Summer vacations are for spending quality time outdoors with friends and family, and what better place to gather than at a charming beachfront house? Our friends at Coastal Living shared photos of a perfect Lake Michigan cottage that fits the bill.
Interior designer Dana Small and her family travel to this sweet abode from their South Florida home every summer for a season of laid-back living. The home's red, white and blue interiors are a patriotic ode to their favorite holiday, Independence Day, which they commemorate with an annual old-school barbecue.
Small stayed true to the theme when she choose rustic furnishings, breezy slipcovered pieces and nautical accessories in this palette. Even the custom banquette in the breakfast area is reminiscent of a boat's galley and Small's son's room is decorated with colorful buoys.
But our favorite part of the home is definitely the outdoor space. The wide porch with crisp white rattan chairs looks like an ideal spot to watch the sunset over the lake.
Copyright Coastal Living magazine. Photos used with permission and appeared in the July/August 2013 issue. For more on this house tour, head over to the full feature.
Click through the slideshow below to see even more stunning beach homes.
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