Lake Life: Blogger Summer Home Tour

Lake House Decor

Welcome to our beloved tiny Summer Home! The best part about living in Upstate New York is being close to water, specifically the Great Lakes and it’s neighboring glacier made Finger Lakes. Just South of Rochester is Honeoye Lake where we have a sweet little colorful summer home. I’m so happy to be taking you on a tour and giving you a little peek at lake life at our itsy-bitsy cottage. If you’re coming over from my dear friend Gloribell from  I don’t know how she does it   Miami home “Welcome.” In my eyes she’s one of the lucky ones who gets to enjoy Summer all year round!  Now come inside our quirky unpretentious cottage and I’ll give you the full tour!

The Itsy Bitsy Summer Home

The 745 square-foot cottage is packed not only with color but stuff.  So every time I find something that I need to bring in I also need to take something out.  Each year we concentrate on renovating or  improving a different part of the cottage.  This is our third Summer and we decided to concentrated on our deck, dock, and patio. But I also made some interior additions that I’d love to share. The great room is divided in two by a tan twill slipcovered sleeper sofa. By going neutral with the sofa and the tan sisal natural carpet   it allows me to accent with multiple colors, patterns and styles.

For the past year I’ve been loving my new neutral NAVY.  I just gave our master bedroom a navy and white facelift. There are so many gorgeous navy home accents that it just trickled over to the Lake. I purchase accent pillows, throw blankets, glass contains, vases and new linens; all shades of blue to go with my nautical striped curtains.

A Tray That Travels

I’m always carting food and drinks outside so a large tray makes the trip easier. This Summer  I cleared off the coffee table tray and started fresh with a Hampton’s Entertaining book by Annie Falk from HomeGoods, a simple glass vase filled with peonies from our garden at home and a piece of driftwood found last fall on the shoreline. To finish the vignette I added a glass cloche and silver bird from to mantel. Simple and pretty and easy to move when we need to make room for overnight guests on the sofa.

The Chairs that Started it All

I can honestly say that these colorful ikat chairs were my inspiration for the entire cottage color scheme. It was that easy!  Navy, turquoise, green and pops of yellow are echoed throughout the cottage. These lakeside swivel chairs are by far the most comfortable seating at the Lake. When not used for sitting fireside during the cold months you can turn around and watch TV or the sunset over the water. I added a navy blue embroidered accent pillow and a white ceramic candle votive on the table in between the two chairs. To shop similar chairs click here.

Kitchen Central

When we purchased this cottage there was a huge soffit above the peninsula and cabinets that hung below. Blocking the entire view of the lake. If you’d like to see what this kitchen looked like prior to our renovation click here.

Moving over into the kitchen I updated with some fresh accents. I added a 6 foot long hand painted wooden Summer House sign over the sink. It brings your eyes up to the shiplap ceiling and crystal chandelier. This crystal hand blown chandelier used to hang in our dining room at our last home with fancier black and gold leaf shades. It sat in our basement until the cottage remodel and was one of the pieces that I just couldn’t part with!

Space is tight in the kitchen so I try to keep everything to a minimum and close at hand. In the corner I added a large navy blue and white striped vase, cobalt blue cookie jar and some other nautical inspired dinnerware and linens from HomeGoods.

My new home decor blends seamlessly with my vintage finds. And yes I even purchased dish soap to match my kitchen knobs!  The wooden window above the sink is painted with one step paint Velvet Finishes by Kellie Smith color Modern. A vintage dish towel became the simple no-sew window treatment.

Making Waves

We added some fresh colorful striped beach towels to the bathroom. If you’d like to see the scary “before” pictures of this bathroom click here.

Peace, Love, and Sandy Feet

My daughters Chloe’s room is always kid central. Even though it’s the smallest room in the cottage, it always seems to have the most amount of kids camping out in there. If you’d like to see more of her room click here. The amount of friends down at the lake has grown so we  turned a shed into a fun nautical bunkhouse.

There used to be a large walk-in closet in our bedroom but realistically who needs to hang up clothes at the lake? We tore down the closet wall giving us ample room for our bed. We added our grandparents vintage dressers and now when we wake up we are able to see the lake. This room is a collection of favorite thrifted and sentimental items. The headboard is made from vintage church pews, a broken mirror frame and reclaimed wood floorboards. To learn more about how my father and I made this DIY headboard  click here.

