Lake Cottage - A Home by the Water
Ranked #796 in Home & Garden, #10,650 overall
Making the Most of a Lake Home
Living by a lake is something many people dream of. There's something about being near the water that contributes to a feeling of well-being. Seeing the lake at different times of day, going out on the water in a boat or canoe, and watching for the birds, wildlife and weather is special.
If you're lucky enough to be living this dream, here are some tips on decorating and maintaining that lake house. It may be a cottage or a mansion, but time at the lake is a treat for the whole family.
(photo by Virginia Allain)
The Boat House by laureenr
If you're lucky enough to be living this dream, here are some tips on decorating and maintaining that lake house. It may be a cottage or a mansion, but time at the lake is a treat for the whole family.
(photo by Virginia Allain)
The Boat House by laureenr
Contents at a Glance
Make Your Cottage Inviting
On HGTV, you see home stagers prepping a house for a selling. Those same staging techniques are useful in preparing your lake cottage for visitors. Walk through the house looking around you as though you've never seen it before. Note the things that need fixed and try rearranging some of the furniture for a better flow.
Check further down for books and decor items for decorating your lake house.
Vancouver Island Scenic View by WindyWinters
Grasslands Road Cabin Fever "Fish Stories Told Here" Pillow
Check further down for books and decor items for decorating your lake house.
- Decorate a Lake Cottage on a Budget
- A cottage at the lake or cabin in the woods can be a relaxing place to get away. Don't spend a fortune decorating it when casual accessories delight the eye and fit the vacation theme. Here are some ways to achieve this for just pennies.
Ideas for Decorating a Lake House or Cottage
Sunset Over the Lake
“A day at the lake soothes away all troubles.”
Maintaining the Lake House
- Remove Mildew from Window Blinds
- It happens after a damp summer or in a closed up room... MILDEW. Moisture on window panes and dust on window blinds makes the perfect environment for mold and mildew. Here's how to remove those in a lake cottage.
Autumn View
Handy Totes for Weekending
Choose a House Plan for the Lake
Cottage and Vacation Homes
Online Stores with Lake Cottage Furniture and Decor
Click on the store name to see their selection
- Cottage Surroundings
- Whether you are looking for cabin or lodge furniture and decor, the perfect lamp or lighting for the lake house or a model sailboat for your ocean cottage you will find it here. You will also discover ways to warm up a rustic home with hooked wool pillows and rugs, wall decor, bedding in a moose or bear theme or hand carved decoys and folk art.
- Winnipesaukee Canoe Company
- Miniature Canoe Models, antique and reproduction canoe decor for lake homes, including rugs, signs and lighting.
- Cabin Basics - Lake Home Decor
- Cabin Basics - Lake home decor for your place on the water!
- Roadside Rustic Furniture
- Your source for one of a kind, hand crafted furiture featuring fish designs, paddles and other unique decor for your lake cottage.
Making Money with Your Lake Home
There's a lot to learn if you want to make a lake home bring in some money. Here are books on renting a vacation home and avoiding some of the pitfalls.
Have a card made up with your contact information and the details about your lake home. Hand these out to everyone.
Vacation Rental by Lasting__Impressions
Have a card made up with your contact information and the details about your lake home. Hand these out to everyone.
Lake Homes - A Poll
Little House Photo Print by josephspallone
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Books on Lake Homes
Coming Home by GinaSignore
Browse other Lake Mousepads
Enhance Your Lake Home with These Additions
Living on a Kansas Lake
by Virginia Allain
Outdoor Living
When you're at the lake, you'll want to spend most of your time outside. Here's some Adirondack chairs, hammocks, grills, boating gear, canoes and kayaks to make the most of your outdoor time.
The Adirondack Chair Is a Classic
Adirondack Chairs Come in All Sizes, Colors and Materials
More about Adirondack Chairs for Your Lake House
- How to Make Adirondack Chairs From Salvage Fence Planks | eHow.com
- Planks from an old or salvaged fence can be re-purposed for many types of projects, including making furniture for use on a patio or deck. One piece of furniture that you can make from salvage...
- How to Paint Adirondack Chairs | eHow.com
- The Adirondack chair was designed by Thomas Lee in 1903. He was on vacation in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains in Newport, New York and needed chairs for his summer home. He designed the...
- How to Extend the Life of Plastic Adirondack Chairs | eHow.com
- Adirondack chairs have been a staple on the American landscape for over a century. Since being invented by Thomas Lee in 1903 to provide a comfortable chair for his family, except for a short...
