Vicki's Lake House Style

My friend Vicki is a "Martha Stewart" wanna be, stuck in the mortgage industry simply waiting for the right moment to break out into fame.

 She's a great gardener, a fabulous cook, a talented remodeling expert, a VERY talented party giver (we always have fun at her house!), is and ALWAYS generous with her wine and with her friends!

Last summer, when Tom and I were on our whirlwind tour of Seattle, we got lucky enough to be invited over to hang out with Vicki and Mark.  What a great time we had!  Come with me as we take a quick tour of Vicki's cute cute remodeled lake house on Lake Serene, just north of Seattle.  It's this little paradise of a lake, stocked with lily pads and trout, just a few miles off of the busy I-5 freeway, minutes from Lynnwood.

Welcome to Vicki's Courtyard!  Notice all of the details -  the large iron carriage house lanterns, water fountain feature with two levels surrounded by all different kinds and colors of Northwest landscaping, and her welcoming painted deep red door...

Delicate, pretty angel blowing on a seashell, hidden beneath trees in the courtyard...

Another courtyard friend!

Vicki's hand-painted red door with glass panes, notice the summer red geraniums too!  White hydrangeas fill her flower beds next to the house, unfortunately the camera didn't capture how pretty they really were..

Come on in! 

This big glass bowl came from my old store in Poulsbo - it was one of my favorite things!  Come to think of it, I think Vicki was one of my first customers too.

Here's a close up of the fish-etched bowl, see how she piled all of  the pretty hand-blown glass balls in it, then and buried white lights underneath?  I love this look - so creative, and you can really see all of the gorgeous color!

The hallway upstairs, and downstairs with Vicki's fun vintage swimming girl! 

Here she is in the kitchen whipping up some incredible barbecued marinated flank steak, fresh corn-on-the-cob, roasted veggie salad and of course pouring more wine!  Can you see how she used a thick plush oriental carpet on the floor to bring in her favorite colors to her white kitchen? I think it makes her kitchen all the more inviting and warm... (Can you also tell that I love to go to her house and simply eat?)

Sorry that the light was so hard to capture this late in the day, but check out Vicki's lush deep chocolate walls  on original plastered walls.  Love how she's painted the fireplace and the woodwork bright white, contrasting with the deep chocolate, gives her room one more layer of richness.  If I remember the story right, the chandelier was a loan from one of Mark's friends, something that he found in his garage?   It's so pretty hanging over her dining room table! (P.S.  I don't think Mark's buddy is getting the light back....)

Just one corner of her enormous 1000 square foot deck!  

Pretty lantern hanging next to the boat shed...

And of course, here's one piece of their dock, lily pads in the background.  How incredibly peaceful..

Their very own private fishing dock, pretty comfy if you ask me!  A few outdoor chairs, 

and a convenient table for your cocktails while you wait for a big trout to jump on the line.  

Mark actually caught an 18 inch trout right from this spot!

Needless to say, we had a wonderful time capped off by kayaking, basketball and Wii Bowling.  I hate to admit this, being a girl that has always lived on the water, but it was my first time paddling a kayak.. 

I look like a total rookie.  

Vicki poured us some wine in tall glasses to take with us, I managed to not spill anything, or tip the kayak over, but I did get my pants more than a little wet! (no pictures please!)

Gee, I hope we get invited back....

Maybe she will invite us back if we bring her a new Lake House sign?  We'll just change the Lake Resort name to "Vicki's"! 

Water Skiing Sign

Or maybe a pretty new Coral Diving Girl to match her blue swimmer?

Or maybe a fun new throw with Paddles?