Putting on my decorator's cap

Now that we've cleared the inspection period and are on track to close on the lake house at the end of the month, I realized it was time to think about getting it ready for guests. I knew that meant a call to our trusted interior designer Robin that has helped me build two homes and remodel another four. I love Robin's deep knowledge base and flexible attitude. She's one of those decorators that can do a mix of high and low things for a really welcoming feel. In my opinion, nobody wants a formal and fussy lake house that seems like a museum. I want our lake place to have a laid back vibe, saying something more like come on in, kick off your shoes and relax.

One of the first things I did was pore over my pics from several years ago when we had our weekend getaway on the river to find the pic above. I really liked this big blue hutch where I showcased an eclectic display of milk glass. I'd like to recreate this same look at the new lake house. Lucky me was able to track down a group of three stacked bookshelves with storage below in a soft shade of navy that will do the trick in my informal eating area that has six windows so sun can reflect off all the pretty white glass. And so of course I had to hit up eBay and a few local antique places for a couple more pieces like the one below. 

I had lunch with a friend on Saturday and we nosed around several local home goods stores where I stumbled upon this set of lamps below. If you've been in the market for lighting lately, you'll understand how thrilled I was to find them for $99.99 each. That is a really fair price for such a pretty blue ceramic base that's certainly substantial enough to hold the 80" sideboard I'm wanting for the lake house dining area. It was nice to shop in a physical store because I've spent a whole lotta time the past week looking online at a zillion furniture options that will meet our needs, doing my best Goldilocks impression. This one is too short. That's not the right color. And so on and so forth.

With all of my old lake and river house decor packed away in the barn at our primary residence, it will practically be Christmas around here when I get to open them all up. I haven't told the husband yet, but I have plans to load up the trailer with all of my boxes of pretties to take to the lake house in a couple weeks when we close. I'm planning to bring the dogs along and stay at the lake for several days after the husband returns to work to get a start on stocking the kitchen with all the necessities. That old saying about Rome not being built in a day is certainly true when it comes to decorating a 4200 sq foot home.