This peaceful Wisconsin lake cabin is full of cheerful pops of color

Dark gray gabled lake cabin with a metal roof glowing at dusk, with a covered porch, cable-rail deck and a wall of glass doors

❤️ Would you like to save this?

We'll email this article to you, so you can read it later!

By saving, we'll email this post to you for later. Unsubscribe anytime.

On a secluded lake near Luck, Wisconsin, PKA Architecture designed this modern family cabin to replace a rustic 1960s cabin the owner’s parents bought in the mid-1970s. Interior designer Gabriela Laboy of Martha O’Hara Interiors then filled the 2,500-square-foot retreat with the owner’s favorite colors: yellow, emerald green and bright red.

These lake cabin paint colors stand out against whitewashed poplar walls and white oak floors. Since each color shows up in only a few places, the rooms feel bright and relaxed rather than busy. Continue below to see the rest of this fabulous home tour…

DESIGN DETAILS

ARCHITECT PKA Architecture
INTERIOR DESIGN Martha O’Hara Interiors
BUILDER Lake Country Builders
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE TVL Studio
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER Align Structural

Two-track dirt road through a green and gold forest leading to the dark gray gabled cabin

Above: A dirt road winds through the woods to the cabin.

Family Lake Cabin Rebuilt Around Cherished Memories

The owner and her siblings grew up making memories at the small, simple cabin that once stood here. Today she lives in Chile, where she owns a ski resort in the Andes. The bright colors at the resort inspired much of the cabin’s palette. She still flies back to the Midwest to visit family. So the family wanted the new cabin to keep the old one’s lake views and feeling of seclusion.

Framed painting of a lakeside cabin in fall trees beside vintage snowshoes and a plush bear head on a whitewashed wall

Above: Vintage snowshoes lean beside a painting of a lakeside cabin in the fall.

What We Love About This Home

Since the owners love color, bold pops of it appear throughout this cabin, and we are loving it! The three Sherwin-Williams shades appear in just a few spots, and the whitewashed poplar and white oak balance them out. We also love that the new cabin gives the next generation a place to make memories on the same beautiful lake.

Tell Us: Would you paint your kitchen cabinets green or your front door bright yellow? Let us know in the Comments below; we love reading your feedback!

Note: Want to see more of this cabin? Check out A bold and colorful Nordic-inspired lake house escape in Wisconsin. You can also see a couple of other home tours from the portfolio of PKA Architecture: Tour this barn-inspired prairie home in Minnesota with serene meadow views and This impressive modern cabin offers peaceful views over Pelican Lake.

A Simple Gabled Design with a Bright Yellow Entry

Dark gray cabin with two metal-roofed gables reflected in a calm lake, with a swan, a small dock and early fall trees

Above: Seen from the lake, the cabin’s simple gables sit among pines and birches just up the lawn from the dock.

The project team designed the cabin as simple gabled forms connected by a wood-lined hallway. The gables nod to traditional cabins, and all of the rooms are on one level.

One side holds the kitchen, dining area, family room, and porch. The other has the owner’s bedroom suite, two guest rooms, a bunk space, the laundry room, and an office. Floor-to-ceiling glass opens most rooms to the woods or the lake.

Dark gray siding covers most of the exterior, but the entry between the gables is painted Confident Yellow (SW 6911) by Sherwin-Williams. It’s the first hint of the color waiting inside.

Long whitewashed wood hallway leading to a yellow front door, with the green kitchen at left and a bunk bed nook at right

Above: Pale poplar boards cover the hallway walls and ceiling, leading straight to the front door.

Bright yellow plank door open to a whitewashed entry with straw hats, a wooden stool and a vintage rug, beside green kitchen cabinets

Above: The front door, painted Confident Yellow (SW 6911) by Sherwin-Williams, opens to a small entry where straw hats hang on hooks.

