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Just north of Ottawa is a small county called Lanark. Surrounded by many greeneries, pathways, and a small-town atmosphere, Lanark is a township with many cottages and lake houses.
This is where our latest design story takes place, with the complete furnishing of a lake house that changed the lives of our clients. Michelle MacLellan, the interior designer behind the project, was thrilled to take on the ambitious project, and turned it into what you see today!
So, how did she do it, and what were the steps she took to get to the final result? In this article, we will take a deep dive into the Lake House Project and see how something like this could be done to your home.
In This Article...
Our story begins at the beginning of the year when our client enters the La-Z-Boy Hunt Club showroom. Welcomed by the assistant manager, Ghada Shaheen, she hears that the client is looking to completely furnish a lake house they own.
So, knowing that Michelle would have great ideas for this project, she enlists her help and the two get to work quickly!
La-Z-Boy’s interior design services are great for larger projects like this. Because of this, Michelle was prepared for the task. Since this was a full furnishing project, Michelle’s work extended beyond the living room to every room in the house.
This two-story house includes two living areas, a dining room, three bedrooms and a guest loft. While the space is smaller than regular houses, this was still a lot of ground to cover.
Michelle’s goal for the project was to design a space that felt relaxing, inviting, and timeless.
Below, you’ll see how the space looked before and after the La-Z-Boy transformation.
Michelle describes the process as her biggest yet this year. While she had also worked on a guest cabin in Quebec earlier this year, she felt that project was a warm-up to what she would eventually complete a little ways away in Ottawa.
On top of the seven rooms that Michelle had to furnish, she also decided to repaint the walls on the first floor with a cream-beige tone to accent the rest of the room. “This would help create the timeless look they were looking for,” she says.
You will notice that the main floor of the lake house is a neutral tone, complimented by natural colours like green, brown and white. All the furniture you see is white or cream, which helps direct guest’s eyes to the other spotlights in and outside the room.
For example, the dining area grabs the immediate attention when entering the main area, with its brown wood tones that match the coffee and end tables in the living room. You’ll also notice the seating arrangement focused on the outside since the first living area encourages you to look through the large windows and enjoy the forest and greenery.
The other living area focuses on the asymmetric stone fireplace, which covers the entire side of the wall around the seating area.
As for the upstairs, the colour palette is still neutral in tone, but the emphasis is now on cool blues. While there are still natural elements in these bedrooms, Michelle accents each room with sky-blue walls, pillows and ceramic decor items in each room.
With the open-concept layout, Michelle aimed to create a seamless flow between the rooms, especially on the first floor. To achieve this, she used complementary design elements throughout the space.
One of Michelle's main challenges was ensuring a cohesive flow on the main floor. She achieved this by using large area rugs to define and anchor each focal point within the open-concept space.
For the main dining area, Michelle chooses a Canadel Classic dining set. The head chairs are upholstered in a checkered white fabric, which helps bring up the colours from the area rug below the table.
In the living area next to the dining room, the clients chose the Laurel Sofa. They loved it so much that Michelle decided to include it not only in the living room but have two Laurel Chair & a Halfs in the guest loft, complimented with matching ottomans.
To learn more about the Laurel Furniture Family, take a look at this article.
Along with the Laurel Sofa, two Ferndale Swivel Chairs sit across from it, with the Roundabout Ottoman in the center and a vintage wood-inspired coffee table and end table from Kincaid. These pieces help create the natural flow of the brown accents in the main area.
In the family room at the end of the main area, Michelle and the client decided to remove the existing French doors to open up the space. Originally a sunroom, Michelle thought it would be a good idea to turn it into the main family room for people to feel cozy and relaxed in front of the custom-made fireplace.
This fireplace and custom brown wood finish floating shelving system were created to keep room for the piano to stay perfectly placed in the corner of the room. The room also includes the Collins Sectional with a cuddler at the end to emphasize looking out the windows, as well as the Allegra Swivel Accent Chair, and some nesting coffee tables to round out the view.
In the primary bedroom on the first floor, Michelle furnished the space with La-Z-Boy bedroom furniture, which the clients were surprised to hear about. They had no idea La-Z-Boy also had bed frames and other furniture items available for bedrooms.
The primary bedroom was accented with green pillows to create natural tones again. The bed frame is from American Drew, as well as the nightstands that are also a brown wood vintage tone. To tie the rest of the space together, Michelle adds a bench at the foot of the bed, and the Marietta Accent Chair for extra seating.
In the guest bedroom, Michelle wanted to include a headboard and footboard like in the first bedroom, but she found the space was too small for that.
So, she decided to use a smaller frame and include a shiplap pattern headboard to still make an impression in the space. Complementing the bedframe are two white vintage nightstands from American Drew and beautiful wall art that brings the outside in.
The second guest bedroom was a little larger than the first, which made it possible to include a footboard this time. This headboard includes a darker tone than the other two bedrooms we saw, matching the hardwood floor and nightstands it sits in between.
Last but not least, the guest loft was intended for guests only, so the clients could entertain family or friends for longer periods. This guest loft includes a small dining area, the two aforementioned Laurel Chair & a Halfs, and a queen-sized bed for guests to sleep in.
With a project as ambitious and large as this one, one can only hope that there are no big obstacles along the way. Michelle and the client were both happy with the result, with the client believing Michelle reinvented what was once a good lake house, into a magnificent one.
Now, the clients can not only enjoy the space by themselves but also host friends and family when they want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the big city.
The area they have in Lanark can certainly do that for them–with the lake right behind their house, they can enjoy a quick swim in the summer, and relax in their new La-Z-Boy furniture after a long day in the sun.
Michelle hopes that more exciting projects like this come her way and encourages the clients to work with her again if the opportunity comes across.
After finishing this project, Michelle hopes that the client will enjoy their new home for years to come. Now that you have seen what La-Z-Boy can come up with, how do you think they would do in your space?
If you enjoy the look of any of the furniture pieces showcased, take a look at our Design Program, so you can get a chance to become a design story today! You could work with Michelle at our Hunt Club location if you’re looking to furnish your living space (or entire home!)
Feel free to take advantage of these interior design services by coming into any of our furniture stores in Ottawa, Gatineau or Kingston, or by booking an appointment online.
If you’re interested in seeing more design stories, take a look at some more by clicking this link. To learn more about La-Z-Boy as a whole, take a look at this comprehensive Furniture Guide.
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