Your Retinas Will Dilate Upon Seeing This Striking Lake House

At this time of year, we're constantly looking out the window and daydreaming about our upcoming summer plans (we see you, Fourth of July). But imagine if your house made you feel like you were permanently on vacation. Well, one family made that a reality with their stunning lakefront home in Connecticut. Susana Simonpietri, the creative director of Chango & Co., was charged with creating a timeless space for the family of five to spend their summer weekends.

The 6900-square-foot, six-bedroom, six-and-a-half-bathroom home complete with detached boathouse is a breathtaking modern masterpiece with a color palette that ranges from subtle and warm neutrals to bright and bold patterns.

"Our goal was to create neutral adult spaces while being fun with the kid's rooms," says Simonpietri. "The Chango & Co. style is fun and approachable. Our spaces don't take themselves too seriously—neither do we—and are friendly to all who enter them."

Take the tour and prepare for your retinas to dilate like ours did.

The "adult" spaces of the home were all guided by Simonpietri's wish to remain neutral. "We worked with the color of the existing floors and embraced the wood tones with the addition of cognac leathers and some straw elements in lighting."

Everything in the detached boathouse was kept within this modern, stripped-back, and tonal theme. The purpose-built space is fully functional with a small kitchen, bathroom, fireplace and plenty of lounging space. "We opted to keep the space light and airy and just focus on the amazing lake view," she says. "The boathouse was truly our swoon moment in this home. It's just one of those spaces you enter and your jaw drops."

The biggest challenge for this project was time. "We were given about four months from the moment we signed the project to the moment we delivered the home," says Simonpietri. "Four months might seem like a long time to some, but they really do fly when you are trying to design and furnish a 6900-square-foot home from scratch."

If there was one favorite space in the house, it would have to be the kitchen. "I particularly love the way the kitchen and dining banquette work with the leather chairs and the color of the wood floors," says Simonpietri.

This considered composition and modern color scheme continue into the main living area with a cool, layered feel. "We worked in as much white as possible to let the room feel airy and brought in some shades of blue to tie into the water," she says.

When you have waterfront views, you make the most of it by installing wide, floor-to-wall windows and letting all of that natural light in. This small area was intended for evenings of card games with friends.

Have you ever seen such a zen-worthy bedroom? Natural light, neutral tones, cozy textures, and throw pillows galore… Yes, please.

There really is little styling needed when you have ceilings like this. This little home office moment is the perfect space to read and conjure up creative ideas.

The neutral theme ends as the kid's rooms begin. "These rooms were really directed by each of the children's favorite colors," explains Simonpietri. From the bright patterned wallpaper to the throw pillows, the child behind this room has a serious love for the blue hue. "She wanted turquoise and blue as her rooms scheme," she says. "We added this patterned wallpaper for a bit of interest and used yellow as our main accent color to balance all the blues." 

Simonpietri's team wasn't shy when it comes to clashing pattern variations and color combinations in this kid's bedroom. It's fun and playful, just like it should be. However, the eldest kid's bedroom returns to the neutral theme like the rest of the home, incorporating pattern and a hint of color to break it up and "kiddify" the space. 

"His room sits above the garage, with its own independent stair and access," she says. "We added these sweet paddles for a bit of fun and a reminder of the location of the home."

The outdoor areas really embrace the calming effect of this serene natural environment. You can almost smell that fresh lakefront air.