South Haven. As their family grew, especially with the addition of grandchildren, they decided to move to a larger unit within the same complex. The new condo offered an additional bedroom and more square footage, but the interior no longer reflected how they wanted to live.
They were looking for a team that could handle a modern condo remodel in Michigan and help them reimagine the space from top to bottom. Their goals went beyond updated finishes. They wanted a home that felt modern, supported frequent family visits, and held up to lake and beach use, all while complementing their collection of midcentury-inspired furniture and original artwork.
Turning those priorities into a clear, workable plan required more than surface-level design. Through Peacock & Company’s design-build process, the team worked closely with the homeowners to translate their goals into detailed drawings, material selections, and a fixed-price scope that accounted for the realities of remodeling a condo.
Designing for How They Live Now
From the start, this project was about aligning the condo with how the homeowners actually use it. Their priorities centered on creating a space that felt modern and open, but also relaxed enough for sandy feet, wet swimsuits, and the joyful chaos that comes with hosting grandchildren.
The design needed to work with their existing collection of midcentury-inspired furniture rather than compete with it. Clean lines, thoughtful proportions, and a restrained material palette helped create a modern condo remodel that feels intentional and livable. Durable finishes were essential. This is a lake house condo remodel meant to be used, not tiptoed around.
Just as important was making room for people. The larger footprint allowed for better gathering spaces, more flexible sleeping arrangements, and everyday conveniences that support longer family stays. This approach to the condo interior renovation made sure the home feels welcoming when occupied by two people or a house full of kids.
A Whole Home, Thoughtfully Reworked
Rather than tackling individual rooms, the homeowners chose a complete condo renovation, allowing the design to feel cohesive from floor to ceiling. Nearly every space was touched during the remodel.
The project included a complete kitchen renovation, two fully remodeled bathrooms, and minor updates to the second-floor hall bath. New doors, paint, and fixtures were installed throughout, and the stairway was opened up to improve light flow and sightlines. The laundry was relocated to create a more functional upstairs laundry room, better suited to everyday use.
New LVP flooring was installed throughout the condo, providing a consistent look and the durability needed for a Michigan lake house. The result is flooring that ties every level together visually while standing up to beach living.
This comprehensive scope enabled the home to feel fully transformed. It is no longer a collection of updated rooms, but a unified, modern lake house designed to support how the homeowners live, host, and create.
Projects of this scale involve many moving parts, especially when remodeling a condo. For homeowners curious about how scope and complexity affect investment, Peacock & Company’s Remodeling Cost Guide offers helpful context around pricing for whole-home, kitchen, and bathroom remodels.
Where the Lake Becomes Part of the Kitchen
The kitchen was designed to do more than function well. It was designed to hold onto the view.
Because Lake Michigan is the defining feature of this home, preserving and enhancing that connection became a key design driver. A mirrored backsplash in the kitchen reflects light and water back into the space, allowing the lake to remain visible even when facing away from the windows. It is a subtle move with a big impact, reinforcing the feeling that the lake is always present.
At the center of the room, a waterfall island countertop anchors the space. The clean edges and continuous surface give the kitchen a sculptural quality while still serving as a gathering place for family meals, snacks after the beach, and conversations that stretch long into the evening. This modern condo kitchen remodel balances visual simplicity with the durability needed for everyday use.
The overall result is a condo kitchen renovation that feels open, calm, and connected to its surroundings. It supports both quiet mornings overlooking the water and busy days filled with grandchildren, all while maintaining a refined, modern character suited to a lake house condo remodel.
View our remodeling project gallery for more home and condo renovation ideas.
Opening the Stairway, Reframing the Home
One of the most transformative moments in the remodel came from rethinking the stairway. The original configuration limited light and interrupted the flow between levels. Opening it up allowed the entire condo to feel brighter, more connected, and more modern.
The new custom metal and wire railing was designed to feel light and architectural, complementing the home’s contemporary interior without drawing attention away from the lake beyond. This open-railing stairway remodel dramatically improved sightlines and unified the main living spaces.
Behind the scenes, this change required significant structural work. Opening the stairway meant carefully reengineering how loads were transferred through the building. Electrical runs had to be relocated, and the structure modified to ensure proper support. It is a strong example of the complexity that often comes with structural changes and why experience matters when remodeling a condo.
The finished stairway feels effortless, but it represents one of the most technically demanding parts of the project. It also plays a major role in how the home is lived in today, making movement between levels feel natural and visually connected.
Built for Bare Feet, Beach Bags, and Real Life
Life near Lake Michigan shapes how a home is used, especially during the warmer months, when sand, water, and guests come and go throughout the day. This lake house condo remodel was designed with that reality in mind.
Durable materials were selected throughout the home to support frequent beach use without sacrificing style. LVP flooring provides a resilient surface that can handle wet feet, tracked-in sand, and the wear that comes with hosting family. Finishes were chosen for longevity and ease of maintenance, making the condo feel comfortable and approachable rather than precious.
The open layout created by the stairway remodel improves circulation, allowing people to move easily between levels after a day at the beach. There is space to gather, space to spread out, and space to clean up without disrupting the flow of the home. It is a beach-ready condo remodel that reflects how lake living actually works, not an idealized version of it.
When the Home Becomes a Gallery
Art played a quiet but meaningful role in the interior of this modern lake house. One of the homeowners is an accomplished artist, and many of the pieces featured throughout the home are her original work. Rather than treating art as an afterthought, the remodel created intentional places for it to live.
Wall space, sightlines, and lighting were all considered as part of the design process. Clean backdrops and balanced proportions allow the artwork to stand out without overwhelming the rooms. The open stairway and main living areas create moments where art can be seen from multiple angles, making it part of the experience of moving through the home.
This approach demonstrates how to display art in your home that works with the architecture. The goal was not to create a gallery, but a lived-in space where creative work feels naturally integrated. The result is a home designed for displaying artwork that supports both self-expression and everyday life along the lake.
A Thoughtful Approach to Condo Remodeling
This condo renovation shows what is possible when a project is planned as a complete transformation rather than a series of updates. By addressing layout, structure, materials, and durability in a cohesive way, Peacock & Company helped transform this home into a modern lake house that supports family life, creativity, and everyday use.
This luxury condo remodel in South Haven, MI is a strong example of what the right team can do. Not every condo remodeler can coordinate a large-scale project like this one. We are remodeling contractors in South Haven, Southwest Michigan, and Michigan with the right experience and vision to support your goals.
Contact us to start planning a condo remodel designed around how you live.
