6 peaceful homes beside lakes

Shorewood, Minnesota

This five-bedroom chalet on Christmas Lake is also walking distance to Lake Minnetonka. Built in 1900 and remodeled in 2000, the house features a living room opening to a large deck overlooking the lake, and an owner's suite with full bath and adjoining office space, laundry, and vaulted sitting room with wet bar, fireplace, and oversize windows.

The landscaped lot includes lawns, trees, a firepit, a detached two-car garage, and 90 feet of shoreline on some of the clearest water in Minnesota. $1,750,000. Ben Ganje, Lakes Sotheby's International Realty, (651) 442-6161.

Willsboro, New York

Sunset Farm Estate includes 645 feet of shoreline on Lake Champlain's Adirondack Coast. The four-bedroom home's traditional lake-house colors set off a clean modern structure, with cherrywood and slate floors, central skylight, three sculpted stone fireplaces, chef's kitchen with breakfast bar, billiards room, home theater, and multiple sitting rooms.

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The 29.5-acre wooded property includes a landscaped patio and lawns, a barn, and stone steps down to the water. $4,750,000. Jonathon Seguin, Four Seasons Sotheby's International Realty, (518) 569-8812.

Lake Arrowhead, California

A private trail leads from Mallard's Landing to a slip dock on the water, and Lake Arrowhead Village is a short walk away. Renovated by L.A. area designer Brooke Wagner, this 1975 four-bedroom A-frame house has wide-plank wood floors, shiplap ceilings, a gourmet kitchen, two en suite bedrooms, a loft, a bunkroom, and lake and forest views through floor-to-ceiling windows.

Outside are two stories of decks with glass railings, dining and entertainment areas, a firepit, and a hot tub. $5,999,000. Christine Williams, Keller Williams BBLA, (310) 923-8952.

Virginia Beach, Virginia

Frank Lloyd Wright designed this four-bedroom home on Crystal Lake shortly before his death in 1959. The Cooke House has geometric skylights, walls of glazed brick and red cypress, a copper roof, the original built-in 40-foot sofa beside a brick fireplace, an updated kitchen, new plumbing, radiant-heat floors, and in the west-facing hemicycle a curved wall of floor-to-ceiling windows with sunset views.

The property features multilevel landscaping, a patio, a deck with firepit, and a private pier. $2,675,000. Robin West, Rose & Womble Realty Company, (757) 816-1987.

Harbert, Michigan

This four-bedroom home on Lake Michigan comes with access to a sandy beach. Designed by Wheeler Kearns and given a 2015 AIA Chicago excellence award, the house is built of stacked structures joined by a central floating stairwell and features walls of glass, a lofted, open living space, a kitchen with extensive island, and a roof deck with built-ins, hot tub, and lake views.

On the lot are trees, walkways, and natural grass. $3,375,000. George Lucas, RE/MAX Harbor Country, (269) 449-4068.

Becket, Massachusetts

Set beside Long Bow Lake in the Berkshires, this three-bedroom home is also near Jacob's Pillow and other noted landmarks. The house, built in 1989, has wood-clad cathedral ceilings, knotty-pine floors, and an open main space including a kitchen with breakfast bar and a living room with dining area, fireplace, and huge windows framing water views.

Outside are a big deck facing the lake and a grassy, tree-studded 0.6-acre lot sloping down to the water. $425,000. John J. Burns and Shannon Margraf, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices/-Barnbrook Realty, (413) 822-5757.

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