Decorating your Second Home - Maggie's Place

The Adirondack chairs are stored, the boat is pulled and stored for winter.  So now is the perfect time to decorate your getaway home.  Decorating your home now, in the cold winter months, will allow you to enjoy your newly decorated home in the summer. But how do you go about decorating your lake house, cabin or coastal home?  Do you want your home to reflect the area? 

Whether you have a cabin in the woods or a home on the lakefront, bear, fishing or hunting paraphernalia for the cabin or sea shell picture frames for the lakefront home, which may or may not fit your tastes, are not your only decorating options. 

Lets start at the very beginning and begin thinking and reflecting on what you love and enjoy about the region.  Maybe its hiking, boating, outdoor activities, or laying in the hammock with family around, what do you think about when you think of your getaway.  Knick knacks and goofy signs can be fun, but start with the rugs, furniture and fabrics.  Wow fabrics, really?  Yes, fabrics can make you feel you are in your special getaway.  And it isn’t necessarily novelty fabric, but the colors that you associate with the area.

Architectural pieces like, natural stone or metals, vintage or new furniture pieces, fun lamps, interesting art  can say that when you open your coastal home, I’m at the  ocean.  Bring your love for the area into your home.  The hunt can be half the fun.  Antique art, maybe a vintage coffee table made from driftwood or an old trunk. If you like outdoor activities then incorporate skis, fishing poles, antique golf clubs in a vignette.  I have a client that has a kayak hanging from his ceiling in his cabin. Love it.

Don’t forget the local art shows. These shows, offer a fun and  fabulous way to pick up unique pieces.  Forget the furniture that looks like it can be in any home, and search out the ma and pa stores for the unique fun stuff.

If you are not a vintage kind of person, there are a lot of new pieces that can provide the look you want.  Interludehome, for example, has very unique pieces and they have some small scale metal drink tables, just big enough for your cocktail.

Don’t forget about the flooring which can make a huge difference - there are so many different finishes that can bring your look together.  Bamboo, hickory, pine, etc. - there are so many different textures and colors to chose from.  Indoor/outdoor rugs have come a long way to bringing outdoor living space in.  Rugs from Company C or Surya great sources that are both playful and functional. 

It might take time to furnish and finish your second home, but that is the fun part!  So relax and enjoy decorating, or call a professional that can guide you and help you with a plan, and ideas to begin the hunt.  Either way you go, on your own or partnering with a professional decorator, decorating your home should be fun and not stressful. Now lets go and begin the fun!