Making a Splash Down at the Lake with New Nautical Decor

· Fun, unpretentious and comfortable furniture and home decor makes Summer Living the best! ·

Date
Aug, 10, 2018

colorful cottage decorating ideas, lake house home decorNautical Cottage Decor

Easy lake house vibes

We are in the last month of Summer and I am soaking it all up! After traveling for the whole month of July I finally got a chance to get away to out beloved lake house for the weekend.  We had rented the lakeside cottage on Honeoye Lake out three times when we were away and it’s always nice to come home to find the cottage in perfect condition! I’m sharing some new nautical decor additions that make our visitors feel a bit more pampered! We have been busy! If you’re looking for fire pit patio ideas we just completed ours and love the way we don’t have to move the furniture to mow the lawn. 

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Finger Lakes Air BNB 

Our small but cozy cottage has become an AirBNB so-to-speak this Summer and I am neurotic about keeping it neat, clean and of course charming.  Last February my father had rented a ski chalet A-Frame in Vermont for our family. It was so inviting from the outside but once inside everything was so tired and old. And when I say old the bedding was from the 70’s.  No joke! I vowed never to let that happen for any of our friends who stay with us! 

fireplace ideas, cottage fireplace mantels

Small on Space, Big on Color

In a small space like this I tried to pack as much color when decorating this 745 sq. foot cottage. My color inspiration came from our favorite ikat patterned swivel chairs. You basically see these chair from everywhere in the cottage! This past weekend I headed to HomeGoods to freshen up the pillows, bedding, and kitchen accessories. 

fun colorful furniture fabrics. cottage living , lake house decorating ideas

Fun and Playful Coastal Accents

I added some playful green and white striped Kate Spade down filled pillows and festive Summertime decor like candle votives, candles, wall art and tabletop accessories. 

fun colorful furniture fabrics. cottage living , lake house decorating ideas, garden stools white

Lake House Decor Color Scheme

When choosing new decor I stay within my color scheme so that I can change things around still while keeping the decor looking fresh and well thought out. I have had these needle point pillows for 4 years now and they have become a reminder of what our time at the lake is all about. Having fun and winding down! 

family friendly lake house furniture

I Brake for Yard Sales

On my way to the farmer’s market I passed a huge yard sale and I slammed on the breaks. They say that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure and I ALWAYS find something that I desperately need. LOL! At this sale I purchase two vases: one small bud vase and this beautiful periwinkle blue drip glaze vase. And the best part was that they were just one dollar each. I also scored a collection of white shells that were on the FREE table. It was my lucky day. I placed the clam shells in each of the rooms and bathroom for rings and earrings. 

coffee table styling ideas, nautical navy decor, cottage style

Summer Breeze

I opened all the windows and let the lake air come on in. I couldn’t wait to play around with my new pillows and add Summertime touches with fresh flowers and bright decor! 

lake house decorating ideas, cottage remodels and open spaces using fresh colorful nautical decor and furniture

Carefree Weekend Menu

No one, I repeat no one likes to be stuck in a kitchen on the weekend. Our weekend menus tend to mostly consist of grilling outside with quick and simple menu options. When it comes to drinks and food its a “Make yourself at home” approach. 

painted cabinets, painted kitchen cabinets, white kitchen cottage, summer house decor

The overall pallete may be light but there is no shortage of pops of color. The window valance was made from a vintage tea towel and I used press on numbers and letters to personalized the year we started this journey. Ross and I did all the tiles work using barn sale Mackenzie-Childs white long subway tiles and sandwiching in a row of white 3 by 6 tiles to make up for our shortage. 

cottage kitchen sink, summer house kitchens, lake house decorating ideas, kitchen remodels on a budget

Mason Jar Beverage Container

I am constantly searching for unique and colorful additions to our lake color scheme. We have a fun navy colored cooler out on the porch that we fill up with ice cold beer and canned soda. I just added this large mason jar beverage dispenser and filled her up with cold brew iced tea so that everyone can help themselves. I also added some new colorful mugs, pretty dish and hand soaps, and crisp new dish towels.

