Lake House Decorating Ideas You'll Love

Give your lake house decor a fresh and sophisticated look with a bright white palette. Simple curtains add an element of softness to the room.

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Sliding pocket doors can be tucked away for seamless indoor-outdoor living.

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Keep the beautiful views the primary focus. A neutral palette devoid of area rugs or window treatments blends this living room with its surroundings.

• See more of this Lake House in the Trees

Pick furniture that can withstand wet swimsuits 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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Lake living should feel laidback, so keep the color scheme simple. Here, blue and green accent pillows channel the outdoors.

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The homeowners wanted both a lake cottage and a mountain cabin. With the help of a designer, they came up with a comfortable hybrid of charming architectural elements and classic Adirondack-style furniture. Pair favorite pieces with a crisp background of white walls for a comfortable look that is all your own.

• See more of this Lake House Makeover

In the dining room of her Arkansas lake house, interior decorator Heather Chadduck Hillegas installed skylights to flood the space with more sunlight. She painted the original dark-stained ceilings pale gray to open up the space.

• See more of this Nature-Inspired Lake House

Choose furniture or accessories that can double as extra seating to accommodate a crowd. This deep fireplace hearth is outfitted with custom cushions, and portable woven cubes can be used for seating in a pinch.

Incorporate 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 took the former dark wood walls from drab to fab.

Blend patterns and styles without reservation for an informal look. Grass cloth wallcovering keeps in line with this lake house family room's coastal look.

Keep the paint on walls, trim, and paneling monochromatic for a seamless look. For color relief, leave the ceiling white.

Give your lake house a rustic feel with dark, woodsy hues. Here, walls and trim are stained bark brown and cabinets are painted driftwood gray.

If you're remodeling or building, consider designing a bump-out bay of windows. It creates a cozy sitting room with a panoramic view of the landscape.

In the kitchen, framed family photos with thin plywood and hinges act as cabinet doors.

Connect the outdoor living area to the main house with a walkway or dogtrot like this vine-covered portico.

Keep the main bedroom a serene oasis with a soothing palette like this grey and white scheme.

While being mindful of beautiful views and light filtration, opt for soft linen draperies for privacy.

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.

To carve out more sleeping space, build bunk beds into the wall. Here, three bunk beds stack all the way up to the nearly-20-foot ceiling.

The designer and homeowner of this lake hose added black to deepen paint colors, making the hues on the walls more intense.

Open shelving in the kitchen will help pare down a lake house's dishware to only the essentials.

Designer Richard Tubb advises, "Surround yourself with nature indoors by filling vases with things you've cut from the yard."

Create a cozy bedroom nook by hanging curtains. If you're not comfortable mixing patterns, try using varying textures instead, like the designer did here.

"I always design floor plans to pull visitors toward the daylight," says architect Bill Ingram. 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.

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In her Alabama lake home, interior decorator Heather Chadduck Hillegas relied on her favorite design trick: symmetry. She centered the room around the concrete fireplace and then outfitted the space with pairs: two built-in bookcases flank the fireplace, a couple of slipcovered swivel chairs from Lee Industries sit in front of them, and matching floor lamps rest at each end of the sofa. The sleeper sofa hides another bed, and linens can be stored in the trunk. Tall French doors with transoms enhance the connection with the outdoors.

A French antique trestle table serves as an island, prep station, and dining table in this kitchen. Slipcovered stools can be pushed out underneath the table and out of the way.

Combine beautiful and functional elements for a dreamy bedroom retreat. Plush curtains add softness as well as privacy. An iron canopy bed has an airy feeling, while a braided-jute rug lends warmth. A slipcovered headboard and matching bed skirt add a dose of pattern. Blue vintage nightstands add more storage and provide extra color.

At this 1,000-square-foot lake house, the porch lives like another den. Woven rugs add warmth while designating the dining space from the sitting area. Choosing furnishings made of natural materials provides another earthy element to the alfresco room.

Sunlight pours into the living room of this Alabama lake cabin through a wall of windows. While the house's main focus is the outdoors, the homeowner wanted the interiors to feel easy and comfortable for afternoon naps.

When it's time for light's out, kids can pile into bunkbeds, topped with mismatched vintage quilts from Etsy. Lining the beds against a wall freed up floorspace for playing games on rainy days. A small reading lamp is clipped on each bunk for late-night stories. Fuss-free flooring stands up to water and mud tracked in.