Let’s Take This Outside

Now let’s head outside. On the screened-in porch we swapped out the rusty fixture for a new school house ceiling light and farmhouse wall sconces.  I painted my husband’s grandmother’s gate leg table white.

We spend a majority of our time out on the screened porch when the bugs get pesty. For a bench I upcycled a king size headboard into a daybed and placed red, white, and blue nautical inspired pillows on the back. We purchased ten blue metal stacking bistro chairs. The fact that they stack is such a bonus since we always have company.  It’s a very patriotic porch to say the least!

Every Day’s A Party at the Lake

As I mentioned earlier, this Summer we concentrated on the porch, patio and deck and it was well needed since we entertain every weekend. We added comfortable Raglan woven outdoor dining chairs from Raymour & Flanigan. These chairs make you want to sit, relax and stay a while, they are THAT comfortable. The metal frame and woven seats are a breeze to wash down. The fabric covered Sunbrella cushions stay out all weekend.  They looks so much better than my old picnic benches. No more slivers and I don’t have to stain them each year. Amen!

In keeping with my turquoise and navy theme I purchased melamine plates, glasses, and serving pieces from HomeGoods. We try to avoid glass down near the water since were always on the move.

The bright fuchsia, yellow and pink peonies match perfectly with my all weather indoor outdoor tablecloth with zipper to accommodate the umbrella.

I still had some space off the patio to add a tiny metal bistro chair set and a matching coordinating Cape Town chaise lounge chair. The navy blue fits perfectly in my color theme.  I added a turquoise lumbar fringed lake pillow and a white ceramic garden stool for a side table. Someone loves to take an afternoon siesta on this chair. What was I thinking? I should have bought two!

Although the breeze can be strong off the lake the sun still scorches. Giving shade to the outdoor dining area is a navy blue with white trim Market Umbrella.  Also made all weather material this will not fade. 9 feet covers the whole table! Just beyond the patio is our brand-new dock landing. The previous landing was rotted and completely unsafe. This was my opportunity to make it more of a welcoming place to spend time.

What’s Up Dock?

There’s nothing better than waking up in the morning and having coffee out on the dock and  listening to the water hit the shoreline. Previously we only had space for a small bench and our two Adirondack chairs. I purchased the Khara wooden bench from Raymour & Flanigan which comfortably seats three. I’m all about adding round elements to square spaces and this beauty did the job! To shop outdoor benches, click here.  A blue and white striped poof gets moved around for additional seating or a footstool. Anchoring it ALL is a cobalt outdoor rug. As soon as we laid it down my neighbor came over and took off her flip flops to test it out barefoot. She said it was nicer than her indoor carpet! Outdoor carpets have certain come a long way.

Of course I needed coordinating beach towels. In the center of the deck we have a massive slate and iron table. To brighten the dark table I placed a marble turtle with citronella pebble candles, a white/navy striped vase, and a solar cut out lantern which cast the most amazing shadows at night.

I’m always talking about the floral filler section at HomeGoods and this month didn’t disappoint. For under $15 I found a package of 15 turquoise star fish and shells. Just like Waldo I’ve scatter them all around the cottage for just the right amount of whimsy.

Meet Me on The Dock

The Sun’s out and our lakehouse is ready for Summer entertaining. I hope you all come down and meet me down on the dock! We just purchased a new boat and are so excited to start restoring it.  I hope you all enjoyed my Cottage Summer home Tour. Now it’s time to sail on over to Designs by Laila’s Blog. She’s has taken on a new home remodel and I am sure she has quite a feast for your Summer eyes!

Don’t forget to visit the other fantastic bloggers participating in our Summer Home Tour. We each bring a little something different and you’re sure to be inspired by ALL.

The Summer Blogger Home Tour Headliners

Janine Happy Happy Nester | Kim and Lacey Styled With Lace | Amy Crazy Chic Designs | Joan 2 Ladies & A Chair | Kathleen Lindsay Hill Interiors | Liz Home & Fabulous | Loi Tone On Tone | Sheila Maison De Cinq | Julie & Jodie The Design Twins | Gloribell  I Don’t Know How She Does It | Amie Meme Hill Sudio | Laila Designs by Laila | Tamara CitrineLiving

Happy Summer Friends! What are your plans this Summer? I hope it involves relaxing, spending time with family and friends and enjoying some good weather! xox Amie

• I have partnered with these affiliates and received products in exchange for this post. All expressed opinions are 100% mine. Amie Freling