6 Luxe Lake Houses Where the Living Is Easy
These diverse and dreamy lake houses maximize their waterfront settings with expansive water views and inviting design
Lake life encourages embracing a slower pace and enjoying the outdoors. When home base is on a beautiful lakeside with expansive water views, that life gets all the more seductive. Let these luxurious homes profiled on Houzz transport you to the dock of your dreams — or give you design inspiration for a getaway of your own.
Jennifer Horstman, interior designer and owner of Lenox House Design, carried the blue-and-white palette inside and added touches of green, yellow and red. Along with classic custom furnishings and high-end-but-hardworking finishes, Horstman incorporated the homeowners’ extensive collection of antiques and family heirlooms, as well as details inspired by an old family cottage that originally sat on the property. Nearly every room has expansive views of the lake, including this living area in the great room.
The fireplace in this room is clad in stones hand-selected from a local stone yard. Among the many other must-see details in the home are a bar shaped like a Chris-Craft boat and a Norwegian loom that resided in the original cottage.
Read more about this home
The fireplace in this room is clad in stones hand-selected from a local stone yard. Among the many other must-see details in the home are a bar shaped like a Chris-Craft boat and a Norwegian loom that resided in the original cottage.
Read more about this home
2. Rustic Meets Modern in Montana
Architects Larry Pearson and Justin Tollefson and interior designer Leisa Kaiser of Pearson Design Group designed this house on Flathead Lake in Montana for an empty-nest couple who wanted to host multigenerational gatherings. Built by Denman Construction on a steeply sloped site, with a 60-foot vertical drop from the driveway to the lake, the modern-style home has rustic reclaimed barnwood siding and a standing-seam metal roof that help it blend into the rugged landscape.
The main structure, seen here, has three bedrooms and 3½ bathrooms. A bridge connects it to a guesthouse below, with an additional bedroom and 1½ bathrooms.
8 Coastal Homes With Awesome Ocean Views
Architects Larry Pearson and Justin Tollefson and interior designer Leisa Kaiser of Pearson Design Group designed this house on Flathead Lake in Montana for an empty-nest couple who wanted to host multigenerational gatherings. Built by Denman Construction on a steeply sloped site, with a 60-foot vertical drop from the driveway to the lake, the modern-style home has rustic reclaimed barnwood siding and a standing-seam metal roof that help it blend into the rugged landscape.
The main structure, seen here, has three bedrooms and 3½ bathrooms. A bridge connects it to a guesthouse below, with an additional bedroom and 1½ bathrooms.
8 Coastal Homes With Awesome Ocean Views
The exterior’s barnwood cladding and blackened steel elements continue into the home’s kitchen and main living areas. Layered textures, materials and neutral colors in the finishes and furnishings give the interior a casual, warm, rugged-modern look and feel.
Many of the home’s interior walls are covered in gray- or white-tone wood paneling. But in this primary bedroom, the walls are ivory drywall, which puts the focus on the view of the lake through the wraparound windows. The light neutral palette is enhanced with blue and gold accents.
Read more about this home
Many of the home’s interior walls are covered in gray- or white-tone wood paneling. But in this primary bedroom, the walls are ivory drywall, which puts the focus on the view of the lake through the wraparound windows. The light neutral palette is enhanced with blue and gold accents.
Read more about this home
3. Vernacular Vibes in Vermont
On the shores of Lake Champlain in Colchester, Vermont, this four-bedroom, three-bathroom home was rebuilt on the foundation of an existing cottage that was beyond repair. The new home was designed by architect Gabriel Stadecker and owner-interior designer Jessie Polk of Polykrome Design, who honored the existing house’s shape but made changes consistent with traditional Vermont architecture, including giving it a true gable roofline and adding dormers.
The new home has a standing-seam metal roof, stained black cedar shingles on the dormers and clapboard on the lower level. Natural, unstained cedar shingles in the covered-cutout entrance create a welcoming glow on cold evenings, Polk says.
