Virtually every year, my family makes the long drive from Providence, Rhode Island, to the Outer Banks of North Carolina to vacation at a rental home on the shore. At some point during the driveway, we inevitably circle around to a favourite topic for debate: If you could purchase a holiday house anywhere you wanted, where would it be and why?
Can it be an oceanfront beach house, a rustic retreat miles from anything, a lake home near enough to drive to every weekend? Imagining the possibilities which makes the hours in the vehicle pass (a little) faster, and you never know — maybe someday we’ll get to have our very own piece of holiday paradise. Participate in a little daydreaming with these 11 sublime homes in summery locales, and join the discussion by telling us your favorite from the remarks section.
Robert Young Architects
1. Clean-cut New England style. This lakefront property is composed of sturdy shingled structures and broad expanses of perfectly groomed lawns. Between the massive principal home, three-bedroom guest home, and barn (shown here), there’s plenty of space for extended family members and friends to fall in all summertime.
Robert Young Architects
A broad screened-in porch having a dining area and deck means there’s plenty of space to unwind and revel in the view.
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KellyBaron
2. Your own private dock. Boating and fishing fans will surely want to snap up a house like this one, complete with private boat pier. Located on Lake Joe at Canada, the house comprises an 1800s boathouse (found here) that’s equipped with two boat slips and space for guests to stay.
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Habitat Post & Beam, Inc..
3. Beach home on stilts. This Florida island shore house perches on stilts right on the sand. You can not get much closer to the shore than that!
Habitat Post & Beam, Inc..
An oceanview pool atop the deck resembles a splendid place to while away an afternoon.
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Rethink Design Studio
4. Family-friendly beach home. This Tybee Island beach house near Savannah, Georgia, is full of fresh color and laid-back beachy style. From easy-care floors and fabrics to the conveniently situated shower and laundry, every thing in this house is intended to manage daily traffic easily.
Rethink Design Studio
Front porch sets the tone with its vivid, cheerful blue and yellow palette and painted floors.
Rethink Design Studio
Upstairs from the sleeping loft, rooms with double beds have been sectioned off with simple white curtains to make maximum utilization of the room.
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Stephmodo
5. Summer at a small village. Design blogger Stephanie Brubaker lives in this charming cottage in the Dordogne Valley with her husband and kids yearlong. However, as long as we’re daydreaming, wouldn’t it be wonderful to spend summers in France? Imagine falling into the rhythm of village lifestyle, shopping the markets each day and relaxing over yummy dishes and wine in the evenings out your own stone cottage.
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Philpotts Interiors
6. Tropical idyll. Perhaps the Pacific beckons you. This beachfront house in Hawaii has drop-dead gorgeous views from the lanai. Only looking at this photo makes me feel more relaxed — imagine how it would like to get this as your home base in the summer!
7. Vintage lakeside allure. Sometimes it’s wonderful to have a retreat a bit nearer to home. This lakefront house in Maine brims with charming touches, in the hammock on the porch into the welcoming rooms indoors.
This home would be an excellent place to reside in the summer — or even on weekends throughout the year, for that matter. It’s the sort of place where you could return with family year after year, settling into a slower pace of life along with bathing in simple delights.
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David Vandervort Architects
8. Woodsy cottage. This miniature cottage on Orcas Island in the Pacific Northwest fits in beautifully with the surrounding landscape. I imagine that staying here will make you feel worlds apart from the stresses of regular life.
David Vandervort Architects
The cottage may be diminutive, but it is packed with smart features such as an open floor plan along with attic bedroom. The high caliber of workmanship shows in everything in the glistening wood floors and beams into the jigsaw-like stone patio.
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Swaback Partners, pllc
9. Big Sky country. This family cottage retreat sits in a stunning valley from the west having wide-open vistas on either side. It’s a prime place for fishing, horseback riding and other outdoorsy pursuits; adventuresome spirits won’t ever run out of things to do and explore this.
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Bosworth Hoedemaker
10. Remote author’s hut. For those seeking solitude — whether to hone a creative practice or just to meditate — a stamp stamp-size cottage such as this is all you need. Located within a larger property which also contains a major house and other outbuildings, this author’s hut is designed to offer an “off” area within range of a fantastic home-cooked meal and company.
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Hammer Architects
11. That old Cape magic. There is something incredibly appealing about having a summer home near enough to zip to your weekend on the spur of the moment — a place where you can keep things simple, where the most difficult item in your to-do list is locating the freshest fish for supper. For those in the Boston region, one favorite place that fits the bill is Cape Cod. It’s just a morning’s drive off, yet once you wind your way down these shell-covered driveways and smell the sea breeze wafting through the trees, you are transported worlds away from your hectic city.
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Inform us : Which of these summer homes is your favorite? If you could have your own holiday home, where would it be?