From new waterfront construction to remodels of older lake properties, Leigh Hull Designs creates interiors for Lake Minnetonka homes that are built around the water — the views, the light, the guests and the everyday sandy-feet reality of living on a lake.
Designing around the lake, not just near it
The best lake homes are planned from the water in. That means furniture layouts that keep sightlines open to the lake, window treatments that manage glare without walling off the view, and living spaces that flow naturally out to porches, terraces and the yard. It also means thinking hard about the unglamorous spaces — the mudroom and lake-access path that absorb wet towels and life jackets, the storage that keeps a busy summer house from feeling cluttered.
What a lake-home project involves
- Maximizing lake views and natural light in every main living space
- Indoor/outdoor entertaining — porches, terraces and outdoor living rooms
- Durable natural materials that handle water, sand and sun
- Guest suites and bunk rooms that sleep a crowd comfortably
- Mudrooms, lake access and hardworking storage
- Renovations of older lake properties that keep their character
- New waterfront construction, coordinated with your architect and builder
- Furnishings scaled to big windows, tall ceilings and open plans
Seasonal cottages and primary residences ask different things of a designer. A year-round home needs to work in January as well as July — real storage, real workspaces, light in the winter months — while a summer place can lean fully into ease and entertaining. The design should follow how you will actually use the house.
Lake-home experience
Leigh has designed homes on Minneapolis’s lakes, including a Mediterranean home on Lake Harriet featured in MSP Magazine and a lower-level guest suite built for out-of-town visitors. Based in Wayzata, the studio serves the communities around the lake — Orono, Deephaven, Excelsior, Shorewood, Minnetonka Beach and beyond. See also: Wayzata interior design, new construction and renovations.
Lake Home Design Questions
What makes designing a lake home different?
A lake home is organized around the water. Sightlines to the lake drive the furniture plan, window treatments have to balance views with glare and privacy, and materials need to stand up to wet swimsuits, sandy feet and sun. Entertaining spaces, guest rooms and hardworking mudrooms also carry far more weight than they do in a typical house.
What materials work well in a lake house?
Durable natural materials: performance fabrics, wire-brushed or site-finished oak, honed stone, porcelain tile in wet zones, and finishes that patina gracefully rather than showing every mark. The goal is a home that welcomes real use — kids, dogs, guests and all.
How do you design a lake house that doesn’t look themed?
Skip the anchors-and-oars decor. A lake house feels right when the design responds to the setting — light, views, natural texture and relaxed, durable furnishings — rather than announcing it. Color drawn from the landscape and a few meaningful, collected pieces age far better than a nautical theme.
Do you work on older Lake Minnetonka homes?
Yes. Renovating an older lake property is about keeping its character — original woodwork, proportions, the way it sits on the lot — while updating layouts, kitchens, baths and systems for the way families live now. The portfolio includes several renovations of hundred-year-old homes.
Planning a project in Wayzata, on Lake Minnetonka or in Minneapolis? Email Leigh to start the conversation, or view recent projects.