On the shores of Lake Champlain in Colchester, Vermont, this four-bedroom, three-bathroom home was rebuilt on the foundation of an existing cottage that was beyond repair. The new home was designed by architect Gabriel Stadecker and owner-interior designer Jessie Polk of Polykrome Design, who honored the existing house’s shape but made changes consistent with traditional Vermont architecture, including giving it a true gable roofline and adding dormers.
The new home has a standing-seam metal roof, stained black cedar shingles on the dormers and clapboard on the lower level. Natural, unstained cedar shingles in the covered-cutout entrance create a welcoming glow on cold evenings, Polk says.
The front door opens to a mudroom with built-in cabinetry and a white oak slat wall. The open slats here and beside the stairs preserve views to the lake, which dominate the first floor thanks to triple-pane windows stretching across the back wall. A polished concrete floor has a radiant heating system designed to one day be connected to an energy-efficient heat pump.
The first level is pictured here from the perspective of the kitchen, with the white oak island peeking out in the foreground. On the other side of the open-plan space, Polk preserved and upgraded the original cottage’s sunken living room and fireplace built from local stone.
Read more about this home
The first level is pictured here from the perspective of the kitchen, with the white oak island peeking out in the foreground. On the other side of the open-plan space, Polk preserved and upgraded the original cottage’s sunken living room and fireplace built from local stone.
Read more about this home
4. Cabin Compound in Minnesota
This home on Minnesota’s Upper Gull Lake is the cornerstone of a compound that a couple is building as a getaway for themselves and their four grown children and grandchildren. It was a collaboration between Tays & Co Design Studios, architect Collin Jacobs of NewHeritage and Wes Hanson Builders, and has four bedrooms, three bathrooms and charm aplenty.
The architecture might be described as “elevated cabin.” It’s at once refined and rustic, with shingle and stone cladding and a mix of metal and shingle roofing.
This home on Minnesota’s Upper Gull Lake is the cornerstone of a compound that a couple is building as a getaway for themselves and their four grown children and grandchildren. It was a collaboration between Tays & Co Design Studios, architect Collin Jacobs of NewHeritage and Wes Hanson Builders, and has four bedrooms, three bathrooms and charm aplenty.
The architecture might be described as “elevated cabin.” It’s at once refined and rustic, with shingle and stone cladding and a mix of metal and shingle roofing.
One of the homeowners likes rustic style and the other tends to prefer modern design, but designer Laura Tays was able to satisfy them both with modern silhouettes, a neutral palette, organic textures and living finishes.
The kitchen is in full view of the great room, and both have fabulous views of the lake. Rusticity comes in the forms of a coffered ceiling crafted of reclaimed wood, handcrafted tiles and a bronze vent detail and coordinating cabinet hardware, which will develop a patina with use. The more modern elements include the room’s clean lines, crisp white paint and cabinets, leather counter stools and opal pendant lights.
See more of this kitchen, and view additional images in the project folder
The kitchen is in full view of the great room, and both have fabulous views of the lake. Rusticity comes in the forms of a coffered ceiling crafted of reclaimed wood, handcrafted tiles and a bronze vent detail and coordinating cabinet hardware, which will develop a patina with use. The more modern elements include the room’s clean lines, crisp white paint and cabinets, leather counter stools and opal pendant lights.
See more of this kitchen, and view additional images in the project folder
5. A Splash of Miami in Maine
A boardwalk wends its way through the trees and rocky ledges to the front door of this two-bedroom, 2½-bathroom home in Lucerne-in-Maine, Maine, offering glimpses of water along the way.
The house was designed by Matt Elliott and Isaac Robbins of Elliott Architects for a couple who relocated from Florida. The architecture is a mix of Miami modern and Maine cabin, with an exterior of corrugated aluminum, black cladding and large-scale cedar shake shingles. Two buildings — the main house and a guest pod/office — are connected by a screened-in porch.
