How do you infuse your home with personality and sophistication? How do you create a home environment that says comfort and style-where everything is organized, yet feels easygoing? Karen Hodgdon, Senior Interior Designer from The Design Studio of Gabberts, will walk you through two recent lake home design projects. Karen will inspire you with tips and trends that will give your home the spirit and style you're looking for.

Lakestyle: Karen, after 23 years in the business you've worked on many types of homes. What are some of the unique aspects of lake home decorating?

Karen: Clients want their lake homes to be more relaxed, a place to get away, a space to call their own.They are cherishing their vacation time and they want to entertain more often. Particularly baby boomers and younger generations are realizing that it's not all about work, but family and friends. Overall, with lake homes there's less formality, natural settings and more interaction with the outdoors. A lake home should be a welcoming retreat that renews.

Lakestyle: What new trends are you seeing this year in the lake home market?

Karen: Here are some of the trends we're seeing this year:

• Increased use of tile for flooring and countertops.

• Hardwood floors in darker finishes-like African sapele, which complements clear jewel tones as well as earth tones. Wide distressed planks are often used when trying to achieve a more casual feel.

• Cork, bamboo and abaca flooring. Plush/loop combination carpets that show highlights and lowlights.

• Stone is very popular for both exterior and interior walls. Currently, stone is one of the most desired exterior materials.

• Grass and linen wallpapers are popular for lake homes, as are plaster and faux finishes. Wide plank paneling and bead board add depth and dimension to walls.

• Colors are clearer-jewel tones, earth tones, metallics

Lakestyle: Karen, tell us about a couple of the lake home projects you've done for The Design Studio of Gabberts.

Karen: Two recent projects were absolutely beautiful homes that needed updated color, furniture and personal touches. One was on a man-made pond at Bear Path in Eden Prairie and the other on Deep Lake in North Oaks. A lot of white had been used in these homes and it was time for a change. We needed to update the furniture, add color, texture and accent pieces.

Lakestyle: We all want to maximize the beauty of our lake homes, whether through complete redecorating or just refreshing occasionally. Do you have any tips to get us started?

Karen: Here are some of the steps I use that you can use too, whether or not you plan to work with an interior designer.

1. Inspiration If you're having problems getting started, look for a piece of artwork, a rug, a throw, or a vase that can serve as your color guide. Develop your color choices around your inspiration, picking up accent colors along with neutrals.

2. Ideas Flip through home magazines to find ideas. You'll discover new color schemes, lighting, furniture, flooring and accessories. Just one idea is worth the price of the magazine. Many of my clients check out magazines from the library to help them gather ideas.

3. Mood Decide how you want the room to feel. Formal, whimsical, contemporary, rustic, European? All of your decisions will be determined by the mood you're after.

4. Space Plan Measure your room. Draw it out to ¼" scale on graph paper or with a software program. Do a preliminary layout of the furniture. See how the space flows and if you have room for everything, or if you need to add key furniture pieces. When you use the services of an interior designer, a space plan is key to ensure the proper scale and proportion of all furnishings used in the room.

5. Color Go to paint departments and browse the samples. Most paint suppliers now have "combination folders" that include several chips of harmonizing colors on one sheet. This takes some of the guesswork out of selecting harmonious color palettes. Again, an interior designer will help you determine your color scheme.

6. Windows, windows, windows! Do everything you can to take advantage of your lake views. Be careful not to obscure views with furniture that is too tall. If you want to use window treatments, make sure they don't overwhelm your beautiful windows and the views beyond.

7. Furniture If you need to purchase furniture, first start with the sofa, next chairs, then tables. Your interior designer can help you select furniture lines that complement your home, making sure everything is in proportion. Larger homes generally look best with more substantial furnishings. In large rooms group furniture in conversational areas, taking care not to line furniture along the walls. Dress it up with accent pieces-interesting chairs, occasional tables, books, statues, or other favorite pieces.

8. Lighting Lighting can do so much to make a room comfortable and stylish. Every room needs a minimum of three points of light. In addition to lamps these can include spotlights, ceiling lights, and cove lights. Lighting can set the tone for the room and make it more inviting.

