See How This Lake Martin Cottage Got A New Brand Life

A California designer got serious about her crush on the South when she bought a sleepy little Alabama home and revived it with her signature laid-back style.

West Coast designer Raili Clasen thought she was visiting Alabama for a quick college tour for her son, Rees. “When I saw the town of Auburn, I almost cried,” she says. “It was so charming; I truly couldn’t believe my eyes.” By the time he enrolled there, she was house hunting.

“My husband, Ryan, and I took a drive to Lake Martin, and we saw only one house,” says Clasen (who lives full-time in Newport Beach, California, where her firm, Raili CA Design, is based). “It was flat-out ugly, and that’s the place we bought.”

She saw promise in its simple bones and serene setting. “I knew I could make it fun, relaxed, and a bit unexpected,” she says. But she had two hurdles to consider: their shoestring budget and the supply shortage caused by the pandemic.

So when it came time to get to work, Clasen relied on the local Home Depot and two all-important words: “in stock.” Most of the rooms got quick face-lifts with paint or wallpaper, and she worked her magic with rugs and lighting. The kitchen and baths, however, needed more blood, sweat, and tears (as well as demo) to be reborn.

It was Clasen’s finishing touches—the lively art, punches of color, and vintage finds—that delivered the casual, playful feel. “Now, there’s almost nowhere I’d rather be than on that screened porch sipping iced tea, watching the fireflies, and listening to the storms,” she notes. “I always say to Ryan, ‘This is Southern living right here.’ ”

Find the Bright Spots

Known for her collection of Vans sneakers and self-professed obsession with checkerboard patterns, Clasen couldn’t help adding a rug reminiscent of the shoes’ iconic print. She also invited in what she calls “good ole bright yellow,” incorporating it through art and throw pillows. “I love how the pops of yellow talk to each other and grab attention,” says Clasen. “It’s just enough color to keep things interesting.”

Give the Kitchen Character

Clasen removed all the upper cabinets in the room and added vertical siding and open shelves. She painted the remaining lower cabinets the same deep shade used elsewhere in the house and then chose a lighter green (Sherwin-Williams’ Clary Sage, SW 6178) for the new siding. She selected pure white quartz counters for their simplicity and another fun black-and-white striped rug for consistency. The open shelves highlight more of her flea market finds, from oil paintings to classic thermoses. “Turns out, I’d been collecting campy lake house things all my adult life but hadn’t really had a place for any of them until now,” she says. “It was meant to be.”

Check Restraint at the Door

Clasen painted the vertical siding dark green (Sherwin– Williams’ Ripe Olive, SW 6209) and installed a gingham wall covering (by Max Humphrey for Chasing Paper) above it—a splurge that made the space come alive. To add more color to an off-the-shelf triptych, she grabbed yellow paint. A simple live-edge wood table anchors the room, while a woven light fixture brings a dose of drama.

Soak in the Outdoors

The designer added a counter-height table to the screened porch so she and her husband could enjoy their meals while taking in the view of Lake Martin. “I brought a bunch of my girlfriends here from California, and I don’t think we spent a minute inside the house unless we were sleeping,” recalls Clasen. “We were out on that porch all day every day.”

Set Up Camp

Clasen delivered the summer-camp vibe in the guest loft upstairs, where she chose the Pacific Northwest wall covering by Max Humphrey for Chasing Paper to surround the window. She dressed the Four Hands beds with olive green coverlets and vintage Pendleton blankets. The black-and-white rug visually enlarges the small space while more pieces of the designer’s vintage art add character.

Scratch the (Original) Surfaces

“We reinvented this bath with new counters, plumbing fixtures, and hex tile on the floor,” says Clasen, who sourced almost everything from The Home Depot. She also painted the vanity and the window trim the same shade of black and swapped out the lighting, hanging an inexpensive white globe above the existing tub and adding industrial sconces over a pair of new mirrors.

Channel a Sense of Calm

Clasen has always gravitated toward simple patterns like stripes, which she layered in the primary bedroom but kept to a neutral black-and-white palette. The textured linen bedding by Cultiver blends well with the warm leather on the couple’s bed. A vintage painting hangs above. “We quieted this room, which was once aqua blue, and made it feel easier on the eyes,” she says. It speaks to the quaint exteriors’ weathered wood.

Treasure Time on the Dock

“Everybody here talks to us,” says Clasen, who’s pictured at left with husband Ryan. “They’re always asking us, ‘How did y’all find this place?’ And I love to tell the story. People in our cove chat across the water with one another, and it’s not just ‘Good morning.’ It’s a whole conversation.” She chose deck furniture from Wayfair to suit their small budget.

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Read the original article on Southern Living.