A boardwalk wends its way through the trees and rocky ledges to the front door of this two-bedroom, 2½-bathroom home in Lucerne-in-Maine, Maine, offering glimpses of water along the way.
The house was designed by Matt Elliott and Isaac Robbins of Elliott Architects for a couple who relocated from Florida. The architecture is a mix of Miami modern and Maine cabin, with an exterior of corrugated aluminum, black cladding and large-scale cedar shake shingles. Two buildings — the main house and a guest pod/office — are connected by a screened-in porch.
One of the owners, Stephen Peck of Moose Tuchus, designed the interior, filling it with favorite pieces from his and his husband’s collection of midcentury modern furnishings and items from their travels. This Moroccan rug and midcentury modern Platner table and Verner Panton chairs are good examples.
Polished concrete floors with radiant heat keep the home toasty, and large black-framed windows accentuate the views of the water. It’s officially a pond, but it’s large and deep enough for lake-life activities such as swimming, kayaking and paddleboarding.
Read more about this home
Polished concrete floors with radiant heat keep the home toasty, and large black-framed windows accentuate the views of the water. It’s officially a pond, but it’s large and deep enough for lake-life activities such as swimming, kayaking and paddleboarding.
Read more about this home
6. Hamptons-Inspired in Michigan
When designing this Norwood Township, Michigan, home for a retired couple with a large extended family, architectural designer Stephanie Baldwin of Edgewater Design Group took to heart the homeowner’s inspiration images of traditional Shingle-style homes and created something worthy of a Nancy Meyers movie. The welcoming front porch has an arched roofline echoed by the arched front door, the columns have real stone veneer at their bases and the bay on the right has a copper standing-seam roof.
To ensure that the lakeside home could survive the harsh climate and blowing sands from the Lake Michigan shoreline, Baldwin specified low-maintenance exterior materials, including vinyl shake shingles for the siding. Zip sheathing on the north- and west-facing sides of the house adds extra insulation and waterproofing.
When designing this Norwood Township, Michigan, home for a retired couple with a large extended family, architectural designer Stephanie Baldwin of Edgewater Design Group took to heart the homeowner’s inspiration images of traditional Shingle-style homes and created something worthy of a Nancy Meyers movie. The welcoming front porch has an arched roofline echoed by the arched front door, the columns have real stone veneer at their bases and the bay on the right has a copper standing-seam roof.
To ensure that the lakeside home could survive the harsh climate and blowing sands from the Lake Michigan shoreline, Baldwin specified low-maintenance exterior materials, including vinyl shake shingles for the siding. Zip sheathing on the north- and west-facing sides of the house adds extra insulation and waterproofing.
Inside, Baldwin added a classic look and cozy feel with architectural details such as coffers and V-groove paneling on the ceiling and half walls around the great room.
The homeowner selected the finishes and all of the furnishings in the house, giving it a relaxed yet traditional style with nautical accents. The crisp palette pulls in the blues and whites from the sweeping views of Lake Michigan.
Read more about this home
More on Houzz
Tour more homes
Hire a local design pro
Shop for your home
The homeowner selected the finishes and all of the furnishings in the house, giving it a relaxed yet traditional style with nautical accents. The crisp palette pulls in the blues and whites from the sweeping views of Lake Michigan.
Read more about this home
More on Houzz
Tour more homes
Hire a local design pro
Shop for your home
Sponsored
Fairfax County's Specialized, Comprehensive Renovations Firm
This beautiful Bay Lake, Minnesota, house by Charlie & Co. Design and Adōr Homes has a blue-and-white exterior that nods to both its lakeside setting and its owners’ Nordic heritage.
Large but laid-back and with a classic cottage style, the home has five bedrooms and six bathrooms. There’s also a cute-as-a-button two-bedroom guesthouse and a boathouse on the property.
Find a local architect on Houzz