A Mountain Home Makeover With Clean Farmhouse Details

Social media gurus share their tips for making a vacation home both livable and stylish.

By: Jeanine Hays and Bryan Mason

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Photo By: Vivian H. Huynh

Photo By: Vivian H Huynh

Photo By: Vivian H. Huynh

A Vacation Home Makeover

Holly Lauritzen is one half of the husband-and-wife team behind Our Faux Farmhouse, a home decor, DIY and lifestyle site that is wildly popular on social media. Together with husband, Brad, and fellow decor-influencers, Fariha Nasir of Pennies for a Fortune and Danielle Guerrero of Our Nest on Powell, the designer embarked on an epic makeover, reimagining a spacious bungalow in the Berkshires.

Learn More: A Texas Blogger Turns a Builder-Grade Home Into a Design-Forward, Cozy Retreat

A Functional and Cozy Retreat

With three talented design firms, a stockpile of incredible pieces and a dedicated production team, this Berkshires vacation home was transformed into a vacationer’s dream.

Blending Nautical and Farmhouse Style

To ensure a cohesive finished look, the designers focused on a few key elements for each room: timeless decor, a balanced color palette and creating functional spaces for cozy living. The redesigned look of the living room is a perfect example of how these elements have come together. Its mix of nautical and farmhouse styles is ideal for a cozy vacation getaway.

Quick Vacation Home Makeover Ideas

The designers worked together to reimagine this vacation home’s entryway, living areas, kitchen, patio and guest rooms. Holly and her colleagues focused on simple yet deeply impactful alterations that could be achieved with a change in furnishings, updating textiles and adding fresh paint to the space as a central backdrop throughout the home’s common areas.

Timeless Decor Elements in the Kitchen

The kitchen color palette picks up right where the living room leaves off — with some colorful cabinetry thrown in for good measure. “My favorite part of the kitchen makeover was the pantry,” Holly reveals, adding that she loved the faux-wood sleeves that fit over the wire shelves, “giving the shelving system an updated, timeless and organized look.”

Easy Updates for a Vacation Home Include Art, Wallpaper and More

One of the goals set out for this project was to showcase the room-changing power of small upgrades. Holly and her colleagues were able to show that you can make upgrades to any home or rental property with furniture, wall art, wallpaper and textiles, changing its personality without the need for a major renovation. The interior showcases just how impactful these easy and attainable home updates can be for travelers and property owners.

Making Space for a Seating Nook

Just off the kitchen, this cozy seating nook was once an awkwardly designed bedroom. Removing the bed made space for furnishings and accessories like the credenza and potted plant. The seagrass rug defines the seating area as the main focus of the room. The beautifully wallpapered alcove lends character and style to the space proving you don't have to adopt a woodsy or mountain-themed decor scheme just because it's a vacay stay.

A Balanced Color Palette

Dubbed the “Balcony Bedroom” for its stunning view, this bedroom is a study in pattern and neutral color. The whimsical plant motif on the wallpaper is echoed in the similar shapes and patterns on the rug. While the neutral colors of the bedding and beams are ideal for a relaxing vacation space, the high-energy patterned walls and floor keep things from feeling too stick-in-the-mud.

A Bright, Open Main Bedroom Just Right for a Vacation Retreat

Every design project, no matter how big, always winds up with certain spaces that the designer loves the most. For Holly, the main bedroom of this Berkshires property was at the top of her list. “We transformed the primary bedroom into a serene, luxurious getaway with the most amazing view of Laurel Lake,” Holly explains. The pared down color palette of warm wood and cool white tones lends a sense of elegance to the space, highlighted by its modern furnishings and accessories. “The double pendants over the bedside tables are my favorite part,” she says.

A Sophisticated Twin Bedroom

This vacation home is filled with cozy rooms for guests. In this double bedroom, twin beds are the perfect spot for families visiting the property with little ones. This room’s makeover focused on the power of paint to change the feel of a space. While still technically a kid’s room, the sophisticated gray wall color pairs beautifully with the natural color of the exposed wood to create a space that’s as comfortable and soothing for adults as it is fun for kids.

How to Design an Outdoor Living Space

While the bedrooms are appealing, without a doubt the most exciting feature of this home is the lake that backs up to its outdoor deck. Accenting the natural beauty is this cozy seating area set around a standing fire pit. Over the past few years, rugs have become a staple of outdoor living, and the one included here both defines the space and livens it up.

A Porch With a Spectacular View

Design is a challenge. And on a project of this magnitude, challenges multiplied quickly. “This project took over a year to plan,” Holly confides, “but the tricky part was having only a couple of weeks to execute it since the home is always booked with guests.”