24 Lake House Decorating Ideas
White Lake House Decor
Give your lake house decor a fresh and sophisticated look with a white palette. Add simple curtains to help soften the room.
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Play Up the Views
Make the most of waterfront views by keeping windows and sliding doors free of draperies. Sliding pocket doors will help connect the indoors and out.
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Focus on the View
Keep the beautiful views the primary focus. A neutral palette devoid of area rugs or window treatments camouflage this lake house living room with its surroundings.
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Choose Durable Seating
Choose durable seating for minimal worry and upkeep. Keep the color palette in tune with the surroundings to blur the distinction between indoors and out.
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Create Effortless Style
For effortless style keep the color scheme simple. Here, blue and green accent pillows channel the outdoors.
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Make It a Hybrid
Don't be afraid to make your lake house style a hybrid. Pair your favorite elements against the crisp background of white walls for a comfortable look that is all your own.
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Bring Light In
In her Arkansas lake house dining room, Style Director Heather Chadduck removed ceiling beams to bring in more light from above. For a quick fix, paint dark-stained ceilings pale gray to open up the space.
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Add Extra Seating
Add furniture or accessories that can double as extra seating to accommodate a crowd. This deep fireplace hearth is outfitted with custom cushions and added portable woven cubes for seating in a pinch.
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Work With the Architecture
Work with the existing architecture to give your lake house an easier update. Here, the original brick flooring is refinished with a sheen for an updated look. A few coats of white paint transformed dark wood walls with olive green trim from drab to fab.
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Mix Motifs
Mix motifs and styles without reservation for an informal look. Grass cloth wallcovering keeps in line with this lake house family room's coastal look.
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Create Cohesion
Keep the paint on your walls, trim, and paneling monochromatic for cohesion. For color relief, leave the ceiling white.
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Make It Feel Rustic
Give your lake house a rustic feel with dark, woodsy hues. Here, walls and trim are given a bark brown stain and cabinets a driftwood gray.
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Design 180° Views
If you're remodeling or building, consider designing a bump-out bay of windows. It creates a cozy sitting room with a 180-degree view.
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Add a Personal Touch
In the kitchen, back framed family photos with thin plywood and hinges to act as cabinet doors.
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Connect Living Spaces
Connect the outdoor living area to the main house with a walkway or dogtrot like this vine-covered portico.
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Create a Calm Master Suite
Keep the master bedroom a serene oasis with a calming palette like this grey and white scheme.
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Master Privacy and Light
For privacy, while being minduful of beautiful views and light filtration, opt for soft linen draperies.
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Set a Rustic Table
Pair a wood table with iron chairs for rustic lakeside dining. Fill hurricanes with river rocks and pillar candles of varying height for a touch of elegance.
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Add More Beds
For more sleeping space, build bunk beds into the wall. Here, three bunk beds stack all the way up to the nearly 20-foot ceiling.
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Intensify Paint Hues
The designer and homeowner of this lake hose added black to deeper paint colors, making the hues on the walls more intense.
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Keep It Essential
Open shelving in the kitchen will help confine your lake house dishware to the essentials.
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Bring Nature In
Designer Richard Tubb advises, "Surround yourself with nature indoors by filling vases with things you've cut from the yard."
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Create a Cozy Bedroom Nook
Create a cozy bedroom nook by hanging curtains. If you're not comfortable mixing patterns, try using varying textures instead, as the designer did here.
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Connection to the Outdoors
"I always design floor plans to pull visitors toward the daylight," says Bill. Here, the elevated entry and foyer give guests a straight view to the lake upon entering the front door. There are also three outdoor living spaces: a rear terrace, a screened side porch, and an open-air porch.