Windows and doors in today’s world can be more about shutting life out than inviting it in. Carlton Landing, Oklahoma’s newest town located on the banks of Lake Eufaula, is a community about community.
With its many walkways and paths interlinking a variety of recreational spaces, parks and fire pits, and bordered by the community’s classic, traditional-style homes — each uniquely designed with porches — Carlton Landing is a place out of time.
It's like what American neighborhoods used to be — everyone was a neighbor, you knew their names and could ask to borrow a cup of sugar, and children were always out riding bikes or playing catch.
Carlton Landing is a community where windows and doors act as portals for new relationships, opportunities for sharing and possibilities for growing community.
Last year, Andy and Ainslee Crum, owners of Oklahoma City-based Pella Windows and Doors of Oklahoma, visited Carlton Landing. There, they acquired a vision for a lake house built not only as a home away from home, but also as a way to showcase the fun and creative ways to utilize Pella products.
In addition to displaying Pella windows and doors, the house will also exhibit the community's participation in building it. From the many contractors and trades involved, to the various manufacturers and materials used — the house will serve as the live storytelling of its construction.
It will also be a microcosm of Carlton Landing itself — where windows and doors provide opportunities to share, build community and tell stories.
This vision became a reality at the start of the new year with the breaking of the home's ground just off Pistache Lane in Carlton Landing. This is the story of Pella on Pistache.