Ask a person who grew up with a family lake house, and a far-off look will take their eye as they recall the magic of an early sun burning off the fog that settled like a blanket over the water the night before.
Some people work and strive their whole lives hoping to acquire their lakefront getaway. They are enraptured by the slowness of time spent on the lake, the shimmering water, the cool, inviting breezes that form a sense of peaceful balance.
The writer Wallace Stevens once said, "Perhaps the truth depends on a walk around the lake."
These lake house properties offer the tranquility of nature while not sacrificing an ounce of modern luxury.
Bill Gates' Medina Lake House Mansion
The Microsoft co-founder's $82.2 billion net worth could afford him the ability to build anywhere. For his extravagant "Xanadu 2.o" Bill Gates chose a parcel on the edge of Lake Washington in Medina.
This is Gates dream house, and a quote from the Great Gatsby covering the library's ceiling confirms that fact. It reads, "He had come a long way to this blue lawn, and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it." The library also contains Leonardo da Vinci's actual 16th-century notebook Gates purchased in 1994 for 30.8 million.
The estate is built into its natural surroundings making it 'earth-sheltered.' This decreases the environmental impact by making the home more energy efficient.
As anyone would expect from a giant in the tech industry, all 66,000 square feet are loaded with technological innovation. Wall art can be switched out digitally as its displayed on 80,000 worth of LCD monitors.
GPS tracking pins are given to each guest, enabling them to change the temperature, lighting, and music anywhere in the house with the push of a button. Electrical outlets, phone jacks, and servers are hidden inside walls for a sleek seamless look throughout.
There is also a famous "trampoline room" which only select guests get to enjoy, but it's rumored to be part of a 2,500 square foot fitness facility that also includes a sauna, steam room, and separate men's and women's locker rooms.
Those wishing to take a swim, have a 60-foot pool with its own underwater music system located in a separate building on the property. By swimming underneath a glass wall, someone in the water can surface near a terraced area nearby.
The residence took over seven years to complete and cost over 63 million. Like the fictional Charles Foster Kane, Bill Gates is living in a real-life Xanadu–a mega-mansion of enviable proportions.
A Lake House Jewel on Lake Tahoe
Located on over 5 acres and taking up two prime lakefront parcels, this jaw-dropping 75 million dollar residence is a harmonious blend of creativity, ingenuity, and luxury.
A private gated drive leads up to an entry pavilion. The residence has an attached guest house and the estate also includes a beach house with its terraced lakeside beach.
Surrounded by private forest land, this eight bedroom, ten bathroom estate offers every imaginable comfort during the day or at night. There are manicured gardens, a 4-car garage, 13 fireplaces, two funiculars to lift guests from the lake to the house, a 10-seat theatre, and a 1,687 bottle wine cellar.
Lake Tahoe is America's largest alpine lake. Located on the border of Nevada and California, this setting has it all. No wonder Mark Twain called it, "the fairest picture the whole world affords.”
George Clooney's Italian Lake House
Clooney put Lake Como on the map for Americans when he moved into a charming eighteenth-century villa on the exclusive Italian lake in 2002. However, if he hadn't gotten lost on his motorcycle in the lakeside area of Laglio in 2001 and discovered the beauty of the place, Lake Como may never have gotten its most famous resident.
The Clooney's spend the summer at the lake, and Clooney even allowed part of Oceans Twelve to be filmed here. George and his wife, Amal, enjoyed an intimate dinner at a Lake Como restaurant just three weeks ago. Clooney is staying at his villa while he recovers from a recent motorcycle accident.
Lake House Luxury in the Carolinas
His Airness, Michael Jordan, plus a bevvy of NASCAR stars all call Lake Norman home. Located due North of the banking city of Charlotte, Lake Norman boasts some grand estates on one of the most beautiful lakes in the South.
Lake Lure, best known as the lake where Patrick Swayze lifted Jennifer Grey out of the water in the '80's romance, Dirty Dancing is another majestic lake offering pristine views from stunning luxury properties.
Some of the world's most desirable homes are lake houses. With plenty of party space, ample boating and fishing areas, and the natural buffer of miles of clean, clear water–it's easy to see why so many wealthy residents are choosing to spend so much time at the lake.
