Situated on the shore of Squam Lake, in New Hampshire, this vacation home with stunning distant mountain views was given a contemporary rustic refresh by Nina Farmer, who is based in Boston. “Given the setting, we took our cues from nature,” Farmer says. The Swedish birch floor lamp, from 1stDibs, evokes the trees just outside, and the safari chair and carved-wood cabinet, also sourced on 1stDibs, might well be found in a summer cabin filled with vintage treasures. “The combination of furniture pieces balances this room and keeps it fresh,” Farmer says. “You don’t often see a safari chair with a Thebes stool and a Swedish birch string lamp.” Connecting it all is the custom rug, whose autumnal reds and yellows pick up the hues of the changing leaves of the deciduous trees across the water. “Every other pattern and color in the space was thoughtfully chosen in a response to it,” Farmer says. Above all, she adds, this is a family house. “The clients envisioned this as a serene escape from the demands of city life — a welcoming haven where they could gather with family and friends to savor life’s simpler pleasures.”