Modern Finger Lakes Lakefront Home Designed for Retirement Living and Aging in Place

Project Overview

Located on the Finger Lakes waterfront in New York, this custom contemporary lakefront home was designed as a long-term retirement retreat for a professional couple preparingto transition into retirement within the next five to seven years. The project combines modern lake house design, passive solar principles, aging-in-place strategies, and a strong connection to the landscape and gardens to create a highly personal and adaptable home for waterfront living.

The clients wanted a home that would support their current work-from-home lifestyle while evolving seamlessly into a relaxing retirement residence centered around creativity, entertaining, gardening, and lakefront living. The final design balances privacy, accessibility, sustainability, and indoor-outdoor living while responding carefully to the unique challenges of the site.

Designing a Custom Retirement Home for the Finger Lakes

From the beginning, the clients envisioned a custom home that would feel calm, modern, and deeply connected to nature. As professionals still actively working from home, they required a comfortable dual home office environment while also planning for a future focused more heavily on leisure and long-term livability.

The overall aesthetic direction emerged through a collaborative design process with the owners who provided inspiration using curated Pinterest images. The imagery showcased contemporary lake homes, warm modern interiors, natural materials, artwork, and landscape-focused living spaces.

The clients’ primary goals included:

A modern lakefront home designed for retirement living
Flexible spaces that could adapt over time
Comfortable work-from-home functionality
Strong visual connections to the lake and gardens
Quiet interior spaces despite a nearby road
Long-term accessibility and aging-in-place design
Sustainable and energy-efficient performance
Seamless indoor-outdoor living

The result is a contemporary Finger Lakes retreat that feels both highly functional and deeply personal.

Responding to a Challenging Waterfront Site

While this Finger Lakes property offered exceptional lake views and natural beauty, the site also presented several design challenges. A busy road behind the property introduced concerns related to privacy, visibility, and noise that needed to be carefully addressed without sacrificing openness or connection to the landscape.

Rather than elevating the home prominently above the site, the residence was intentionally tucked below the road elevation. This strategy reduced the home’s visual impact on the landscape while preserving lake views from the roadway and neighboring properties.

Lowering the home into the site also:

Increased privacy from passing traffic
Improved acoustic buffering
Strengthened the connection between interior spaces and the surrounding gardens
Created a more intimate relationship with the lakefront setting

The home is oriented to the south to maximize passive solar performance. Deep roof overhangs help control solar heat gain during the summer while allowing lower winter sunlight to naturally warm interior spaces.

Outdoor terraces and large expanses of glass extend the living areas into the landscape, reinforcing the connection between architecture, gardens, and waterfront views throughout the seasons.

Contemporary Lake House Design Centered Around Art and Landscape

The home is organized around a central gallery corridor that serves as both a functional and experiential design element.

Functionally, the gallery hallway separates public and private spaces while acting as an acoustic buffer between the bedrooms and the nearby roadway. Experientially, it creates a dedicated space for displaying artwork and collected pieces that reflect the clients’ personalities and interests.

The custom home includes:

A private primary suite
Guest bedroom accommodations
Flexible office or third bedroom space
A dual home office
Open-concept kitchen, dining, and living areas
A generous foyer and entry area
Outdoor terraces connected to the gardens and the lakefront

The layout was intentionally designed to remain adaptable over time. The front entry was designed to accommodate an optional lower-level stair connection, while the site design allows for the future addition of either a garage or carport without disrupting the overall architectural composition.

Integrating Gardens Into the Architecture

One of the defining elements of the project is the integration of landscape design into the daily experience of the home.

Inspired by the husband’s passion as a gardener, the gardens became central to the architectural concept rather than secondary exterior features. The design frames both front and rear gardens through carefully positioned windows and terraces, turning seasonal plantings into living artwork visible throughout the home.

Rather than focusing exclusively on lake views, the design layers views between architecture, landscape, gardens, and water to create a richer and more immersive experience of the property.

This approach strengthens the home’s connection to nature while making the landscape an active part of everyday living.

Aging in Place Without Compromising Design

Because the clients intend for this to be their long-term retirement home, accessibility and aging-in-place strategies were integrated from the earliest stages of design.

Rather than treating accessibility as an afterthought, the project incorporates these features seamlessly into the architecture to preserve both functionality and aesthetics.

Key aging-in-place features include:

Wide doorways and circulation paths
Accessible primary suite layout
Roll-in shower in the primary bathroom
Minimal interior and exterior thresholds
A discreetly integrated exterior ramp along the garden elevation
Flexible living spaces that can evolve with future needs

The result is a modern accessible home that supports long-term independence without sacrificing design quality or character.

Sustainable and Passive Solar Home Design

Sustainability was approached through both site planning and passive architectural strategies rather than relying solely on technology.

The home’s southern orientation, roof overhang design, daylighting strategy, and indoor-outdoor connections all contribute to improved energy performance and year-round comfort.

Key sustainability features include:

Passive solar orientation
Seasonal solar shading
Energy-efficient building envelope strategies
Optimized natural daylighting
Reduced visual and environmental impact on the site
Strong indoor-outdoor integration for seasonal living

These strategies help create a home that feels environmentally responsive, comfortable, and efficient while remaining closely connected to the surrounding Finger Lakes landscape.

The Result: A Flexible Modern Lakefront Retreat

This custom Finger Lakes lakefront home successfully balances the clients’ current professional lifestyle with their long-term retirement goals. The design creates a quiet, light-filled retreat that feels protected from the roadway while remaining fully connected to the gardens, lakefront, and surrounding landscape.

By integrating passive solar performance, accessibility, flexible living spaces, and landscape-centered design from the beginning, the project avoids many of the compromises typically associated with retirement or aging-in-place homes.

The final result is a contemporary waterfront residence designed to evolve gracefully over time — supporting work, creativity, relaxation, and a lasting connection to nature along the Finger Lakes shoreline.

What People Are Saying

Discover why families across the Finger Lakes and all of Western NY trust Mōdish for their new construction builds.

We had the pleasure of working with Chris on our Lindal custom home. His knowledge on every aspect of home building was invaluable and his patience with us asking so many questions and sending countless emails was incredible. He always advised us candidly about the pros and cons of every decision and advocated for us like it was his own home. Our project is on hold for now but when we resume, Chris will be our first call.

Pete VonDerLinn

We worked with Chris on designs for a custom home and he was fantastic at going over all the options of the entire process. He was always very quick to answer all questions and was very knowledgeable on every aspect. Highly recommend!

Nick Hazlett

Chris is very helpful and knowledgeable. I reached out to him after my parents lost their home to a fire to start discussing a rebuild. He was quick and thorough in responses to questions. In the end my parents decided to go a different route for their house, but I have no doubt that he would remain helpful and readily accessible throughout the build process too!

Francis Nasca

We were looking to build a vacation home and Chris was very helpful initiating the process. This is our first time building a new home and Chris was very thorough in explaining the process from start to finish. He looked at our lot, guided us through the process and put together a proposal.

KT KT

I’ve been using Chris for design services for over 20 years. He’s trustworthy, always delivered on what he promised, and is always willing to go above and beyond. I hire him for all the difficult projects I need done.

James Kessler

Super friendly, helpful and responsive!

Brian Derr

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