Hi Schoolhouse and Bronwyn, I appreciate (and totally get) your opinion. And you haven't hurt my feelings! I always tell my kids, make sure only take offense if you can tell the other person wants you to. Anyway, since you brought it up, here's why this cottage, at least in this iteration, will not be what you describe, which I would call Maison du Lac or "lakehouse-y". 1, Been there, done that. Our lakehouse has all of that vernacular. Pendleton loves me. It is totally de rigeur in that setting, and I enjoyed doing it, but I don't want to do it again. I can't find an interior shot on this mac but here she is: 2. I don't view myself as cutie-pieing it, more like feminizing it a bit. I could cutie pie it up with purple shutters and pink awnings and a ice cream parlor set and a wooden dutch door with stencils. Or make it a Little Mermaid house or somesuch. I never even did that when they were infants. My first daughter's crib featured b/w gingham with apple green. My children's rooms and bathrooms are sophisticated enough for an adult. BTW --- I don't judge people who want their kids to have a Cars the Movie Bed, because I know they could judge me as harshly for not letting my kids "express themselves". I would disagree, and say they are very welcome to express themselves, but tastefully. Anyway, my point is I don't cutie-pie anything --- at least no intentionally! 3. Form, and finishes, follow function. My girls are likely to be the primary users for now. I also have a few friends and relatives who think it would be so romantic to stay when they visit. And I would like to turn it into a pondside bar when we entertain outdoors, to get people to come down to the water instead of just look at the views from the patio. Someday, I can see making it my office. Or maybe my own Petit Trianon! In any event, this won't be a boys fishin' lodge or poker room. It's for us girls, and it is a bit of a folly we would not try elsewhere. 4. My inspiration pictures (avert your eyes if you are tired of seeing these) are actually girly. The picture at the top of this post was just the best shot I found showing the layout I want. The style, as I have said, is fab, but not what we want here. My inspiration pictures are the little cottage in the link (note the loft sans railing, where the chandelier must hit your belly button) and, this pic, which I posted about before, when i posted about how to "copy a look" The picture above is, of all of the images, the closest to the look I want. To that end I have bought a similar sofa (the one in the photo is an enormous albeit gorgeous two sided circus act!), copied the ottoman and the rug, even bought a silver tray and aqua vase, and chose pillows to mimic the look but somewhat different colors (pillows are shown below on an unrelated chaise in an unrelated room ). I am holding off to see if a chandy will ruin the sight line to the loft. I am using wall sconces similar to the chandy, and probably a mirror. I am trying to get some of the pale pink in my painting the shiplap ceiling pale pink (BM Pink Bliss, which I think was one Bronwyn suggested when I said I was looking for pale pale pink) Of course, my room will look totally different, for goodness sakes, because it has stone walls! But I think everything looks good with stone or brick. It will surely be unexpected, but i think it might look very nice in a quirky off beat way. Or, it will be awful. In which case it is a matter of few pillows and repainting the ceiling. So there you go .... more than anyone ever wanted to knpw! Here is a link that might be useful: One of my inspirations

This was over our bed until a week ago. I made it before we acquired our sweet, little brown dog (who now sleeps with us) and it is a huge ordeal to keep it dust and fur free. I was also getting a little tired of all of the gathers & trim. The painting will stay and since I still like the fabric, I'll be re-doing the drapes on either side of the bed from "puddling" rod pockets to floor-length pinch pleats.

You clearly said "2 full beds" and my comments were based on that. The living arrangement you described should work well with my idea. The girls will each have a side of the closet for their items when they're with you, and you'll have the big closet plus the one in your room. Not sure which of the illustrated parts of the slider is the moving one. If it is the center one, then you could leave that exposed, drape or make a canopy over each bed located at the sides of that access door with the nightstands on the outside left and right of the bed arrangement. My parents had 2 full beds in their bedroom and it can work very well. This with the slider door between the beds. Picture this with the closets on the right and the slider door between the two draped beds. The bed canopy idea done with a simple cornice and panels. Solid drapes behind the beds could pull closed over all the exposed sliders at night.

The great room is on a slab. There is Can lighting in the cathedral ceiling. Don’t want to trip on cords. Want reading lamps. What to do!