South-Western Elevation, Bowers Harbor*Bay visible upon exiting the cottage
1
Room, convertible
2
Night minimum
6
Guests, standing
11
Square feet, approx.
0.4
Miles to the Bay
The Cottage
The family has summered on the peninsula since 1911. The Carton has summered here since Tuesday. We find it has adjusted beautifully.
Set among the cherry rows off M‑37, the cottage offers what the peninsula has always offered and rarely admits to: a place to be photographed being unbothered. Uncompromised by insulation, plumbing, or a floor, it opens fully to the Michigan sky by way of a four-flap roof system, manually operated. Climate is managed passively, by weather. The Bay is a short walk down, and remains entirely visible the moment one steps outside.
We do not advertise. We are not on the aggregators. Guests arrive by referral, park on the grass, and are asked not to geotag the drive.
Appointments & Amenities
Curated · Corrugated · Considered
Original corrugation
Preserved throughout. Never refinished, never compromised, never wiped down.
Golden hour, guaranteed
West-facing across the water. The light does the work; you need only stand in it.
Retractable roof
Four-flap system, manually operated. Opens fully to the Michigan sky for overheads.
Passive climate control
Temperature managed year-round by prevailing conditions off the Bay.
Panoramic apertures
Twin die-cut handles admit light, air, and one flattering shaft at half past seven.
Cherry service
A bowl of Montmorency, arranged on arrival. Pits are the guest's to manage.
Wooden boat, on request
A neighbor's Chris-Craft may pass the frame at an agreed hour. Additional.
Discretion
No signage, no listing, no address given until forty-eight hours prior.
The Great Room
The East Flap
The Walk Down
Rates & Season
Nightly, two-night minimum. Rates are per cottage, not per guest, as there is only the one cottage and only the one room.
Blossom
Mid-May · The orchards in flower
$8,200 / night
High Summer
July & August · Booked eighteen months out
$9,600 / night
Leaf
September & October · The knitwear months
$6,400 / night
Off Season
November – April · Structurally inadvisable
Closed
Refundable damage deposit $40,000 · Rain cancels, without refund · Wind cancels, with
Suited For
Editorial & lookbook
Crews of eight or fewer. One light. You will not need the light.
Brand activations
Quiet categories only. No energy drinks. Heritage denim considered.
Engagement portraits
The flaps read as an embrace at 200mm. Several have wept.
Legacy family portraits
Four generations, all standing. Navy and cream photograph best.
Intimate suppers
Guests provide the table, the chairs, and — regrettably — the floor.
Podcast tapings
Acoustically dead in the way listeners find expensive.
Solitude
The most requested use. The only one we have never had to explain.
Not suited for
Bachelorette parties, drone work, precipitation, or sitting down.
The Understanding
Shoes are removed at the threshold. There is no floor; the gesture is symbolic, and we ask for it anyway.
Heels are not permitted on the corrugation. The location is never tagged, and the drive is never shown. Guests are asked to leave the cottage as they found it — which is to say upright, dry, and closed at the top. Six standing, none seated. The Bay is not ours, but we would be grateful if you did not mention how empty it was.
Provenance
1911
The family acquires eleven acres of cherry off what will later be called M‑37. A dock is built. Nothing else is built for some time.
2024
The Carton is commissioned by a major appliance concern for the carriage of a single refrigerator. One careful owner.
2024
Decommissioned. Enters its minimalist period, curbside, in Grosse Pointe.
2025
Acquired by hollowbody.studio in a fiercely contested private negotiation (no one else wanted it) and driven north in a wood-paneled wagon.
2026
Sited above Bowers Harbor and opened to guests. The season sells out in nine days, entirely by word of mouth.
“The hardest reservation in Northern Michigan.”
Corrugated Digest
“Fewer walls than we were led to expect.”
Midwest Shelter Review
“You paid what? It’s a box.”
The proprietor’s brother
Reservations
By introduction only.
Write to us with your dates, your party, and the name of the person who told you. Bookings are confirmed by letter. The address follows forty-eight hours prior.