Everyone Told Him to Tear Down the House. Instead, He Moved In.

“The house was trashed. It had been vacant for over 12 years,” says designer Andrew Milauckas of the abandoned midcentury home he changed from a disaster into a respectfully renovated dream. Andrew, who has a furniture-designing pedigree that includes time at Herman Miller, grew up next door to the house in question: a 1948 ranch in the lakeside resort town of Saugatuck, on the shores of Lake Michigan. His favorite neighbor, Mrs. Marie Baleiko, lived in the house back then, and he'd visit her to trick or treat. “Marie was the lady with the painted-on eyebrows and a wig. She lived a very interesting life," says Andrew. "I kept her in mind throughout the renovation. I would constantly ask myself, how would Marie Baleiko do this?”