It’s easy to assume that a lake cottage would only be appealing as a summer destination, but Douglas Segulja, founding partner of New York City–based OSSO Architecture, has found that not to be the case. In 2015, Douglas bought a small property in Greenwood Lake, New York, and drove from the city every weekend to fix it up. Once the work was done, he listed it on Airbnb to recoup some of the expenses. “I was shocked at how well it did,” says Douglas. “I basically have it rented out about 90-95% of the nights.”

An easy enough drive from NYC, the cottage draws guests all year round, offering a summer swimming hole, fall foliage, and winter skiing. On the heels of that success, Douglas sought a second cottage to renovate in 2018, this time teaming up with an old friend, Matthew Stitzer. They soon found a good candidate close by in Highland Lakes, New Jersey.

Before: Exterior

DouglasDouglas Segulja and Matthew Stitzer bought a 1960 cottage located in Highland Lakes, New Jersey, a private lake community that was developed in the 1930s for vacationing New Yorkers. The area has five lakes, with a total of seven beaches." layout="" credit="Courtesy of OSSO Architecture" photoUserId=""/>

Douglas did all of the exterior cedar siding himself. “I really wanted it to be full boards, which was a challenge because it meant I had to get 16-foot boards,” he says." layout="" credit="Courtesy of OSSO Architecture" photoUserId=""/>

Despite its worn appearance, there was a lot to appreciate about the 1960 cottage—namely, its soaring peaked roof and the beautiful stone hearth. “The fireplace was key,” says Douglas. “That was one of the things I learned from my last house—that people renting short-term love when they can sit by the fire.”

After: Exterior

At around 1,000 square feet, the home was a good size, but Douglas worked with firm partner Margot Otten to reconfigure the layout. The pair shrank one of the existing two bedrooms and relocated the bathroom to be adjacent, freeing up space in the main room.

On the other side of the cottage, the designers merged a small bedroom and an awkward dining room that Douglas surmises was an enclosed porch or deck to create a principal en suite. With an additional loft, the cabin can comfortably sleep eight people. “It’s the right size so that a couple can come and rent it, and it doesn’t feel too big, but you could also put two families with kids in there,” says Douglas.

Before: Living Room

After: Living Room

Douglas inserted a small bump-out at the rear to create more breathing room in the joined kitchen, dining, and living spaces. With a glass corner and contrasting roof line, the addition creates a sense of discovery when walking around the building. The house “feels very much like a traditional form, and then you come around the back and you're surprised by this modern piece,” says Douglas. The new windows were also a way to establish sight lines to the surrounding meadow, rather than the neighboring houses.

Finishes were chosen with ease and durability in mind—the goal was to create a tranquil atmosphere without having to worry much about maintenance. “Ninety-five percent of everything you see in this house has been done with stuff from Home Depot and Lowe’s,” says Douglas. “We didn't have the budget to do anything otherwise.”

Shop the Look

Before: Loft Staircase

After: Loft Staircase

Douglas and Matthew DIY’ed everything from the loft staircase, to the plaster finish in the shower, to the exterior siding on the addition. Douglas Dgrew up with a mother who liked to roll up her sleeves and remembers his first construction project: a tree fort at his grandparents’ lake house.

“I enjoy working with my hands. I don’t get to do that as much in my day-to-day job,” says the architect, who spent many weekends during pandemic on the site, with Matthew joining for several months in the summer. “I guess it’s my therapy, in some ways, too. It’s a place where I can relax.”

Before: Loft

After: Loft

Before: Kitchen

After: Kitchen

Before: Bathroom

After: Bathroom

Before: Dining Room

After: En-Suite Bedroom

Contemporary Cottage is available to rent on Airbnb.

More Before & After:

A Surfer’s San Francisco Home Helps Keep an Eye on the Waves

A Murky Home in Seattle Gets a Huge Dose of Light and Color

Project Credits:

Architecture: OSSO Architecture / @ossoarchitecture

Appears In

Before & After: An Architect and His Friend Tackle a DIY Remodel of a Lakeside Cottage