House Tour: Lake House Effect

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.

Sparkling water, sunshine and kids splashing set the tone for this Michigan home of Kelly and Dan Rinzema and their two children. Kelly, who spent every summer vacationing nearby as a child, used DIY, flea-market finds and water-inspired colors to pull the lake spirit indoors. (The family has since moved to another home nearby; both homes are on Kelly's blog.)  Designer Kelly Rinzema thelilypadcottage.com 

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 said. She eventually framed it with stained 1x4s held together with corner brackets-a vintage-style touch.

Open shelving reflected 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.

Maritime signal flags, boat illustrations and life buoys added bold color and shapes to this boy's room. A hardware store cut 4x8-foot underlayment boards into 6-inch-wide strips for the shiplap-style accent wall.

A peg rack and wire shelving conveniently organized outdoor gear.  The "command station" held sunscreen, bug spray, goggles, balls, towels and more.

To balance modern finishes, Kelly added weathered decor, echoing beach finds worn by the rhythm of the waves.

Kelly nailed molding to the wall to create a faux headboard in the main bedroom. Baskets under the bed added stylish storage.

A shell chandelier hung over a soaking tub in the main bathroom, where calming colors evoked the serenity of the nearby lake.

Kelly's obsession with a wallpaper pattern inspired a makeover of her daughter's room, which also got a princess canopy and a craft desk (repurposed from an old school desk Kelly bought for $10).

A cover was designed to keep her kids out of the backyard fire pit. "I connected the wood with brackets and used string with a pencil to draw a circle, cut it and stained it," she said.

Pillows and a throw could be easily changed out for seasonal accents.

Kelly said she's learned to ignore the advice to give flowers space and instead, she packed her window boxes full. This ensured a big mass of color that's highly visible.