9 Summer Decorating Lessons We’re Stealing...

Exhale. Splash. Relax. That’s pretty much the routine when Jess Cooney steals away to her Lake Garfield home in the Berkshires region of Massachusetts. Walking into the living area of the getaway, she feels like she can breathe when she sees the sparkling water through what’s essentially a glass wall. In minutes, she’s outside gliding on a kayak or floating on the lake. “Hop in the water and your whole day melts away,” she says.

Cooney, her husband, and their three kids had come to love spending carefree summers on a lake. For years, they rented out their house in a touristy area, then would find a nearby lake place to rent themselves. Cooney vowed to someday own a lake house, so she says she finally “put that out to the universe.” The universe answered in the form of a fixer-upper that held the promise of good, clean family time—along with a renovation challenge for Cooney, an interior designer. “It really was a magical purchase for us,” she says. 

After spending the first summer splashing around outside, Cooney got serious about the interior. The kitchen was remodeled to include a pantry and a large island that faces the lake. A loftlike space was reimagined into the couple’s private suite. In the lower level, a fourth bedroom with a bathroom was added.

Now five years in, Cooney hasn’t tired of that first glimpse of the water when she walks in the house. Whether you’re renovating a property of your own, or simply looking to refresh your space for summer, borrow these design lessons from this dreamy lake house.

1. Choose Easy-Living Furniture and Durable Finishes

Cooney rooted the home’s design in durability. Surfaces include hard-wearing composite oak flooring and low-maintenance quartz countertops that look like indestructible concrete. A well-thought-out plan designates proper places for everything, such as hooks on the deck for wet towels.

A sectional sofa maximizes lounging, sitting, and sleeping space in the small living room, while indoor-outdoor fabric ensures its light-color upholstery wears well. She says the flat-weave wool area rug resists stains and cleans easily.

2. Create a Warm Welcome

The Cooneys built out the front of the house to create a welcoming entry and mudroom. Mahogany slats break up the deep green (Farrow & Ball Studio Green) on the rest of the exterior. New landscaping included a bluestone walkway to greet guests upon arrival.

3. Make Room to Entertain

The kitchen was reconfigured and renovated from floor to ceiling in order to create a homey entertaining space. Wide-plank oak flooring and 10-inch-wide nickel-gap paneling on the ceiling and walls put a modern spin on classic materials. Cooney glued woven grass to cabinet doors to bring in another texture. The large table is ready for a card game with a great view.

4. Create a Bit of Privacy

While the house is often used for entertaining, it’s nice to maintain a bit of privacy as well. Sunlight filters through slats on a partition designed to mask the stairs and introduce a modernist element to the vestibule. “We rebuilt an ugly handrail and added the slats,” she says. “It gives a little more feeling of privacy.”

5. Make Room to Recharge

The primary suite provides a much-needed space to relax and unwind after long days of hosting summer events. To make it feel more cozy, Cooney had the windows on one wall closed up. She pulled a bed out of storage and re-covered it in green velvet. “It was the perfect fit—just enough space for nightstands beside it,” she says.

6. Orient Rooms to the View

Anytime a space has a great view—like the Cooneys’ view of the water—consider arranging your furniture to maximize the scenery. This reconfigured loft-turned-primary-suite features a sitting area in a corner with windows that provide lake views. “I wanted it to feel like its own hotel room up there,” she says. “It’s my escape.”

7. Add Personal Touches

A soaking tub was a must for Cooney, who positioned one next to the shower. “Everything is within inches, but it all works,” she says. “Nothing feels too cramped.” Tumbled limestone tiles in the shower and on lower walls contrast with the warm tone of the wood ceiling. The 1-inch oak slats also clad the sink wall, while the frame of a mirrored medicine cabinet blends into the wall. 

8. Decorate the Deck for Living

Jumping off the dock and splashing in the lake is the prime summer activity for kids, while the adults tend to gather on the deck. Slatted fencing conceals kayaks, paddleboards, and other lake toys,
ensuring the backyard looks tidy.

9. Make Space for Overnight Guests

To Cooney, the house was meant for a crowd. She envisioned a social place that welcomed siblings, family friends, girlfriends from college, 15 nieces and nephews running in and out in wet bathing suits, and everyone’s dogs. “I’m the matriarch of the family,” she says. “I love to host people. I love to host events.” At the same time, she wanted the house to be a year-round retreat where she could recharge. 

In this guest space, a pair of blue twin beds (holdovers from her teenage son’s little-boy room), feels anything but cliché with a deep blue finish. Adding a little olive green and a cow image from a local photographer keep the room bright and fun for guests.