The 25 Luxury Essentials All Lake Houses Should Have
“Because the best lake houses aren't just beautiful—they're the ones no one wants to leave”
The Meyer Nest - Lake LBJ, Texas
When we built our lake house, I wasn't trying to create a showplace. I wanted to create a place where people would come—and want to stay.
A place where friends could arrive for the weekend, kick off their shoes and immediately feel at home. Where mornings start slowly with coffee overlooking the water, afternoons somehow stretch into evening, and dinner might be followed by a competitive game, a cocktail on the deck or one more conversation that lasts much later than anyone planned.
Over time, I've learned that creating that kind of home isn't really about having the most expensive things.
It's about anticipating what people need before they have to ask.
That's my definition of luxury.
It's a wonderfully comfortable bed after a long day on the lake. A great cup of coffee without having to search through cabinets. A stack of fresh towels exactly where you need them. Music playing outside. Plenty of ice. A charger beside the bed. A basket of things someone might have forgotten to pack.
And, perhaps most importantly, spaces designed for people to actually use and enjoy.
Beautiful Spaces Are Meant to Be Lived In
One of the things you'll notice throughout Beautiful Spaces is that I'm not interested in creating rooms that simply photograph well.
I want them tolive well.
Our lake house is filled with family, friends, kids, dogs, wet swimsuits, big dinners, games, cocktails, music and plenty of people coming and going.
So everything has to pass a fairly simple test:
Does it make the experience better?
Sometimes that's something beautiful. Sometimes it's something incredibly practical. And the best things are usually both.
After years of hosting at the lake, these are the 25 things I believe make the biggest difference.
25 Lake House Essentials That Make a Difference
Comfortable Sleeping Spaces
Great mattresses, beautiful linens, comfortable pillows and flexible sleeping arrangements make it possible to say, "Of course you can stay."The Ultimate Coffee & Beverage Bar
Because nobody should have to wait for the host to wake up before getting their first cup of coffee.Luxury Towels Everywhere
Bath towels, lake towels, Turkish towels, makeup towels—lots of them, easy to find and easy to grab.Outdoor Living That Rivals a Resort
Comfortable seating, shade, fans, heaters, lighting and a fire pit can turn the outdoor spaces into the most-used rooms of the house.A Kitchen Designed for Entertaining
Serving pieces, warming trays, charcuterie boards, glassware and all the things that make feeding a houseful of people easier.Amazing Ice
It sounds ridiculously simple until you entertain a crowd. Great ice—and lots of it—is a lake house luxury I would never give up.Comfortable Outdoor Dining
A table where everyone can gather, along with durable dinnerware and beautiful serving pieces that can handle life outside.Guest Bathroom Essentials
The goal is simple: your guests shouldn't have to ask whether you have toothpaste, shampoo, a hair dryer or a Band-Aid.The Perfect Lake Closet
Sunscreen, hats, extra swimsuits, beach bags, bug spray and all those things somebody inevitably leaves at home.A Five-Star Guest Room
Blackout curtains, luggage racks, bedside charging, great bedding and thoughtful details can make a guest room feel more like a boutique hotel.The Perfect Game Room
Board games are only the beginning. Poker, shuffleboard, air hockey, music, television—and in our case, a little Vegas thrown in—give everyone somewhere to gather when they're ready to come inside.Luxury Outdoor Cooking
A great grill is wonderful. Add a smoker, Blackstone or pizza oven and cooking becomes part of the entertainment.A Wine & Cocktail Station
A well-stocked, well-organized bar means guests can help themselves and cocktail hour doesn't require digging through kitchen cabinets.Lighting That Changes Everything
Landscape lighting, lanterns, candles and string lights can completely change how a house feels after sunset.Music Throughout the House
Music sets the mood. We want it in the kitchen, outside, by the water and wherever people naturally gather.Dock Luxury
The dock deserves just as much attention as the house—comfortable seating, shade, towels, storage and everything you need for an afternoon by the water.The Best Water Toys
Paddleboards, kayaks, floating mats and inflatables turn the lake itself into another living space.Organization Behind the Scenes
This may be the least glamorous item on the list—and one of the most important. Organized pantries, party supplies, wrapping stations, bins and labels make entertaining infinitely easier.A Luxury Laundry Room
When a house is filled with guests, towels and wet clothes multiply quickly. A thoughtfully equipped laundry room earns its keep.Entertaining Made Easy
Serving carts, buffet stations, warming drawers and strategically placed serving pieces allow the host to enjoy the party, too.Technology Guests Love
Fast Wi-Fi, easy charging and smart locks aren't particularly glamorous—until they don't work.Pet-Friendly Luxury
Beautiful dog beds, bowls, towels and discreet gates let four-legged guests be part of the fun without sacrificing the house.Safety Without Sacrificing Style
Life jackets, first-aid supplies, flashlights and fire extinguishers need to be accessible, organized and easy to find.Seasonal Decorating
A lake house is made for celebrations—from spring weekends and the Fourth of July to football season and Christmas.The Little Touches Guests Never Forget
Fresh flowers. Favorite snacks. Local treats. A welcome basket. A handwritten note.
