Room of the Day: An Idyllic Lakeside Dock

Back in the 1930s, this lakeside community in the Santa Monica Mountains of California was established by Hollywood types who craved clean air and nature. Cecil B. DeMille, Elizabeth Montgomery and Ray Bolger (the Tin Man) frolicked here, enjoying their second homes during their time off. Today the Malibou Lake community still treats the lake as a beloved retreat, but most residents live here full-time.

The couple who owns this dock has a cabin up the hill from the lake. They wanted to enjoy their dock more and enlisted interior designer Shannon Ggem to create a covered oasis where they could grill, watch the wildlife and have neighbors drop in for evening cocktails.

Much of the furniture on the dock is original to the 1930s cabin, including the chairs, coffee table and MetalKraft cabinet, which came from the kitchen. “While it would have been nice to keep the kitchen outfitted in these great cabinets, they were small, kind of rusted out and made a lot of noise when opened and closed,” Ggem says. She saved this one and had it powder coated in aqua, a color inspired by the couple’s party boat. The top is reclaimed French oak, which covers the original sink. The homeowners use it to store fishing equipment, plastic serveware and life preservers.

The fiberglass sofa is from the 1960s and originally was on a yacht. When crafting a layered roof that let in the breeze but kept out the rain blew the budget, Ggem made up the difference with fabric. “These are some of the most inexpensive ready-made cushions on the market,” she says. “We thought they’d be a place filler, but they seem to be here to stay.” The throw pillows are from Cost Plus World Market.


The couple’s dogs love the spot as well, though this one is Ggem’s.


Ggem transformed a movie-prop kayak into a unique light fixture overhead. “When we lit it up, we found out it says, ‘Warm regards from Shishmaref’ on the bottom,” Ggem says. Apparently the papier-mâché prop was made in Shishmaref, Alaska.

The designer sourced rough-cut artificial turf from SYNlawn.


Reclaimed window frames help define the space. One of them came from Ggem’s own cabin (she lives nearby), and the other came from another neighboring cabin.





Two lounge chairs receive shade underneath a very established pink oleander — this particular plant made it through an oleander blight unscathed. Netting provides extra shade and protection from falling blossoms.


Neighborhood kids as well as the couple use the two swings on a regular basis.


Here’s a view of the porch from the lake. You can see the layered roof that lets in the breeze.

“My clients love the recreational aspect of the life here and enjoy calling over neighbors who are meandering down the street to join them on the dock,” Ggem says. The outdoor room is a wonderful extension of their living space and is an inviting addition to the friendly community.

URL: Room of the Day: An Idyllic Lakeside Dock http://www.decor-ideas.org/cases-view-id-23353.html