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Peach Tea is my go-to Summertime drink!

iced teas dispensers, HomeGoods dinnerware, open shelving ideas, wood and metal wall shelves, peach iced tea

A Fresh Start with Decor & Bedding

As I mentioned earlier I have been scarred by sleeping in beds with old and tattered linens. I am a freak about keep our place clean and fresh. I headed out to HomeGoods and purchased a new white quilt with white tassels on each corner. The harlequin patter gives just enough interest without competing with the  new pillows and navy anchor sheets. 

painted door ideas, turquoise door inspiration

Crisp white Euro quilted pillows, two new down filled navy lattice criss-cross accents pillows and a turquoise chevron throw blanket round out the new bedding ensemble. 
navy accent pillows and bedding

Adding New Nautical Decor

cottage bedroom decorating ideas and navy and turquoise nautical decor

Making A Nautical Splash

I’m sure it’s no surprise to you that I have a nice little stash of lake themed pillows at the cottage and often change them out for a fresh new look. 

white bedding , cottage bedroom ideas using white and navy nautical decor and lighting

If you follow along on my Instagram page you might remember when I hit the jackpot at a yard sale last month and scored a slew of original artwork for $75. The original watercolor located at the bottom if this trio was just $3. I happened to have the frame stashed away in my studio at home. It finished this grouping of beach landscapes perfectly. 

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DIY Reclaimed Wood Headboard

If you are new to the blog or would like to see how my father and I made this DIY reclaimed wood headboard using floor boards from an Ohio mitten factory click here. The top pieces are from a church pew that I found on the side of the road and the top crown piece that was part of a vanity mirror from a junk yard find. 

reclaimed wood headboard ideas and the perfect nautical decor with lake life pillows and navy blue anchor sheets a hand painted turquoise blue headboard and door in this small cottage lakehouse

The last few weeks of Summer are winding down and Fall is just around the corner. Fall is my favorite time on the water. The cool night breezes and the fall foliage is so spectacular. It’s now time to tackle the next project. What will it be? Stick around to see. Until then we are soaking up August and sharing our itsy bitsy cottage and new nautical decor with friends and family! Time for our annual Clam Bake. You’re all invited!

Happy Sailing,

Amie

 

 



11 Comments

  1. Reply

    Cindy

    August 11, 2018

    Love your colorful, fun, and inviting lake house.
    The colors so bright and cheerful. You inspire me to continue to add bright pops of color in my Beach home.
    Thank you for sharing!!!

    • Reply

      memehillstudio

      August 11, 2018

      Thank you so much Cindy! We just love our little oasis. I’m glad to invite you in and give some colorful inspiration. Amie

  2. Reply

    Cathy Hitt

    August 11, 2018

    I love this! We are remodeling a lake house we purchased a couple years ago. This is so inspirational would love to see more pics of your kitchen. We have a small kitchen

    • Reply

      memehillstudio

      August 11, 2018

      Hi Kathy thank you so much! There’s not much more to see in the kitchen but there is the other side that I haven’t shown in this blog post. If you click on the green box above the post and hit cottage life or lake life it will bring you to a list of the pictures including more of the kitchen. There are even pictures of before. It’s a very small space

      • Reply

        memehillstudio

        August 11, 2018

        Sorry Cathy….with a C

  3. Reply

    Amanda

    September 10, 2018

    Amazing! Really you are so talented. That is some beautiful incredible work. I am so inspired. Thanks and keep sharing.

    • Reply

      memehillstudio

      February 13, 2020

      Thank you so much Amanda! we love our little getaway! Thank you for stopping by. have a great day. Amie

  4. Reply

    Amy Keifer

    December 22, 2019

    So cute! Just bought a small lake place to live in year round. What color is your blue paint?

    • Reply

      memehillstudio

      February 13, 2020

      Hi Amy! Its called Ghost Ship by Behr paints.

  5. Reply

    Jeff Brady

    September 9, 2020

    Hi! I love this so much! Can you tell me what the stone is on the fireplace? It’s so fun and beachy.

    • Reply

      memehillstudio

      September 10, 2020

      Hi Its actually a white pebble stone sheet that we purchased from Home Depot and then added beach glass to the open spaces when installing. Thank you!

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