These are just a few of the guidelines to follow. It's amazing how a few small changes can make a big impact. My advice is to not be intimidated by the task. It's your home, make it personal and have fun with it!

European Country at Bear Path

The owners loved their home but did not feel that the décor of the home fit their family's lifestyle. They wanted the home to be warm, inviting, cozy, yet livable. Karen asked if they might have an object-a favorite vase, pillow, or painting that might serve as inspiration for the color scheme. A cherished piece of artwork with the warm tones they envisioned was used as a starting point for a new color palette. Once Karen had a color concept she then studied the space to see how it functioned. Traffic patterns, family activities, entertaining, relaxing and storage all contribute to the flow of the space. Karen measured and mapped out the space and ideal placement of furnishings. Then it was time to decide which furnishings would best suit the room. The Design Studio of Gabberts has many sources from which to choose. Karen suggested larger pieces in tapestry, velvets, and soft leather. Shades of cocoa, copper, gold, brick and chocolate formed the color palette. Karen felt the walls needed the warmth of faux finishes rather than plain paint. Layers of texture were applied in copper, bronze and gold tones. The adjacent sunroom also needed special treatment. Karen and the homeowners felt it was important that it harmonize with the rest of the space, but they also wanted it to function as a sunny retreat. They added generous seating and lots of greenery. Tile flooring and a layered plaster wall treatment evoke the mood of a Tuscan courtyard.

The Great Room

Before: White paint, draperies and carpet felt cold in winter and washed out in summer. The owners longed for color and softness and a sense of personal style.

After: Adding color, texture and more substantial furniture gave this room the appeal and polish the owners wanted. For example, placing a larger chest behind the sofa seemed to anchor the room and provide height. Cocoa carpet, faux finished walls and Brazilian cherry floors add warmth to the room. Gold, copper, brick and chocolate form the color palette.

Sunroom

Before: "We wanted this room to feel like you were sitting outdoors," says Karen Hodgdon, Senior Interior Designer from The Design Studio of Gabberts. "In fact, we wanted it to look like a courtyard! But it was just a pale extension of the great room. Too much white for a natural setting!"

After: Better defined, yet clearly harmonizing with the great room, the sunroom now feels like a separate retreat. The layered plaster finish on the walls subtly distinguishes the sunroom from the great room and makes it feel like an outdoor courtyard.

Autumn Hues Provide Inspiration in North Oaks

The first time Karen Hodgdon walked into this North Oaks home on Deep Lake, she was inspired by soaring windows revealing vibrant autumn views beyond. These windows provided plenty of architectural interest for the room. But how to bring this 20' x 80' room to its full potential? How to give it its own color, texture, and personality? The owners had no favorite accent piece, and no preferred color palette. They looked to Karen for inspiration. Karen suggested using the autumn hues outside the window as their starting point. That would bring in fresh color without being too dark and confining. Karen says, "In this lake home redesign, the use of color and new furnishings allowed these rooms to feel warm and inviting." She chose fresh cream paint to soften the walls. Satiny Brazilian cherry floors provided the perfect backdrop for shades of brick red, sand, bronze and burnt gold in the Feizy wool Oriental rug. Sumptuous upholstery and antique accent pieces completed the picture.

Before: White walls, though pretty, seemed to draw attention from the lake views. Minimal furnishings left the room feeling sparse.

After: Warm cream paint was used to soften the walls, yet still reflect plenty of light. Brazilian cherry floors provide a backdrop for the bronze, copper, and brick shades in the rug. More substantial furniture pieces gave the room more presence. The red paisley tapestry chaise gives the room an extra spark of interest and personality. Heirloom antiques from the homeowner's collection provided timeless beauty and texture.

Karen Hodgdon
Senior Interior Designer
Allied Member, ASID
952.928.3165

Over the last 10 years Gabberts has been named "Best Home Furnishings Retailer in America" by House Beautiful Magazine, "Best Tried and True Interiors Store" by D Home Magazine and "Best Furniture Store" by Fort Worth, Texas Magazine.

By Joni Danzl