This ideal summer retreat was large enough to accommodate a forty-foot launch and several canoes below, with a living room, two bedrooms and a bath on the second floor.

Built in classic bungalow styling, the green of the roof, the grey of the shingled walls, the river-cobble foundation and chimneys, and the white trim lent a delightful air of freshness to the building.

The exterior of the Boat House is set on the shore of the Lake, looking like a boat about to launch.

The exterior stairway leads up to the living quarters; the door to the boathouse is below

The furniture was especially adapted in size and form to the rooms. The charm of the boathouse is largely due to the harmony and appropriateness of the woods, colors, and fittings chosen, and to the general air of refinement in evidence throughout.

The Hall and Living Room woodwork was a grey brown with doors of solid brown ash without panels.

The floor plan of the Boat House shows the cozy arrangement of the rooms and the balcony overlooking the lake.

Bungalow style architecture seems particularly suitable for a permanent structure overlooking a lake, where the natural materials used in its construction are in harmony with the surrounding forest and lakeshore. In such a summer home, you can escape from the worries of day to day life, and be soothed by the murmur of waves, and living with the movements of the sun and the moon.

Earlier summer dwellings or shelters were, of necessity, more responsive to both their settings and to their occupants, relying less on technology for both cooling and entertainment, and more on environmentally-friendly solutions to staying cool, such as screened sleeping porches, and lake-side balconies connecting us with the natural world that surrounds us.

As we consider today what might constitute a ‘summer retreat’, we might, once again, look at a simpler solution that may be just as enjoyable as modern alternatives.