They're small things, but they're often the things people remember.
The Real Luxury Is How a Home Makes People Feel
When I look around our lake house, the things I love most aren't necessarily the things that cost the most.
They're the things that have become part of our stories.
The coffee bar where everyone gathers in the morning.
The guest room that longtime friends now argue is their room.
The game room where competition gets a little too serious. The outdoor spaces where we've spent countless evenings talking long after the sun disappeared.
That's what I want this Beautiful Spaces series to be about.
Not creating a perfect house. Creating a house that makes it easier to live beautifully in it.
Over the coming weeks, I'll take you through each of these 25 essentials—what we've learned, what has worked for us, what I would do differently and the products that have earned a permanent place in our lake house.
Because after years of hosting, I've become convinced of one thing:
Luxury isn't about impressing your guests. It's about making them feel so comfortable they never want to leave.
Beautiful Spaces
“Creating a Home You Love to Live In”
The Meyer Nest - Lake LBJ, Texas
There is something wonderful about reaching a stage of life when your home can finally be less about what it needs to be and more about how you actually want to live.
For years, our homes often had a job to do. They accommodated children, careers, school schedules, pets, holidays, overflowing closets, and whatever else life brought through the front door. And then life changed.
The kids grew up.
Careers slowed down.
We begin spending more time at home.
Friends came to stay.
Grandchildren arrived.
Dinner lasted a little longer.
Mornings become something to enjoy instead of something to rush through.
And suddenly, the spaces around us changed.
That is what Beautiful Spaces is about.
Luxury Isn't About Having More
I've come to believe that the most luxurious homes aren't necessarily the biggest or the most expensive. They're the ones that make life feel better.
It's a guest room where someone wakes up incredibly comfortable and secretly hopes they get that room again next time.
It's having beautiful towels exactly where someone needs them.
It's a coffee bar that makes an ordinary Tuesday morning feel like vacation.
It's outdoor furniture comfortable enough that no one wants to go inside, great lighting when the sun goes down, a kitchen that makes entertaining easier, and all those small details that quietly say, stay awhile.
Some of these things are indulgences. Many aren't.
What Our Lake House Taught Me
Our lake house has become something of a laboratory for this idea. We host a lot—family, longtime friends, couples, grandchildren, and sometimes a houseful of people at once. Over time, I've learned which things genuinely make people comfortable and which things simply look pretty.
The best spaces do both.
I've also discovered that some of the smallest decisions make the biggest difference.
Where you put the towels.
Whether there's somewhere convenient to charge a phone.
How comfortable the pillows are.
Whether someone can make coffee before everyone else wakes up.
Where wet swimsuits go.
Whether there is enough ice when the house is full.
None of those things sound particularly glamorous until you're the guest who needs them.
Beautiful Spaces Are Meant to Be Lived In
I don't want a home where everyone is afraid to put their feet up. I want beautiful rooms filled with people.
I want wine glasses on the counter, towels hanging over chairs, grandchildren running in from the water, friends lingering around the table and someone asking if there's another bottle of wine.
To me, that's luxury.
See you on the deck,
Gay
Chance Experiences
It All Begins Here
“To have a great life, you have to be open to chance experiences."
I've come to believe that.
For nearly forty years, community happened automatically.
I went to work.
I had meetings.
I shared lunches with colleagues.
We solved problems together.
We celebrated promotions.
We comforted one another through disappointments and losses.
Then one day...
It all stopped.
No one really prepares you for the fact that retirement isn't just leaving a career. It's leaving your daily community. Suddenly, making new friends becomes intentional instead of automatic. I suspect almost everyone experiences this transition, yet very few people talk about it. And I believe it can shape the quality of retirement as much as our health or our finances.
Six years ago, my husband and I moved into our dream lake house in a beautiful retirement community. It looked like the life we had imagined.
But I wasn't retired yet.
I continued to work remotely, traveled back to the office several days each week, and gave very little thought to the community around me. My interactions were mostly limited to the grocery store and our three local restaurants—which, to be fair, include a Dairy Queen, a Subway, and a beloved little Tex-Mex restaurant that locals would never dream of calling "little."
Then, in January, I retired.
The first few months surprised me.
Surrounded by extraordinary beauty, I felt unexpectedly lonely. For nearly three months, I questioned everything. Had I made a mistake? Should we move somewhere with more activity, more restaurants, more people? I wondered what my purpose was now and whether I still had something meaningful to contribute. Slowly, I realized the problem wasn't where I lived. The problem was that I was waiting for community to find me.