More Adirondack Chair
in all sizes and colors
Keep a Pair of Binoculars Handy to the Lake House Deck
Click through to Amazon to see all the choices and reviews
Watch birds or boaters from your deck.
Sailboats on the Lake
Choose a Kayak for Quiet Times on the Lake
Our kayaks are Old Town, a very respected maker of kayaks. You can't sink these, the dealer told us, and I liked that.
In a kayak, we can explore areas that are too shallow for a powerboat. It's possible to get fairly close to loons if you drift silently along and don't make any sudden motions.
In a kayak, we can explore areas that are too shallow for a powerboat. It's possible to get fairly close to loons if you drift silently along and don't make any sudden motions.
A Kayak Cart Makes It Easy to Get the Kayak Down to the Water
Learn More about Kayaks
Kayak, Cheraw by rfpeterson
Browse more Kayak fishing Cards
- How to Go Kayaking | eHow.com
- Kayaking is a fun water activity you can enjoy with a group or on your own. You can float through a calm serene afternoon on smooth waters or have an exciting and exhilarating time shooting the...
- How to Choose a Kayak Size | eHow.com
- Choosing the proper size kayak is a decision that has many factors. Some of these factors can be predetermined and some must be made at the store when trying out the different kayaks. Among the...
- How to Choose and Buy a Kayak Paddle | eHow.com
- Kayaking can be as strenuous or easygoing as you like, depending on the watercourse you choose and the paddle you use. Various kinds of paddles are available for kayakers and the different shafts...
- How to Properly Store a Kayak | eHow.com
- Storing a kayak incorrectly can cause the bottom of the hull to warp and that could ruin a sizable investment. Stress on the boat is the major cause of this kind of damage, although heat can also...
Supplies to Go with the Kayak
Book of Boathouses
Award-winning photographer John de Visser and lifelong cottager Judy Ross take readers inside 45 of the North Country's most enticing boathouses -- the rustic, the charming, the grand, the glamorous. Some date back to the 1800s and have changed little over the past century; others are recent eye-catching additions to the water's edge. Styles range from Victorian lavish to Shaker simplicity to Adirondack modern. Inside are inspired sitting rooms, bedrooms, baths, kitchens, and cherished collections of antiques and memorabilia.
Lush color photographs reveal how owners, architects, and designers have made each working boathouse an exceptional place to live as well as a perfect home for prized canoes, sleek motorboats, vintage mahogany launches and, in one case, a day-sailer with a 35-foot mast. (publisher's description from Amazon)
Useful Book about Docks
The Dock Manual:
Designing/Building/Maintaining
"The Dock Manual" tells you everything you need to know about designing, building and maintaining a small residential dock. It is an extremely well written and enjoyable book to read and is loaded with beautiful line drawings and photographs.
There are extensive sections on the different types of docks, materials, tools, hardware and building techniques. The section on connecting your dock to the shore was worth buying on its own! The section on designing your dock was short but there are pictures and drawings of various types of docks scattered throughout the book. (review by Thomas McSally on Amazon)
Lake Home Decor
Rustic Revisited: Innovative Design for Cabin, Camp and Lodge
Book available from Amazon
Rustic Revisited:
Innovative Design for Cabin, Camp, and Lodge
Ann O'Leary identifies the historical as well as specific decorating details necessary to achieve these fabulous lodge and camp looks. This is a very in-depth, extensively well researched and beautifully written book! Well done! (review by Joann Cancro on Amazon)
Blue Heron Throw Pillow
for the lake house
16" Hooked Canvas Throw Pillow with Blue Heron
This hooked canvas throw pillow with blue heron evokes the most carefree days of summer and sunny days on the Lake. With its rich and vibrant colors it is the perfect accent for any room of the house. Blue Heron decor throw pillow is made from 100% Cotton (Filling is 100% Polyester). Dimensions: 16" x 16"
Wildwood Pine Cone Bath Rug for the Lake Cabin
- Multi Forest Rug
19.7" x 31.5"
Measures 31.5" x 19.75"
100% Machine washable
Add some outdoorsy charm to any bathroom! Amazon has coordinated shower curtains and other accessories to go with this.
