Anne and Mike Sample had two favorite places in mind when they built their Orono home in 2013.
"We've had the chance to live on the East Coast, and we've spent a ton of time in Colorado," said Anne. "We wanted a rustic mountain home feel and also a Cape Cod-type feeling — like a beach house and a mountain home had a baby."
So the couple worked with architect Kathy Alexander, Alexander Design Group, and builder Stonewood to create a home that had the best of both — a shingled cottage-style exterior and lots of rustic stone and wood beams inside — all set on 214 feet of Lake Minnetonka shoreline.
"It was a way to bring the things we enjoy the most to Minnesota and put them on a lake," said Anne.
The couple's west-facing home is set on Stubbs Bay but the Samples call it "Sunset Bay" because of its incredible sunset views. "The last place you see the sun go down is on our bay — there's something about the angle," she said.
The 6,100-square-foot house and grounds are packed with features to enhance lake life and accommodate entertaining. There's a porch with a two-sided stone fireplace, a stone floor and Phantom screens that open to the lake, a patio, a waterfall and an outdoor kitchen with a built-in gas grill.
The indoor kitchen can handle a crowd with two Sub-Zero refrigerators, four Sub-Zero freezer drawers, two Wolf ovens and a climate-controlled wine cellar clad in stone.
"We're wine lovers, and we enjoy having the cellar integrated into the kitchen where we entertain the most," said Anne. Guests can sip vino at the stainless-steel tasting table just outside the cellar. "The only thing, with that cellar in the kitchen, you can't say you're out of wine."
Now that their two sons are grown and have moved to Colorado, the Samples have decided to downsize and sell their lake paradise, which is on the market for $3.999 million. "It has been our dream home," said Anne. "But it's too big with the boys gone."
The home features a deluxe main-floor master suite with a fireplace, a bathroom with heated floors, a double shower and a copper soaking tub, and a large walk-in closet with a handy pass-through to the laundry room.
There's a bonus room above the garage, which the Samples' sons used as a game room. There's also an exercise room, an office with lake view, two laundry rooms, a carriage house with additional garage stalls and storage space, an outdoor shower and even a few dog-friendly features, including a built-in feeding station in the mudroom and a dog wash in the garage.
"It's got everything — including privacy," said real estate agent Catherine Wersal, Coldwell Banker Burnet. Set at the dead end of a cul-de-sac, the home is also near the Luce Line Trail.
Anne Samples will miss many things about their home, but she'll miss evenings on their porch the most. "We could live there," she said. "We light a fire and are out there as many nights as we can be. It's not only beautiful but peaceful — to be that close to the city and feel like you're Up North."
Catherine Wersal, 612-597-6661, Coldwell Banker Burnet, has the listing.
