Double duty A cover designed to keep her kids out of the backyard fire pit inspired one of Kelly’s most popular blog posts. “I connected the wood with brackets and used string with a pencil to draw a circle, cut it and stained it,” she says. “Now it doubles as a kids table that they sit around when we have friends over.” |
Petal pusher Kelly says she’s learned to ignore the advice to give flowers space and instead, she packs her window boxes full. This ensures a big mass of color that’s highly visible. |
Carefree lake house Open shelving reflects the informal style of this Michigan lake home. Warm wood accents—most notably, the dark floor and vent hood—ground the all-white palette. To cover the stainless-steel hood, the owner’s uncle cheated the look of pricey walnut panels by cutting grooves in walnut plywood with a router then sealing it with satin water-based clear polyurethane. |
Flea-market find Lake houses and Old Glory go together like kids and vacation. The flag in the dining room of this Michigan lake home was a $10 flea-market find. The homeowner framed it with stained 1x4s held together with corner brackets—a vintage-style touch to relax a new home’s perfect sheen. |
House Tour: Lake House Effect |
Carefree kitchen Open shelving reflects the home’s informal style. Warm wood accents—most notably, the dark floor and vent hood—ground the all-white palette. To cover the stainless-steel hood, an uncle cheated the look of pricey walnut panels by cutting grooves in walnut plywood with a router then sealing it with satin water-based clear polyurethane. |
Salute to the flea Lake houses and Old Glory go together like kids and vacation. “This flag was a $10 flea-market find that I had to have, even though I wasn’t sure where it would go at first,” Kelly says. She eventually framed it with stained 1x4s held together with corner brackets—a vintage-style touch to relax a new home’s perfect sheen. |
Shipshape A peg rack and wire shelving conveniently organize outdoor gear. “Our little command station on the back patio holds sunscreen, bug spray, goggles, balls, towels and more, so we can grab what we need instead of having to run back in the house,” Kelly says. |
Weather report To balance modern finishes, Kelly adds weathered decor, echoing beach finds worn by the rhythm of the waves. She painted the mudroom’s oars with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint: “I like that chalk paint can make something look like it has a story.” |
Channeling the lake spirit Sparkling water, sunshine and kids splashing set the tone for the Michigan home of Kelly and Dan Rinzema and their two children. Kelly, who spent every summer vacationing nearby as a child, uses DIY, flea-market finds and water-inspired colors to pull the lake spirit indoors. “With how fast-paced and busy today’s world is, it’s nice that we have our own little place where we can slow things down a bit,” Kelly says. Designer Kelly Rinzema thelilypadcottage.com
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Buoys will be … Maritime signal flags, boat illustrations and life buoys add bold color and shapes to this boy's room. Neutral whitewash floors stay open to change as he grows. A hardware store cut 4x8-foot underlayment boards into 6-inch-wide strips for the shiplap-style accent wall. |
Nautical punch The quickest way to set sail toward a lake theme is on a breezy scheme of blues and white. Then clear the deck with ample storage like this 14-foot window seat’s cubby baskets customized with graphic numbers from the hardware store. |
Midwest National Park GetawaysYou, average taxpayer, own some of the planet’s most awe-inspiring landscapes. Your title to vast stretches of forest, water and prairie rests on a once-radical idea. Before the United States tried it, no nation had set aside its exceptional places for every citizen to enjoy rather than locking the lands up in private estates. In 1872, Congress established the first national park at Yellowstone, and in 2016, we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service itself. |
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