Waterside Cottages
Decorate the Lake Cottage with Ideas from This Book
If you live on the water or wish you did, then this is the decorating book for you. Filled with gorgeous photography the book showcases 13 beautiful waterside homes. You will feel like you have sat down with the home owners as you read the stories about each home. I highly recommend this book! (review by P. Carlson on Amazon)
More about Cottage and Camp Decor
A Book Filled with Lovely Lake Homes
A House on the Water:
Inspiration for Living at the Water's Edge
This book not only is full of wonderful photographs of beautiful houses, but also contains useful information about building on the water, sketch plans of each house, and insightful analysis of each design. It's a pleasure to read as well as to look at. I enjoyed my copy so much that I'll be buying more for friends and family. (review by Chris Noble on Amazon)
New Cottage Style: Decorating Ideas for Casual, Comfortable Living
Book available from Amazon
New Cottage Style :
Decorating Ideas for Casual, Comfortable Living
(Better Homes and Gardens)
More Lake Home Decorating Tips
- How to Decorate a Lake Bedroom | eHow.com
- Decorate your bedroom to look like it belongs in a lake house, or to enhance your lake house view. A lake house bedroom should feel relaxing and cozy, while allowing your natural surroundings to be...
- How to Decorate Your Home in a Lakeside Theme
- Lakeside-themed home decor is the perfect motif for houses or vacation cabins situated on or near a lake. Bringing aspects of the home's natural setting into the interior of the house...
- Cheap Decorating Ideas for Your Lake House
- Cheap Decorating Ideas for Your Lake House. You don't have to break the bank to make your lake house warm and welcoming. Take a cue from nature and create decor items with the lake and shore in mind. Show off lake-inspired pieces,...
Add Your "Two Cents" Here
My Two Cents' Worth Mug by clarachandler
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kooljewels
May 30, 2012 @ 5:54 am | delete
- I'd prefer a home right by the sea (near some rocky cliff, with lots of storm..not some boring white sand beach!)
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Ruthi
May 29, 2012 @ 10:08 pm | delete
- Oh yes, to live year round in a little lake cabin is but a dream...
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wordstock Apr 1, 2012 @ 12:56 pm | delete
- This is only a dream but I certainly enjoyed my visit here.
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infiniti99 Mar 30, 2012 @ 6:56 pm | delete
- I have my lakehouse I bought in 1995 on Sebago lake in Maine my dogs love almost as much as me.Awesome lens thank you for sharing
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KateHon
Mar 28, 2012 @ 9:21 pm | delete
- There is nothing more restful and relaxing than being by the water! I grew up going "to the lake" during summers in Minnesota, the land of 10,000 lakes. What wonderful memories!! Great lens!
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SayGuddaycom
Feb 17, 2012 @ 9:58 pm | delete
- This was a really unique lens.
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favored1
Jan 26, 2012 @ 5:28 pm | delete
- For ten years we used to go to Lake George, NY every October and rent a cottage or villa on the lake. It was a few days of rest, no phones or tv. Just wonderful. We moved so I don't get to visit there anymore, but I still do in my memories.
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digitaltree
Jan 26, 2012 @ 4:33 pm | delete
- Nice Lens, i like all the images.
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scarlettohairy Nov 17, 2011 @ 10:41 am | delete
- I love all of the soothing images you've added here. I'd love to have a house by a lake or ocean.
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KarenCookieJar
Nov 10, 2011 @ 11:46 am | delete
- it looks so peaceful.
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TamaraKajari
Nov 3, 2011 @ 2:44 am | delete
- This lens brings out the best dreams of living in a lake house. My husband and I picked the place and plan to buy some land with this great lake view, but the recession slowed us down a bit. I can't wait to leave the city and live surrounded with water and beautiful nature. Some day soon I hope:) Blessed by a Squid Angel~
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sukkran Aug 16, 2011 @ 10:23 am | delete
- lovely place to live. your accessories for a lake cottage are really superb.
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MonikaWeise Aug 15, 2011 @ 3:00 pm | delete
- I dream about a lake house, but dreaming is probably the extent of it. Loved this lens :)
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MaxReily
Aug 11, 2011 @ 5:19 pm | delete
- Lovely lens! I'd love to have a lake house--it seems so tranquil and relaxing to live on a lake, and have a view, and access to it right from your house. Something to dream about....
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Heather426
Aug 6, 2011 @ 9:33 pm | delete
- Have always wanted to live on a lake. Planning on it next time:)
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A Worthy Cause
Blue Mountain Wildlife provides caring people a place to bring injured wildlife for the specialized treatment needed to return to the wild, and increases awareness & appreciation of wildlife through public education.
by vallain
I'm Virginia Allain, a retired librarian. Now I devote myself to writing, photography and designing books to self-publish. Having fun!
My current project...
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Grilling on the Deck at the Lake House
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