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.

Text: Elizabeth Cunningham

Photos: Gordon Gregory

Photo Gallery

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

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

Roses bloom on each side of the winding brick pathway that leads up to main house. Based on 1700s design, the covered front porch's curved front poles and overhang suggest the ribbing of an ancient Viking ship—topped by a dragon's head finial that represents the prow.

The entry from the front garden pathway has the simple, spare lines of a typical Swedish country cottage and functions as a storage area.

In the living room, window seats provide seating and a place to read in the sun or to look out on the view framed by 8-foot-high windows. George's collection of carved and painted duck decoys line shelves above the windows. On the wall at the left hangs Thomas Aquinas Daly's painting, Heron on the Marsh, Pam's wedding gift to her husband.

A 1680 Dutch kas or wardrobe anchors the wall at the living room entrance. Throughout the house, tapestries and weavings chosen by Pam, like the traditional red-and-white Swedish weaving hung behind the Swedish trinity wrought iron candle holder, add color and a country accent to the home.

The dining room, which looks out onto a peaceful fish pond and trellis area, features a pear wood harvest table and chairs from Provence, a vase from Nancy, France, a light fixture from George's parents Swedish cottage on Lake Lorraine, WI, and a traditional carved Swedish Dala horse that rests on the plate rail.

Tamarack plank floors accentuate the length of the U-shaped kitchen. Appliances, including the oven, range and refrigerator, were placed in close proximity to each other to maximize efficiency in meal preparation. To the left, an old home-economics table, topped with copperware from France, reflects bright natural light and complements the custom-designed pine cabinetry, which is accented by a hanging dish rack made of old barn wood.

Before sitting down to an intimate dinner, the Carlsons often serve drinks and appetizers at dining room's 1800s kitchen couch, a bench-like piece of furniture originally meant to provide a spare bed for overnight visitors. Under a light fixture made in Mora, hometown to the famous Swedish painter Anders Zorn, their guests can also admire George's bronze of his granddaughter, Katrina.

This Magnificent Windsor, a wood stove now fired up only on the coldest winter days, used to heat George's studio in Elizabeth, Colorado. George's sculpture, To the Medicine Lodge from the early 1970s, stands to the right of the brick chimney.

Scandinavian touches like the pine chair from Sweden and the red-and-white hand-woven tapestries from Lapland adorn the master bedroom. The Navajo rug on the floor speaks to the Carlsons' unique aesthetic seen throughout their home.

In the guesthouse, originally built as George's studio, the double barn doors that once served to facilitate the moving of sculptures, paintings and art supplies now open to let in the air and light of a bright summer's day.

The Carlsons painted an Eastlake bed frame white to harmonize with the interior of the one-room guesthouse. The robin's-egg blue floors complement the Royal Copenhagen dishes on the plate rail above. North light from the windows and skylight accents the rich natural sheen of pine wardrobes from England and Ireland.

In the guesthouse bath, a painted pine table serves as the base for a circular sink. An Adirondack table adds a bit of rustic mountain flavor to the property.

Homeowner and artist George Carlson at work on his latest commission, a 9 ½-foot-high statue of Saint Ignatius of Loyola for Gonzaga University. A smaller-scale bronze in the foreground provides a reference. The studio, a former church, was remodeled with a balcony that allows the artist to view monumental sculpture from all sides.

In Sweden it's considered good luck to have a playhouse on the property. The Carlsons' grandchildren and their friends are the little people who play in this one, originally built for their daughter and named Andra's nisse hus.

Shaded by grapevines that climb up the trellis, the grotto, or outdoor patio, behind the main house is the perfect place for an al fresco lunch.

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At Home on the Lake

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.