Erika Senft Miller knows that a comfy dream home doesn’t happen overnight. “My design philosophy is to let things evolve. Moving into a home and growing into it as a family takes time,” she states. A physical therapist, Erika put this philosophy into practice with her doctor husband, John, and their two daughters during more than 20 years of careful upgrades and renovations for their cliff home overlooking serene Lake Champlain in Colchester, Vermont.
They purchased the house in 1995, added a sauna in 1996, doubled the home’s size by adding contemporary wings and massive decks in 2000 and redesigned the kitchen into sparkly modernity in 2012. Since by profession the couple is committed to physical health, their home and its renovations provide a healing experience for their own family; the surrounding forests and lake are visible in every room. Patience truly is a virtue.
in a Glance
Who lives here: Erika Senft Miller, husband John, daughters Anna (15) and Maxine (13), along with dog Turtle
Location: Mallets Bay area of Colchester, Vermont
Size: Around 4,100 square feet; 4 bedrooms, 4 full baths, 2 half baths, sauna
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Architect Colin Lindberg built the original house (the tan structure) in the mid-’70s. The Millers added deck and the wings in 2000. The daughters’ bedrooms, a loft and gallery area, and a family room are in the wing on the left.
“This home’s renovations are a complex procedure that required creative pauses, momentum and processing,” Erika says. “It changed with different players as well as my engagement and outlook, with the first stage telling the second and so on.”
The covered elevated walkway contributes to the ideal wing, which houses Erika’s physical treatment studio, a private guest suite along with the garage. Passive solar design helps all year, to keep the rooms bright and warm.
Deck railings: Metalworks
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Closets and wall cabinets keep the entry wall uncluttered. A Saarinen Womb Chair and ottoman create a quiet place for relaxing, reading and taking in the view.
Wall closets: Birdseye Building Company
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The top-floor attic is exactly what made the Millers fall in love with the home to begin with. Its place above the tree line exposes unfettered lake and mountain views. “It’s our favorite place in winter,” states John.
Tom Freiheit, a guitar-builder-turned-furniture-maker, built the wall unit in 1996. It’s based on a timeless 1940s Eames piece.
Sofa: Ligne Roset; coffee table: Palazzetti
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Eldest daughter Anna’s room is light and bright, with each wall a solid block of colour. All of the property’s hardwood floors is red birch.
Bed, lamp, bedside table: Jonathan Adler; window treatments: Dressing Rooms
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The daughters’ shared toilet has a Marimekko shower curtain and drifting cedar duckboard decking which nods to the forests outside.
Bathtub: Duravit; wall and flooring tiles: Bisazza; shower railing: Metalworks; cedar decking: Great Northern Builders
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In the master bathroom, Erika made the towel rail from driftwood she found in the ferry landing in nearby Grand Isle and hardware in Ikea. Cedar decking is utilized at the top of the shower floor tile.
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The couple designated a gallery area just outside the daughters’ bedrooms. Erika’s friend, artist Linda Jones of nearby Burlington, painted the abstract piece. The loft overlooks the living room onto the floor beneath.
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Sleepovers with family and friends are common, given both teenaged girls. This large sectional sofa in the family room is easily rearranged to match the event. The room is connected to a basement area with a sauna and a spa shower; there are likewise a mudroom and a wet bar space with direct access to the outdoors and the garage.
Sofa: Ligne Roset
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Among the very first renovations the Millers undertook was the addition of the sauna in 1996 into the basement level.
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The couple added into the sauna with a spa shower and changing area in 2000. Each of the wood lining is unfinished cedar.
Electrical: Reliant Electric Works; tile: Bisazza; spa: Finlandia
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The front hallway stairs lead down to the kitchen and living room degree. Vermont artisan Dan Ober crafted the unique stair railing as well as the property’s kitchen table and cabinets.
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The Millers functioned to redesign their kitchen in 2011. Previously the distance had been the only room in the home that did not have a view of the lake. Porto and her staff opened it up with windows installed by Hirschmann that welcome in the gorgeous views and natural light. There has been A stairwell wall removed and stuffed with a Boyd lamp and wall art.
Lighting the kitchen proved to be tough due to a sloped ceiling. The pendant lights over the cooker drop ambient light, even though a monitor light runs on a framework over the peninsula.
Countertops: Cumar; wall art: “Atlantic two,” by Peter Garfield, Iris Gallery
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Porto extended the counter area for family cooking and created a breakfast bar for casual dining; the countertops are champagne-colored all-natural rock quartzite. The area right in front of the window is a favorite perch for family members.
The Poggenpohl teak cabinets mix with the present white walnut wall cabinets to the left of the refrigerator. Underneath the pocket doors are a desk and storage area designed by Dan Ober.
Pendant light: O Lighting; contractor: Great Northern; refrigerator: Sub-Zero
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New aluminum cupboards neutralize the kitchen’s wood tones.
Range: Wolfe
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New Poggenpohl undercounter cabinets coordinate beautifully with all the walnut storage cabinets that the Millers added in 1996.
The Zephyr hood has been selected for its natural, soft shape with clear lines.
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The kitchen opens into the living room and formal dining room. A wooden baker’s bowl close to the low-emission Danish woodstove is just one of Erika’s beloved possessions. Where the family likes to see, the original paintings on both sides of the cooker were purchased at Newbury Street Galleries in Boston.
A spiral staircase contributes to the top-floor loft.
Flooring lamps: Y Lighting; cooker: Rais; sofa: Montage; coffee table: molded plywood, Eames reproduction; painting at right: Leigh Rivers
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Porto placed a Todd Gilens dining table facing the living room windows to take advantage of the breathtaking lake views.
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The stretch of windows contributes to a table by Dan Ober in the kitchen. “It cost more than your normal kitchen table, but it’s a piece of art that we enjoy daily,” Erika says. “It hastens family activities with strength and grace, and emanates the smart work of Dan.” The table price $3,684.
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An outdoor walkway leads from the front entry into the physical therapy studio and a private guest suite (the windows on the left). Adirondack chairs confront Lake Champlain.
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Erika sees patients in her home studio and in Champlain Physical Therapy in nearby Essex Junction. She specializes in the Alexander Technique, which focuses on helping people recognize and get rid of bad physical habits and release anxiety.
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Erika’s journeys to Iceland have inspired her to plant a green roof over the garage and studio (at left).
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Erika, seated, and daughter Anna unwind in the dining room. “We live in the best of both worlds surrounded by the forests and the lake,” Erika says.
Painting: Laurent Hours, Axel Gallery
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