Decorating a Lake House – Part 1

I have several posts to share with you all about decorating a lake house.  Several years ago, I had a business man from Dallas hire me to decorate a vacation cabin he bought for his family in Manchester, TN.  Every Christmas we decorate the cabin for the holidays.  This summer he asked me to decorate another vacation home.  He was building a lake house in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

I wasn’t sure how decorating a 7,000 foot home long distance would work, but it sounded like a fun challenge. In August, my husband and I took a week off to drive to Hot Springs and see the lake house in the first stages of construction. The framing was completed, so I was able to get a relatively good idea of the layout of the home.

We headed home and the next six months was spent designing the lake house. Tons of e-mails passed between the owner, builder, and I.  From flooring, tile, furniture, light fixtures, bedding, wall decor, outdoor furniture, and accessories; there were so many choices to make.

Six months later, my assistant and daughter-in-law, Alice, headed to Hot Springs, Arkansas in a packed Suburban.

Decorating a Lake House – The Finish Line

Entryway Decorating Ideas

There was a perfect cove in the entryway for a chair and table.  We found this chair at Homegoods!  You can’t tell from the photo, but the chair is linen in the front, and burlap in the back.  Love it!

This narrow cabinet sits just inside the entryway. A large rounded mirror, photo frame, and unique lamp, completed the look without being overdone.

A Little Bit of Texas

To the left of the front door, stairs lead down to the first floor.  This was a perfect spot for a narrow console table, lamp, and decorations.

I adore this steer skull decoration I found.  It goes well with the framed horse photo.  It will remind my client of home!

Dining Room Decorating Ideas

This was my favorite room in the entire lake house!  I thought the brick walls were stunning!  I’m quite jealous!

I chose a black distressed buffet.  It just pops off of the brick!  The large gold mirror reflects light from throughout the room.  Two large buffet lamps flank the large mirror and are the perfect height.

My client’s aren’t crazy about having too many flower arrangements in their design, so I opted for faux greenery in a large wood trough.

Here is a close-up of the mirror.  Love the gold studs!

If you would like to see the video of Alice and I decorating a lake house, just click on the photo below.

Next post:  Charming Bedroom Decorating Ideas

 

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