Lakeside living with old world charm in Oakland County

(WJBK) - This edition of Love This House takes us to one that is tucked away on 2.5, peaceful, lushly landscaped acres on private Upper Straits Lake in Oakland County.

Homeowner Jerry Sobel and his late wife, Marilyn, knew it was the house they'd been searching for the minute they set eyes on it more than 30 years ago. 

"This place is serene. I just love it," he says. "What made it great was the winding road coming in and the seclusion; it was the Cotswold cottage effect."

The three-story, four bedrooms, three bath home was built in 1980 and has 6,000 square feet of living space, including a large upper deck and patio off the ground floor. Upstairs is a home office and sitting area adjacent to the master suite. Arched doorways and substantial wood beams give it an Old World charm. 

With a fully updated cook's kitchen, sunroom and expansive family room with a stone fireplace and den, this luxury home is made for entertaining. Every room is a room with a view. 

"What you see is probably the direct result of my wife, Marilyn. She had the flair when it came to clothes, houses, furniture, paintings, landscaping."  

Jerry and Marilyn, their children and grandchildren made lots of memories here. Down at the water's edge, a two-story cottage style boathouse built in 1928 has been the scene of many happy times together year round.

"We used to take the grandkids out on the lake when it was frozen. We'd take the shovel and clear the snow so they could go ice skating. Then we'd come inside the boathouse for hot chocolate," Jerry says. "Those are sweet memories that you can't forget and that you're blessed to have." 

A pharmacist for much of his life, Jerry's real passion was always art. Decades ago, his wife, also an accomplished artist, convinced him to pursue that passion full time. The lower level of the home has served as studio and gallery. Jerry's award-winning bronze, marble, stainless steel and aluminum and stained glass sculptures have graced city halls and public spaces here in Michigan and across the country.

"The one that really put me on the map was the mime series," he says. "The mime mask ... hides all of the things you would not share with people." He says most of his work is metaphorical.

His feminist series features the strong, female form in either bronze, marble or stainless steel and is a favorite among collectors. 

On the grounds outside, aluminum and stained glass sculptures - art and engineering combined - are part of Sobel's oracle series. 

"Both Marilyn and I would sit down with our pad and we'd make sketch after sketch to decide what works and what doesn't," he says. "That piece there is right around 18 or 19 feet high. There's a cylinder inside that prevents it from torqueing and breaking."

A lifetime of love, art and family has made this house on the lake a very special place to call home. Jerry recently listed the property.

It's bittersweet but he says it's time for another family to make memories here. 

"The warmth of the home, the invitational look of it. People come in and they just gravitate to it. It just, it says come on in, you want to enjoy me and you're more than welcome to."

If you'd like more information on the home, you can check out the listing here or email criback@hallandhunter.com.