This Hotel Blends '90s Summer Camp Aesthetics with Modern Luxury—Here's How to Bring the Look Home

The '90s are back—in both fashion and mood. Defined by slow summers, Polaroid photos, handwritten letters, and a good pair of Levi’s, the era evokes a sense of classic comfort. And when I stepped onto Prospect, a lakeside retreat tucked into a mountain-lined corner of the Berkshires, I was transported back to the same vintage summer camp aesthetic, but with a luxurious twist.

Bathed in a glow of the “simpler times,” the grounds boast wildflower meadows, luxe Scandinavian cabins, and sunset kayaks gliding across the glistening lake. It had all the makings of an adult summer camp—minus the musty bunk beds and mosquito bites.

There’s a common misconception about cabin culture that these outdoorsy spaces must fall into one of two extremes: lived-in and cozy (but a bit dated), or sleek and luxurious, lacking character.

Prospect nails a blend of contemporary indulgences with vintage summer camp—here’s how they pull it off, and how you can too.

Honoring History

The first step to preserving character is knowing where your space comes from. Prospect’s three-acre lakeside land originated as a picnic ground in the 1800s, where locals spent long sun-soaked days with family.

Today, Prospect is a landscape hotel—Scandinavian for elevated ‘glamping’—but its original spirit endures. With restored historic structures, quietly elevated interiors, and a thoughtful landscape, it sets the tone for a new kind of retreat—one that feels effortlessly stylish and deeply grounded. If your vision for a lakehouse is unpretentious luxury, let Prospect be your blueprint.

The best way to honor your space’s history? Protect its roots. “Nature is a divine experience…the source of creativity, if we don’t protect it, it will all be gone,” says Jade-Snow Carroll, one of the owners and creative minds behind Prospect.

As a native to this community, Carroll believes that honoring the land’s roots is essential to its magic; the same magic once inspired New England’s Transcendentalists, including Emerson, Thoreau, and Alcott.

Meaningful Design and Architecture

One of the more difficult interior design tasks is upgrading in a way that feels authentic to the location. Carroll and co-owner Ian Rasch drew on their German roots to channel Scandinavian design in a breezy way, creating a Scandi-glamping feel. Designed to be a “canvas for creativity,” Carroll intentionally left the cabins relatively bare, hoping guests would take advantage of the outdoors. However, every detail indoors was meticulously curated.

Start with a Soft, Neutral Base Palette

Surrounded by lush grasses and wildflowers, all 49 cabins are constructed of cedar and white pine, featuring radiant floor heating and whitewashed interiors. Think eggshell walls, wood drenching, linen sofas, and floor-to-ceiling glass sliding doors that adorn a whole side of the cabin. The lavish king-size beds are outfitted with Sister Moons white cotton linens, and the writer’s table is a seamless match to the cabin’s cedar interior.

To achieve this effortlessly breezy look, follow the same less-is-more approach, focusing on high-quality materials that feel native to the environment.

Introduce Warmth

With a blank canvas (not to be mistaken for boring), Prospect sprinkles in colorful accents for zaps of energy: earthy greens, warm pinks, and muted blues. Don’t forget to add brass or sculptural, warm-hued interior lighting, such as the Schoolhouse Luna globular pendants in the cabin. If you’re a fan of color, add a larger element, like Prospect’s royal blue daybed topped with a light pink pillow.

Beyond colors, layer in accent textures. Drape cozy throw blankets through the space, like Prospect’s gorgeous peach-hued merino wool throw. Slide a sheepskin cover over a rattan chair for a cocoon of calm, and instead of your standard wool or cotton area rug, opt for one made from natural fibers, such as woven jute.

Get Campy

Prospect achieved the perfect juxtaposition of modern luxury and nature, but what sets them apart is the chic camp details. 

Four enamelware mugs hung above the sink invite you to bring your cup of coffee outside. Woven rope lines the cabin exterior to hang your dripping suit and towel at the end of a long day swimming, and vintage and thrifted books and knick-knacks sit along shelves. Want to turn on some tunes? There's also a retro '70s-style Sangean Bluetooth speaker for you. And if you're looking for the time, glance over at the analog alarm clock perched on each floating bedside table. 

Take a step outside your cabin, and you’re met with hammocks and hidden picnic tables. Marble benches were tucked away in nooks of the lake, perfect for an easel and some watercolors. Walk a bit further and you’ll find a rack of brand new canoes, kayaks, and paddleboards, and down the path are two Americana-style nooks for creative thinking. Every detail transports you back to a time before cell phones and 9-to-5s, all while in an intentionally timeless setting.

Bring the Look into the Garden

At any lakehouse, when more than half of your time is spent outdoors, the environment should reflect two things: how you want to feel and what you want to do. Prospect is designed to inspire and promote wandering thoughts, and the garden is something especially magical, appearing as if it had simply grown that way. But any good gardener knows that a naturalistic approach takes planning.

Raina Weber, a global landscape artist, led the naturalistic design. Her goal was to reinstate the original landscape, and with the help of Camilla Norris, Prospect project manager and assistant designer, Weber crafted the gorgeously wild lakeside garden. Inspired by Piet Oudolf, naturalist garden icon from the Netherlands, Weber and Norris hand-seeded native species with the mantra of, “Natural, wild, never appears curated.”

Norris and I chatted overlooking the wildflowers. She shared that the secret to this low-maintenance “curated disarray” style is to follow a clumping method, specifically in odd numbers. She intentionally grouped the Liatris into five clusters, Joe Pye weed into seven clusters, and native Milkweed into nine. These color clusters should stand out and guide the eye through the space, elongating it.

Many gardens are organized by height, but at Prospect, plants are intentionally scattered with varying heights to create movement, elongation, and a sense of wildness. Norris explained, “nothing should look curated; everything is intermingled. It should look wild and natural.”

Indulgence Is About Ease

Prospect proves that no creative spark is too small and every moment in nature matters. It’s where outdoor adventure meets laid-back elegance. Where luxury means designer light fixtures and organic wine, yes—but also time to yourself, grass between your toes, and sun on your skin.

Carroll’s hope is for every guest to feel like they belong to the community and feel rested and rejuvenated. "Nature is a divine experience. Nature is the antidote. Nature is the source of all of it, and if we don’t take care of it and protect it, it will all be gone,” Carroll says.

At Prospect, indulgence is about ease, not excess. Follow in the hotel's footsteps and you’ll find the sweet spot where refined design and homey comfort coexist without compromise.