Arugula Green Kitchen Cabinets with White Oak Warmth

Open kitchen with green cabinets, a white oak island with woven-back stools and a long dining table by glass doors to the lake, under a vaulted whitewashed ceiling

In the open kitchen, a full wall of cabinetry is painted Arugula (SW 6446) by Sherwin-Williams, a deep emerald green. A butcher-block countertop and the white oak island soften the green, while green veining in the Cambria countertop picks up the cabinet color.

Since this is a vacation home, the designers could take more risks with paint than they might in a full-time residence. You’ll find more wood and color in our roundup of rustic kitchen design ideas.

Kitchen with green cabinets, a white oak island with brass and woven stools, gold-lined pendants and a stone fireplace beyond

Above: Visual Comfort pendants hang over the island, white outside and gold inside. Palecek stools with woven backs add texture, and the vintage-style runner rug by the range is from Fay + Belle Rugs.

Dining table and white oak kitchen island beside green cabinets, looking through glass doors to a covered porch

Above: The dining table seats 10 under a rope-weave chandelier, and the island adds even more seating.

Covered porch with an outdoor dining table and benches, sliding glass doors into the kitchen and a yellow door at left

Above: Sliding doors connect the kitchen to the covered porch, which becomes extra dining space when the whole family is here.

A Family Room Made for Game Nights

Family room with a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace, a red poppy print, gray sofas, blue side tables and a corgi on the sofa

The family room was made for lounging. All the furnishings are custom upholstered in durable Crypton fabrics that stand up to kids and dogs. Blue side tables hold board games, and Donald Sultan’s poppies add a bold burst of red beside the stone fireplace.

Living room with a gray sofa and colorful patterned pillows in front of a wall of glass overlooking the lake in late fall

Above: Sliding glass doors frame idyllic views of the lake, and patterned pillows bring in more red, pink, and blue.

Hanging rattan egg chair with a corgi on a sheepskin, set in a corner of floor-to-ceiling windows to the woods

Above: A hanging rattan chair fills an alcove off the family room. The corgis like it too.

Outdoor Living Steps from the Water

Covered porch with a weathered wood ceiling, an outdoor dining table and benches, and a wide opening framing the lake

Above: Weathered boards line the porch ceiling. The architect incorporated repurposed materials to link the new cabin to the old one.

Wood deck with gray cushioned lounge chairs and a round table along the dark gray cabin, with two corgis resting at the far end

Above: A long deck runs along the cabin, with chairs set out to enjoy morning coffee.

A Bookshelf Hallway and a Confident Yellow Office

Hallway lined with white built-in bookshelves full of colorful books and decor, leading to a room with a hanging rattan chair

Built-in bookshelves line the hallway to the owner’s bedroom suite and office. They’re filled with books, games, and collectibles.

Home office with bright yellow built-in bookshelves and window seat, a gray desk and windows to fall trees

Above: In the fall, the yellow built-ins pick up the color of the changing leaves outside.

Home office with bright yellow built-ins, a window seat with striped pillows and a gray desk facing a misty winter forest

Above: The office built-ins and window seat are painted Confident Yellow by Sherwin-Williams to match the entry. The yellow is especially welcome on a foggy winter day like this one.

A Calm Primary Suite with a Radish Red Vanity

Primary bedroom with whitewashed wood walls, floral pillows, a pink bench and two blue swivel chairs by corner windows to the woods

Above: In the owner’s bedroom, bold accents like the blue chairs, pink bench, and floral pillows repeat colors used elsewhere in the cabin.

Bathroom with a red vanity, white marble-look countertop, polished nickel faucet, tall window and frosted glass shower door

Above: The bathroom vanity is painted Radish (SW 6861) by Sherwin-Williams, the third color in the cabin’s palette.

Bunk Beds and Dog-Friendly Details

Bunk nook with white bunk beds on either side of a tall window, colorful art on the wall and two corgis lying on a rug

The bunk space sleeps up to six, with tall windows facing the trees. The family dogs got some thought too, with built-in dog doors that help corral wet or muddy pups. Planning a kids’ room? Check out these children’s sleeping nook ideas.

Bunk alcove with white bunk beds and a trundle, a black rocking chair and a hanging rattan egg chair by tall windows