It wasn't going to happen.
I had to build it.
I had to become the person who introduced herself first, accepted unexpected invitations, lingered a little longer in conversation, and remained open to the possibility that some of the best moments in this chapter of life would never appear on my calendar.
And that's exactly what began to happen.
This series, Chance Experiences, is a collection of those moments.
Some begin with a wrong turn.
Some begin with a stranger.
Some begin with a simple conversation.
Each one reminds me that the richest parts of retirement aren't always the ones we plan. Sometimes they're the ones we never saw coming.
So, if you're beginning this season of life—or even if you've been here for a while—I hope these stories encourage you to stay curious, say yes a little more often, and remain open to the beautiful possibility that your next great friendship, lesson, or adventure may begin with nothing more than a chance experience.
See you on the deck,
Gay
The Woman Who Invited Two Strangers to Stay for Wine
Sometimes the most memorable afternoons begin with an apology.
My husband and I were helping friends explore lake houses one afternoon. Like many lake communities, ours is filled with second homes that often sit empty during the week. Unfortunately, we made an assumption.
The House Looked Vacant…
Curiosity got the better of us, and before long we found ourselves wandering around a property that wasn't ours. And, YES, loudly discussing the features of the house that our friends might enjoy!
A few minutes later, a woman stepped outside.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
We apologized immediately, embarrassed that we'd mistaken her home for a vacant listing.
Then something happened that I never expected.
She smiled.
And holding a glass of wine, she asked,
"Would you like to join me?"
That simple invitation turned an embarrassing moment into one of my favorite afternoons since retiring.
Her name was Luann. She and her husband own one of the most beautiful properties on the Colorado arm of Lake LBJ.
From the back of their home, a gentle path leads to a two-story boat dock overlooking water that seems to stretch forever. Beyond the shoreline sits protected Texas ranchland held in conservation, ensuring the view will remain untouched for generations. As the sun began to set, the sky transformed into shades of gold, coral, and lavender. It was one of those evenings that makes you forget to check your phone.
As we admired the view, we asked the obvious question.
"How can you possibly leave this?"
She smiled again.
She told us about her three children. One had recently moved to North Carolina, and although they didn't yet know exactly where life would take them after selling the lake house, they had spent their lives embracing new adventures. New cities. New careers. New beginnings. Leaving Lake LBJ would be difficult but they had learned that sometimes the next adventure is waiting just beyond the one you already love.
Then our conversation took an unexpected turn.
Luann quietly shared that she considers herself an introvert. Inviting us to sit and share a glass of wine wasn't something that came naturally to her. It was something she had been intentionally practicing.
She wanted to become…
More open
More welcoming
More willing to say “yes”
I don't know if Luann realized what she was teaching me that evening.
For years, I believed community was something that just arrived on your calendar.
Client Meetings
Lunches
Team Gatherings
But retirement changes that…
As we drove home that evening, I realized I hadn’t simply met a lovely woman with a beautiful lake house. I’d met someone who reminded me that the life I hope to build doesn't happen by accident after retirement. It grows because someone is willing to take the first step. Sometimes that first step is as simple as extending an invitation. This week, I hope I'm the person who says, "Would you like to join me?"
From the Deck
Gay
From the Deck
It All Begins Here
Welcome to the stories we’re still living
Every morning at our lake house begins the same way.
Coffee in hand.
A quiet moment on the deck.
The sun slowly rising over Lake LBJ, Kingsland Texas
It's where conversations begin, ideas take shape, and life's distractions seem to fade into the background. It's also where I've come to realize that some of the most meaningful moments in life are rarely the ones we plan.
From the Deck is my journal of this extraordinary season of life.
Here you'll find stories about welcoming friends and family into our home, creating spaces people never want to leave, discovering beautiful places around the world, investing in wellness, embracing unexpected friendships, and finding joy in the everyday moments that so often become our favorite memories.
Some stories will make you smile.
Some may encourage you to try something new.
Others may simply remind you to slow down and appreciate the beauty that's already around you.
Along the way, I'll share the products I genuinely love, the destinations I can't wait to revisit, the traditions that have become part of our family, and the unexpected Chance Experiences that continue to remind me that retirement isn't an ending—it's an invitation to begin again.
My hope is that when you leave The Deck, you won't simply have discovered a beautiful destination, a thoughtfully chosen product, or a new idea for your home.
I hope you'll feel inspired to create a life filled with deeper connections, meaningful experiences, generous hospitality, and memories that will last for generations.
I don't believe luxury is measured by what we own. I believe it’s found in the people we gather, the places that change us, the traditions we create, and the stories we’re still living.
So, pull up a chair.
Pour yourself a cup of coffee.
Stay awhile.
I'm so glad you're here.
Gay