Yesterday I took you on a tour of the changes we made to the outside of our lake house, and today I want to show you some of the things we’ve done on the inside. Click here to see all the outdoor update.
There’s still LOTS to be done on the inside, including painting the walls and getting new flooring installed. Those things will get completed as the budget allows, but for now, I’m focused on making it a happy little home away from home as cheaply as possible.
2020 UPDATE: The house has been updated! Click on the posts to see the latest lake house updates:
DIY Green Kitchen Cabinets + Open Shelving
Dark and Moody Teal Green Master Bedroom
Cozy Loft Bedroom with added privacy
DIY Directional Road Signs from Scrap Wood
and just for fun… The Night that the Pipes went out in the Bathroom
Inside the frame is a cartoon map of Lake Mitchell that I sketched on my iPad as a way to show guests the general layout of the lake. I shared it on the local facebook page and it was so popular that I decided to start selling it as a printable. I drew this cartoon map of Birmingham a few years ago, so I added that as well.
You can click here to see the cartoon maps I have for sale.
Eating Nook:
When we bought the house there was only a two-seater bar top for dining, and I knew we needed to be able to seat a lot more than that around a table for dinners and card-playing.
The cabin is small with less than 1,000 sq ft on the main level, so I had to do some serious measuring and planning before I made any big purchases.
When I found this coastal 3-piece nook banquette table for less than $400.00 I was immediately sold. I am not really in love with the faux weathered grey top, but I can always paint it later. I did love the white bench seating for six and that price, though.
Miraculously I was able to Tetris this huge banquette along with a sectional sofa into this living room without giving up too much walking room.
These blue chairs were another Bargain Hunt find at just $25 apiece! I couldn’t resist that Robin’s egg blue color. They are sturdy and bring some much-needed color to this banquette. I also found some cute pillows at Target and HomeGoods to liven things up.
So now we have dining for six plus two at the bar, and living room seating for about six as well. Not too bad for a tiny little house!
The Living Room
The sectional sofa was another Bargain Hunt find purchased with YET ANOTHER 30% off coupon. I’m gonna need more email aliases if I keep shopping at that store. I was really happy to find a smaller scaled sectional to maximize the seating for this space. The coffee table was my husband’s 40th birthday gift. He always loved the lift-top table we had at our old lake house, so I bought him a new lift-top table for this house.
The Kitchen
Here is the kitchen before our remodel:
and After!
This was a huge undertaking so be sure to read all about how we painted the cabinets and hung open shelving!
Since space is limited I added this little wall-hung coffee station to keep some of the clutter off the counters.
To save money we kept the laminate countertops but we added this V-groove paneling to give it more character. I love this kitchen now!
The Guest Room
The guest bedroom on the main level is decorated with a bunch of my son’s old camping themed bedroom decor. It worked for him as a little kid but now that he’s in middle school we’ve moved on to what I like to call Piles O’ Crap Chic. I can’t even see his bedroom floor most days, much less any cutesy decorative pillows.
All of his fishing/ canoeing/ camping themed stuff was perfect at the lake house, though! Glad I kept it. I snagged this blue pintuck king size comforter at Bargain Hunt for like $40.
THE LOFT
Upstairs the loft bedroom got a new comforter (also from Bargain Hunt! They should seriously be sponsoring this post.)
Here is the “During” pic:
And the After:
THE MASTER BEDROOM
A few months back my friend Allison was ranting about how vacation rental homes never have king-size beds. “They are all Queens, Fulls or Twins! I would love to stay in a home that had nothing but King-sized beds!” she declared.
Well, your wish is my command, Allison! There were already two king beds that came with the house, and we found an almost-new Sleep Number bed for sale at a neighbor’s garage sale for $300! We snagged that sucker quick and brought it down to the lake house. We have a Sleep Number bed at home, so now we have the same comfort at the lake house! It’s heavenly!
Here is the master bedroom before we updated it.
And now!
Read all about the new master bedroom update here.
Yesterday I showed you the little cafe table on the upper balcony outside the Master Bedroom but I’ll show it to you again because it’s such a pretty spot. The best views of the lake are under this shady tree canopy.
If you are looking for the perfect getaway spot to spend the weekend with your friends, family or all alone, this Master Bedroom balcony should seal the deal for ya.
I am just so in love with our little Gingerbread house on the lake, y’all. We haven’t even owned it for six months yet and already it has made some priceless memories for us. We still have lots of work left to do, but I wanted to share the progress that we’ve made so far!
I hope it will bring happiness to many other people who will visit us from AirBNB. You cannot beat the peace and quiet of this little lake house. And did I mention that the sunsets are spectacular?
If you’re looking for a relaxing spot to get away from everyday life, this is it!
Is this your first time to rent an AirBNB?
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Check out our AirBNB listing right here.
Shop the house!
3 Piece Coastal White/Weathered Grey Banquette Nook
Blue X Back Chairs
Just Keep Swimming Pillow
This is My Happy Place Pillow
I love what you have done so far. The banquet you found looks awesome. My self I kinda like the table top simply because it reminds of water and aged wood, but whatever you do to it will look fabulous as usual. Maybe one day I’ll take a vacation at your beautiful cabin with my family. Well part of them 7 might not fit well in there, but who knows it might be fun to all be together.
Thanks so much Brenda! We could definitely sleep 7 so y’all come on down! 🙂
I am in love with gingerbread point and cottage. I never tried before but now I will surely do.
If you’re looking for something low budget to do one evening, park the car in a cool spot and enjoy the sunset!
Thanks a lot! It was just an information.
That’s so elegant decor. I like it much.