Residents of Green Lake, Wisconsin, tend to hold their breath when a historic house goes on the market. Members of the close-knit Midwestern community (pop. 1,044), known for its more than 7,500-acre spring-fed lake and family-owned farms and businesses, can’t help wondering whether the new owners will look to level a long-standing home for the sake of building a new one. “Not a chance,” says Kathy Cullen as to whether that could happen now that her family has taken up residence in one of the area’s storied homes. “That’s not our style.”
For 45 years, Kathy and her husband, David, rented houses near the beloved lake, spending vacations with their four children while living full-time in Janesville, less than two hours south. The couple finally decided to put down more permanent roots when their children began having their own kids.
After an extensive remodel of the main house, the Cullens decided that to accommodate their growing family—now numbering 19, including 10 grandchildren—they would renovate the caretaker’s cottage on the property. Tucked behind their main house, the small 1920s-era cottage had been many things over the years: quarters for summer help, a guesthouse renovated in the 1970s, a hideaway where grandchildren escaped the grown-ups. It was full of history, but it needed to be prepared for a second act.
The couple teamed up with Wisconsin-based interior designer Emily Winters Posselt of Peabody Interiors to make the cottage functional for a host of houseguests. (Kathy is one of 10 siblings, and many of the others frequently return to the region for Thanksgiving weekend.) The plan was as charming as the building itself: honor the cottage’s 1920s character, create a playful but relaxed retreat for guests of all ages, and don’t shy away from color. Emily took that last instruction and ran with it. “We decided it needed to be lively and lighthearted,” she says.
From a raspberry-blushed bar (a favorite spot for mixing gin-based cocktails) to a parade of wallpapered bedrooms, each with its own vivid personality, the 1,500-square-foot jewel box emerged as a master class in chromatic confidence. Kathy, an avid quilter, also appreciates the art of mixing color and pattern. “You can take one big gathering of fabrics and piece them together, and they look like a beautiful mosaic,” she says.
That mosaic approach also blends new and old, which was important to Kathy. “We were really trying to hearken back to a sense of the era when the house was built,” she says.
Take a tour below:
The home’s screened-in porch sets a relaxed, camp-like tone courtesy of red willow furniture and a pine green– painted floor. And yes, the doors regularly slap shut with an iconic clack. “That’s a sound that says you’re on a lake,” says homeowner Kathy Cullen.
Get the Look:
Blanket: Faribault Mill
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Throughout the first floor, Emily evoked cottage charm by adding tongue-and-groove paneling painted in creamy yellow that acts as a friendly not-quite-neutral. In the living room, a custom sectional, covered in a checked indoor/outdoor fabric, can host extra overnighters. An antique wicker trunk and wooden chair wrapped in woven leather add warmth, and the dark blue door recalls colors from the Cullens’ main house about 50 yards away.
Get the Look:
Wall paint color: Linen Sand by Benjamin Moore
Door paint color: Moscow Midnight by Sherwin-Williams
Sectional sofa: Lee Industries
Sectional fabric: “Madras” by Lisa Fine
Pillows: A Rum Fellow
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Near the living room, a raffia-covered game table and patterned upholstered chairs create a favorite spot to tackle a game of chess or a 1,000-piece puzzle. Soft pine floors throughout the main level are painted gray, a solution to smooth out the original floors that were showing a little too much wear after walls moved during previous renovations. “It’s pretty hard to patch a floor that is that old and have it look like it makes sense,” Emily says. Framed rice paper prints by artist Judy Pfaff and a goose painting, called “Lake Site,” by Amber Heron (both from Tandem Press in Madison, Wisconsin) bring the landscape colors to the indoors.
Nearby, a punchy coral-red snack bar—complete with vintage pennants, thermoses, and local signage—makes it easy to prep for a day out on the lake.
Get the Look:
Game table: Century
Game table chairs upholstery: “Rougier” by Brunschwig & Fils
Cabinetry paint color: Raspberry Blush by Benjamin Moore
Just off the kitchenette (see below), the sea glass green dining space, typically favored for morning gatherings, is a fuss-free, swimsuit-friendly spot to enjoy fresh farmstand peaches thanks to a built-in bench, curvy rattan chairs, and a seen-it-all antique trestle table. Linen café curtains add privacy without blocking the light while the scalloped edges on the table and woven pendant evoke the movement of waves. “Emily had the idea to build in that little bench, which is really inviting to sit there because you can look over your shoulder and see what’s going on at the pool down below,” says Kathy.
Get the Look:
Wall paint color: Slow Green by Sherwin-Williams
Rattan chairs: Palecek
Pendant light: Currey & Company
Canoe basket: Made Goods
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“There was no need to keep this super-serious,” says Emily of the vacation cottage kitchenette’s bold blue cabinetry, which plays well with the softer blue-green walls, the antique Italian plates, and the green metal sconces. A hefty vintage worktable from the Round Top Antiques Fair helps temper the multicolored mélange.
Get the Look:
Cabinetry paint color: Georgian Bay by Sherwin-Williams
Sconces: The Urban Electric Co.
Splatterware: Crow Canyon
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In the upstairs family room, a large picture window offers water views, and framed oars reinforce the lake vibes. Linen drapes with subtle blue stripes are trimmed in blue-and-white chevron tape, crisply contrasting the blue-green painted walls.
Get the Look:
Lamp: “Evie” by Visual Comfort & Co.
Chair upholstery fabric: “Desiree” by Lisa Fine Textiles
Pillow fabric: “Thistle Stars” by Danika Herrick from Spoonflower
Each room has its own personality, yet they blend together, Emily says. “It’s a lake cottage; there are no rules,” she adds. “Each of the colors speaks nicely to each other, but they don’t necessarily match; it creates more interest.” In the main level powder
bath, the vivid teal vanity holds its own next to walls covered in a bold floral
batik and Jacobean pattern. A wavy mirror flanked by a pair of red scalloped
sconces adds to the playful motif.
Get the Look:
Vanity paint color: Largo Teal by Benjamin Moore
Wallpaper: “Jakarta” by Serena Dugan Studio
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A circa-1800 wallpaper pattern swathes the backs of built-in shelves in a cozy study.
Get the Look:
Cabinet paint color: Rocky River by Sherwin-Williams
Wallpaper: “Archway House” by Hamilton Weston
The primary bedroom hints at the ebb and flow of days on the water thanks to a wavy blue wallcovering. An antique-inspired acorn-post bed in a warm wood finish offers visual relief from the patterns of the walls, the bedding, and the cozy armchair tucked by the window for afternoon reading.
Get the Look:
Wallcovering: “Scallops” by Ottoline
Bed: Century
Bedding: John Robshaw
Chair fabric: “Ainhoa Atlantique” by Pierre Frey
A bright purple wallpaper sets a playful tone in the vibrant guest bedroom.
Get the Look:
Wallpaper: “Ipswich Swig” by Adelphi Paper Hangings
RELATED: More Guest Bedroom Ideas to Create a Cozy Space for Company
This story first appeared in the August/September 2026 issue of Country Living. Photographs by Becky Luigart-Stayner; styling by Rachel Rivers.
Kelly Ryan Kegans is a Minneapolis-based writer, editor, and photo stylist with more than 25 years of experience producing home design content for brands including Country Living, Better Homes & Gardens, and HGTV Magazine. Her own home is populated with more books than shelves, a few too many scrubbed pine tables, and moody photos of gray day landscapes, which are her happy place.
