'English country house meets Palace of Versailles' describes the mood of this exuberant vacation home on Lake Saranac

Lake Saranac in the Adirondacks is, according to Miles Redd, one of the two experts behind the house design of this property, the ‘last vestige of unspoiled country, like stepping back in time where life is peaceful and people just want to hang with their families’.

And such is the vibe at this sprawling lake house, a 1950s former summer camp cabin, that Miles and his business partner David Kaihoi of Redd Kahoi have overhauled. It is now a seven-bedroom estate, including a boathouse and bunkhouse, and perfect for the family who own it to use as a gently hedonistic vacation home.

‘It has a warmth and a generosity to it,’ Miles says. ‘It’s such a casual place but with a sophisticated and laid-back spirit.’ The designers carefully enhanced all of the principles of what it was built for: a place for homely fun, for board games and ping-pong matches, for stargazing and sofa lying, for reading, chatting, and getting together.

‘One of Miles’ great skills is his ability to tell a story through a space’s layout,’ David says. ‘He tells you how you’re going to live in a room – the reading nook spot, or a desk to write a letter. He places pieces suggestively that call out to you in a way that helps you indulge in a life of wonderful pursuits.’

Nowhere is this more in evidence than in the large living room with its double-heigh ceilings, vast sofa area, a games table, and some reading chairs by the fire. ‘That serpentine sofa takes up a whole space, but it’s a major place to crash, where everyone can just hang out,’ David says.

Miles attributes his clever ability to come up with successful layouts to a formative stint working with the designer Bunny Williams. ‘She just knows where furniture goes and she understands what you need to fill a space without taking it over.’

That knowledge has also been used by the designers to artfully play with mixing pattern, to seemingly clash large rugs with detailed wallpapers in rooms that, remarkably, still seem calm and serene, rather than overwhelmed.

‘You just have to follow a color palette,’ David explains, adding that they almost always pick a rug for a room before anything else. ‘And then the colors spring from that,’ he says.

Emerald green is a hue that appears repeatedly, on chair fabrics, and door trims, even used in high gloss to coat the wood floors in the kitchen. ‘It’s a bright touch and a modern play on the classic camp colors,’ David says. ‘It has a deep richness that suits a log cabin but it’s also a happiness-inducing shade, taking the best of nature and adding a vividness that boosts your spirits.’

With its transitional style mixing antiques and classic contemporary fabrics, the house feels very artfully curated, filled with personality and pieces that make the designers and owners smile. Take the antique zebra head in the great room, for example. ‘That was just a play on the house’s history of taxidermy,’ David says. We found some old photos that hinted at a hunting past, and this was a nod to that.’

Miles always likes to include some unexpected idiosyncrasies in his work, but they serve a purpose rather than being just for fun. ‘They’re things that I find amusing or witty or stylish, but they also help to take your eye up a level, if hung on a wall, or down to the floor, if it’s a piece of furniture. They have to have an aesthetic function, too.’

Many of the pieces for this home were picked up at auction houses. ‘Auctions are just the best stomping grounds,’ Miles says. ‘You’re buying from other people who love to collect, so you can find amazing things at real value. You can find good stuff everywhere if you know where to look.’

Miles describes this project as an English country house with a touch of the Palace of Versailles, and that decadence is in evidence when it comes to flourishes like a bath in the study.

‘Why wouldn’t you have one, if you could?’ twinkles David, a sentiment that also applies to the ping-pong table and firepit by the lake, ideas that show just how this home is a celebration of all the most uplifting elements in life.

The 3 rules of rugs according to Designer David Kaihoi

Designer David Kaihoi shares the secrets of working with patterned and personality-filled rugs

1. When it comes to the size, you almost can’t go too big. If there is no carpet and it’s just bare wood boards then fill the room – it expands the space. A lot of the rugs we use are almost wall-to-wall and honestly the bigger you go, the better.

2. Rugs are usually the first thing we source for a room, and the rest of the space’s palette flows from them. So think of them as a road map for your scheme, using the shades in their patterns as directions for what colors to use elsewhere. Don’t be afraid to mix patterns – just find a common thread in a colour and you’ll be fine.

3. For comfortable spaces and relaxed areas, we favor wool rugs. It’s what most old rugs are made from anyway, and this material is both comfortable and hard-wearing. But for a more formal space with less traffic, or for somewhere private like a bedroom or dressing room, choose silk, which is a little more refined.