Hi, we’re Meghan + Matt!
Welcome to our little corner of the inter-webs! I (Meghan) started this blog to document our renovations on a neglected 1970s lake cottage in Chautauqua, NY. At the time, we lived in Cleveland and I came up with the name The Lake and the Land, referencing both our house on the lake and our house in Cleveland, which is commonly called The Land. For three years, on weekends and during the summer, we worked on the lake house, completely gutting 2 bedrooms and a kitchen, updating a third bedroom, and re-siding the exterior. Back in Cleveland, we updated and customized our 2011 builder-grade home with paint, art, light fixtures, a fire pit and the occasional super-extra birthday shenanigans (i.e. a giant light up fire truck playhouse).
Fast forward to June 2022 and the opportunity to move to Cincinnati for Matt’s job presented itself- two months later we began settling into a 1967 colonial-esque home! Putting us 6 hours away from the lake house, we made the decision to sell it opting to enjoy where we live versus running off every weekend to work tirelessly on a house. This doesn’t mean the projects are over, but both Matt and I want to finish one project at a time rather than overwhelm ourselves with multiple unfinished projects creating frustration and leaving us unsatisfied.
Here you will find posts and projects about the slow curation of home to create a lifestyle that focuses on simplicity and peace. I’m so glad you’ve stumbled upon our blog and hope you can find something useful here. Thank you for reading!