80s Cottage Makeover: How to Turn a 1980s Lake House into a STUNNING Farmhouse Cottage

This 1980’s cottage makeover is an unbelievable transformation. Let’s look at how we took this outdated lake house and made it into a stunning farmhouse cottage.

Farmhouse Cottage Makeover

Before the Cottage Transformation

This Nova Scotian lake house was clearly outdated and didn’t suit the style or needs of the new owners.

The cottage needed a major declutter, fresh light, and organization to maximize the space for their family of five.

The Exterior Cottage Makeover

Can you believe the difference?! Hello, clean lines and fresh modern appeal!

The exterior of the cottage was updated with a blue board and batten siding and a cedar shake detail on the front patio. The cottage exterior makeover included; new windows, steel roof, and landscaping to enhance the curb appeal plus energy efficiency of the cottage. A large tree that had uprooted under the cottage was removed and the property raised in the front, as a result, the front stairs were able to be eliminated.

Farmhouse Interior Cottage Makeover

We opted to keep a linear kitchen design, moved to the adjacent wall. By replacing the picture window with a counter height one, it opened up additional wall space. In addition, using a sliding window added a pass-through to the outdoor dining area (genius if you ask me!).

To keep costs down, the existing appliances, dining room chairs and sideboard were incorporated into the new kitchen design.

A large double bowl apron front sink elevated the farmhouse design.

Crisp white-painted ceilings added to the farmhouse aesthetic, that is to say, it coordinated well with the new shiplap walls. The Shiplap walls in Liz Marie’s home are very inspiring.

Learn How: How To Put Up Shiplap

Cottage Living Room Makeover

Prepare yourself for this train wreck of a living room… does your eye even know where to look?

Wood panelling throughout, paired with the high gloss chipboard ceiling, and wallpaper border made the lake house dark and dated.

Therfore, introducing clean lines, crisp white paint made the space open and airy without having to include any additional lighting.

A new chaise sofa in the living room and the blue wing back chair (left behind by the previous owners), easily incorporated into the decor. A few second-hand pieces, like the tv console and area rug, made the space functional and kept the project on budget.

Updated Natural Stone Fireplace

A natural stone fireplace is already beautiful as a result, just a little aesthetic uplift was all it needed.

All the fireplace makeover took was painting the insert black with high heat paint. The low profile mantle was replaced with a large hand hewng beam, which was salvaged from the grandparents property.

In conclusion, I couldn’t be more pleased how this cottage makeover came together, the home owners are happy and using the cottage to its full potential.

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Other Must-See Room Reveals:

• Basement Kitchen/Wet Bar
• Colourful Bathroom Transformation
• Basement Master Bedroom

What do you like most about this farmhouse cottage makeover? Let me know in a comment below!