After a nationwide search, a submission of styling projects, a Top 10 selection and, finally, a community vote to determine our Top 3 candidates, Lisa Rocco won your hearts!
Hello, cottage friends!
I can hardly express in words the joy and excitement of having been chosen as the 2023 Brand Ambassador for Cottages & Bungalows. I am honored and delighted to have the opportunity to share my home and love for decorating, style, color, flowers—and even a bit of cooking and baking—with all of you in the coming months.
Your home is your haven. It is your retreat…a cozy place where you can relax and find refuge. It is a reflection of your lifestyle, family, experiences, memories and, of course, personality. It is uniquely YOU!
I hope you will join me here as I share fun ideas for making your home comfy, inviting and welcoming for you and everyone who walks through the door of the place you call home.
See you soon!
Hugs,
Lisa
Get to Know Lisa
I was a kindergarten teacher for several years before deciding to be a stay-at-home mom to my three sons. My husband, Larry, and I have been married for 34 years and are now in a new season as empty nesters. It’s just the two of us and our Labrador retriever, Brie, who you will undoubtedly see here and on my Instagram page.
How did I get here?
Even as a young girl I loved decorating, sewing, cooking with my mom and gram, and working in my grandfather’s wood shop. After my boys were grown, I started an Instagram account to take photos of my home projects and styling through the seasons. I began getting requests from others to help them style their homes and collaborated with some great home decor companies. Posting to “A Simply Styled Nest” was my joy, sharing what I loved and hopefully inspiring my followers with fresh ideas.
Then a new season began. Five years ago, Larry and I began looking for a suitable location to retire. We grew up on freshwater lakes in the Northeast and always had a dream we would come full circle and spend our later years the same way we grew up—near the water! We imagined our sons and their families having a place to come and enjoy all that lake life has to offer- boating, swimming, relaxing and making memories.
After almost two years of searching, we found our home in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Lake Wylie, a hidden treasure on the border between North Carolina and South Carolina. We quickly fell in love with the ’90s traditional home that had “great bones” but still needed enough updating to keep this girl busy and make it a cozy lake cottage retreat for our family.
Fast forward three years! We’ve painted the brick exterior, boathouse and dock; added shutters and new light fixtures; landscaped; painted the interior and remodeled two bathrooms! We are continuing to check things off our to-do list one project at a time and will bring you along with us this year as we continue the renovations.
To follow Lisa’s progress on her home projects, visit her on Instagram at @asimplystylednest and watch Cottages & Bungalows’ Instagram and Facebook pages for inspirations from Lisa.
