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" When my wife and I first saw the place, it was rather dismal,&amp;quot; recalls the owner of this summer cottage. &amp;quot;From the outside, it looked just like a blue trailer. Once you opened the door, you had to walk through a shower to get to the main living space.&amp;quot;   But the couple, who spend most of the year in a contemporary house near Detroit, were growing tired of hunting for a summer place suitable for them and their three young children. They had driven to every lake town near the Michigan-Indiana border, and had looked here in Lakeside on and off for over a year. When they heard that this house was about to go on the market, they placed a preemptive bid and got ready to turn the proverbial ugly duckling into a swan.  They began by hiring Margaret McCurry, a well-known architect who was familiar with the community. &amp;quot;I wanted everything you think about when you think about a summer cottage,&amp;quot; says the wife. &amp;quot;The white picket fence, the flower boxes, the wooden screen door that shuts with a bang.&amp;quot;  Local zoning laws dictated that the footprint of the house remain the same, so McCurry worked within the original four walls. She moved the entrance to the side of the house, raised part of the roof, and repositioned windows to give the cottage&amp;#039;s exterior a less haphazard look. Inside, she replaced two spiral staircases that led up to the bedrooms with one central staircase and a catwalk that traverses the space above the living room. The bathrooms were restored to a simpler, more country-cottage look. The kitchen, too, was reconfigured so that it now works efficiently without being too flashy. McCurry also screened in the back porch to create a beautiful sitting/dining room.   Interior designers Jim Fitzmaurice and Doug GeBraad selected just the right mix of furniture and accessories. They also added bead board on the ceilings for texture and charm. Then, to make the relatively small space feel larger, they chose white paint and white slipcovered furniture.   &amp;quot;The best part about this project,&amp;quot; says Fitzmaurice, &amp;quot;was that the owners really wanted the house to be fun and playful.&amp;quot; To create that lighthearted feeling, he and GeBraad, who own a home furnishings store just a few miles away, filled the house with a collection of carnival memorabilia, vintage toys, and games. And while they were originally purchased for decoration, many of those games have since become favorites and are constantly in use.  &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s quite funny,&amp;quot; says the wife. &amp;quot;Our children have every modern toy imaginable, but it&amp;#039;s the antique bowling set that they want to play with when they&amp;#039;re here.&amp;quot;  That return to a simpler, more peaceful time is exactly what the homeowners had hoped for when they created this cozy refuge away from their hectic everyday lives. &amp;quot;Our life here at the lake,&amp;quot; explains the husband, &amp;quot;is what you&amp;#039;d imagine life was like before it all became so complicated.&amp;quot;  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.elledecor.com/home-remodeling-renovating/home-makeovers/a3769/american-revival-a-32598/>