HOUSE BEAUTIFUL

For one day every summer, when South Florida–based designer Dana Small stands with her feet in the sand outside the quaint, vintage cottage on Lake Michigan that she shares with her family, she sees fireworks—literally. Though this, of course, is not surprising, considering it’s where the clan gathers to celebrate Independence Day each year. And
that sense of wonder and awe pervades Small’s consciousness for the duration of her stay. “It’s the perfect backdrop for our all-American, hot-dogs-and-lemonade Fourth of July,” she says, with a sweeping gesture to the gorgeous cobalt blue water and the bevy of flags dotting the sand leading to the home. “But it’s much more than that.”