by Craig Kaminer / Photos by Photograhie by Li

When you design high-end kitchens and baths for a living, it’s hard to pick your five or even 10 favorite projects. And that’s how it was with Jenny Rausch from Karr Bick Kitchen & Bath. I might as well have asked her to choose her favorite child. Instead, she offered, “My favorite thing I have ever designed is our family’s cottage in the woods.” After I looked at photos and heard the story of the cottage, it was easy to see and understand why.

The cottage rests in a summer camp-like setting on the bluffs of the Mississippi River just south of Grafton, Illinois. The confluence of the rivers reminds me of my own childhood in the Catskills of New York. Other families live on the same land (which is owned by the community with 100-year leases), each with their own private setting. Personally, I can’t imagine anything more special than the site of Jenny’s cottage.

This rustic gem dates back to around the same time as the St. Louis World’s Fair although the stone foundation is from the original settlement in 1885. Jenny and her husband Todd – both creative types - had a shared vision for the cottage. With Jenny’s design expertise and Todd’s carpentry skills, they have restored this cottage to look like something from a Ralph Lauren catalog or the set of the Netflix hit series Virgin River. From a distance as you approach, what immediately captures your eye are the wrap-around screened-in porch accented by string lights, painted wood siding with contrasting window frames, old stone stairs set high on a stone foundation (once used for tents), a reclaimed antique screen door, the outdoor furniture, flags and other Americana accessories.

Once inside, you’ll be amazed at the intimacy of this less than 1,000 square foot retreat. It’s clearly been designed for the family to be close, and it’s hard not to imagine someone strumming a guitar, kids playing games, and lots of memories being made as the smell of dinner wafts from the custom kitchen. The walls are made from six-foot high beadboard, stained palette-wood, and shiplap planks found at area lumber yards. With gothic-inspired arches and stair details, six-foot high wainscotting, wood ceilings, collections of pictures, horns and antlers, and even belt-driven ceiling fans, the cottage is as authentic and nostalgic as they come.

But behind all the details are the conveniences you would expect from Jenny and Karr Bick including a hidden washer and dryer, fine plumbing fixtures, recessed lighting, a chef’s kitchen with a Viking oven and six-burner cooktop, and air conditioning. With the windows wide open, the sounds of the wind, chirping birds, crunching leaves, and kids on bikes fill the air.

This cottage and the surrounding summertime community area are so special that Jenny and many of the other homeowners don’t talk about its exact location for fear of attracting visitors who may want to change the way of life there. There are a couple of cottages for sale but ownership must be approved by the community and you cannot own the land. Jenny’s cottage reminds me of a doll house-sized model of Mackinac Island’s Grand Hotel, but it’s so much more.

While it’s perfect as is, Jenny’s dream is to build a mother-in-law style guest cottage on the property to allow more family to spend time together there. Currently the cottage is only used in the summer and special holidays like Thanksgiving. With its Native American roots, you can just imagine the earliest Thanksgivings with a long table outside, bonfires and hayrides, and the coming together of community, family, and friends.

Jenny had the good fortune of spending childhood summers in the same community but a different cottage. “My parents discovered the community when I was eight years old. Our cottage was a classic Victorian with a beautiful turret in my bedroom.”

When I first spoke with Jenny to get more details of the cottage, she was preparing for the annual dance performance by the 120 children, aged three to 18, who live there in the summer. Of course, Jenny is the director, not to mention the grounds manager overseeing the community’s self-contained power, water, and sewer systems. Jenny reflects, “I just find this place magical, and I am grateful to have come here as a child and now share it with my family. The cottage is a labor of love. It’s so perfect, I hate to leave it.”