Designed for Lake Life

Creating a lake home that feels elevated, comfortable, and made for the way life on the water is actually lived.

Growing up in Alexandria, Minnesota, lake life has always felt like a pretty natural part of home.

Summer means doors constantly opening and closing. Wet swimsuits hanging somewhere they probably shouldn't be. Bare feet running through the house. Friends stopping over. Kids coming in hungry after being on the water all afternoon. Morning coffee outside that somehow turns into an entire morning outside.

And I think the best lake homes make room for all of it.

To me, designing a home on the water isn't about filling it with anchors, paddles, and signs reminding you that you're at the lake.

The lake is already right outside.

The interiors can simply take their cues from it.

Let the Setting Do Some of the Work

When you have a beautiful view, I don't want the interior competing with it. I'm thinking about sightlines, window placement, where furniture sits, and how the rooms connect to the outdoors. Sometimes the best design decision is simply knowing when to let the view be the focal point.

Beautiful Doesn't Have to Mean Precious

A lake home should be somewhere people can actually relax. I want you to be able to come inside barefoot. Put your feet up. Have a house full of people. Let the kids pile onto the sofa after a day on the water. That doesn't mean sacrificing beautiful design. It means being thoughtful about materials and furnishings from the beginning. Durable fabrics. Rugs that can handle real life. Finishes that don't require you to panic every time someone sets down a wet glass. Because nobody wants to spend their summer protecting their house from the people who are supposed to be enjoying it.

Make Room for Everyone

Lake homes have a funny way of filling up. You may technically be designing for your immediate family, but before long there are grandparents, cousins, friends, neighbors, and someone's kids who somehow ended up staying for dinner. I love thinking about gathering from the beginning. A kitchen island people naturally congregate around. A dining table that can handle a few extra chairs. Comfortable seating that encourages everyone to stay awhile. Bunk rooms that make sleepovers part of the fun. The goal isn't necessarily more space. It's making the space you have work harder when everyone shows up.

Storage Matters Here, Too

Lake life comes with a surprising amount of stuff. Towels. Sunscreen. Life jackets. Coolers. Shoes. Beach bags. Toys. All the things you want nearby without necessarily wanting to look at them. Thoughtful storage near the places you actually use those things can make such a difference. It's one of those design details that isn't necessarily going to be the star of the photograph—but you'll appreciate it every single summer.

It Should Still Feel Like You

A lake home doesn't have to follow a certain formula. It can be modern. Traditional. Cozy. Collected. Light and airy. Moody and warm. I'd rather create something that reflects the people who live there and the setting around it than design a home around what a “lake house” is supposed to look like. Because the memories are what will eventually give it that character anyway.

Made for Summers Like These

Some of my favorite homes aren't the ones where everything stays perfectly in place. They're the ones where people linger. Where dinner turns into drinks on the patio. Where there are towels drying over the railing. Where everyone ends up gathered in the kitchen even though there's an entire house to spread out in. A lake home can be beautiful and elevated and still make room for all of that.

Actually, I think it should.

Because the best lake homes aren't designed around the lake. They're designed around the life that happens there.