The "Before" - Great Room

I mentioned before that we got a great deal on this place because it was a little... well... dated. Let's make that REALLY dated. Like 1985 threw up everywhere. Because the summer is prime rental season, we are waiting a bit to change things. Come this fall, however, we will be ripping out carpet and painting some walls.

Let's start with a tour of the great room. This is a two bedroom, two bath cottage. The second bedroom is in a loft area (which makes it a 1 1/2 story house). As a result, the great room is two stories high, very open and airy. Great windows, great view of the lake.

Here we can see the glorious carpet more closely, along with the fake ivy plant, the brass accents on the fireplace, and the Haverty-esqe furnishings. Gotta go. All of it.

There is not much room for a dining area. Currently the table is against the wall and between two windows. That's going to be quite a bit of a design challenge.

What's the inspiration for the new room, you ask? How about this? White walls with white curtains, hardwoood floors with a natural rug cover, neutral furniture with snaps of color on the pillows. Big art. Clean, white, beachy. Modern.

Introducing... the Lake House

Crazy people that we are, we bought a lake house last month. My in-laws have a sailboat in Kentucky. As a result, we often find ourselves visiting. I don't like to sleep on boats, though, and I was tired of the rental scene with uncomfortable beds and laminate kitchen countertops. So, we bought a place to make our own. 

Since we will only be at the lake house one or two weeks a year, we opted to buy a place which is part of a rental complex; technically it is a condo. When we are not there, the management company will rent it out and keep an eye on it. We don't expect to make any money on the rentals, but it is nice to know that any leaks or other issues will be managed by someone (since we do not live nearby).

We got a good deal on the property, but that was primarily because it needs a lot of updating - new hardwood floors, new carpets in the bedrooms, a kitchen refresh..... Since summer is prime rental season, we aren't renovating yet, but plan to get to work in the fall. In the meantime, I am gathering decorating ideas and making plans, which I will hopefully catalog here.