Waterside Retreats: Sophisticated Lake House in S.C.
This house on Lake Keowee in S.C. is as luxe as they come, with a huge great room, gourmet kitchen, wine cellar and a deck that overlooks the water. Reclaimed wood ceilings and stone fireplaces add a rustic touch to the interior, which the designer balanced with elegant light fixtures and sophisticated neutral furniture.
From:
Abbi Williams
Lake House and Garage Exterior With Car
A rebuilt vintage International Travelall is a permanent resident of the lake house. Above the garage, there's an apartment that also gets treated to water views. A breezeway connects that building with the main house.
From:
Abbi Williams
Rustic Stone Exterior and Breezeway
The house's black trim was meant to serve as an anchor and a complement to the lighter colored stone exterior. A large arched window looks into the great room and all the way through the house; there's a matching arched window on the back wall.
From:
Abbi Williams
Breezeway
A breezeway connects the main residence to a nearby garage and garage apartment. The apartment makes guests comfortable with a queen bed, bunk bed loft, a kitchenette and a full bathroom.
From:
Abbi Williams
Rustic Lake House Exterior
The exterior of the lake house offers plenty of visual interest with varied rooflines and an attractive stone construction. The staircase on the side was originally intended to come down from the back deck, but designers moved it to keep sightlines open out to the lake.
From:
Abbi Williams
Neutral Chef Kitchen With Arched Window
One of the primary goals in the design of this kitchen was to fill the space with sunlight. A huge arched window over the sink does the job beautifully. The window—along with the oversized light fixture—also balances out the height of the vaulted ceiling.
From:
Abbi Williams
Rustic Dining Area With Arched Ceiling
A series of arches make the look of the open concept living area and kitchen feel unified. The rounded shape is also soothing and echoed by the swoops and curves of the chandeliers.
From:
Abbi Williams
Dining Area Under Arch
The designers wanted an open floor plan, but also one in which different areas (dining, living and kitchen) would feel somewhat separated and unique. Single wood beams, instead of more traditional decorative trusses, were installed on the ceiling so as not to have anything competing with the arched window.
From:
Abbi Williams
Rustic Dining Area and Great Room
To make the dining area cozier than the more spacious feel of the living room, the designer planned a lower arched ceiling over the dining table with two medium-sized glass pendants.
From:
Abbi Williams
Great Room With Wood Paneled Ceiling
In the kitchen and great room, wood paneling with the same finish lines the ceiling. White walls make a crisp contrast and outline the symmetry of the rooms.
From:
Abbi Williams
Rustic Great Room With Arched Window
The great room completely opens up to an adjacent deck; a phantom screen drops down to keep out bugs without blocking the view. Looking into the home shows off the beautifully-planned—and perfectly aligned—series of arches.
From:
Abbi Williams
Rustic Living Room With Stone Fireplace
A large open concept layout connects the living room, dining room and kitchen. The dining room and kitchen are farther away from the lake views, so the designer raised them up on a small platform. That and a small railing help set those spaces apart from the living room.
From:
Abbi Williams
Great Room Stone Fireplace
A noble stone fireplace reigns from the center of the great room. Its unfinished wood mantel makes a handsome home for a mirror and other accessories.
From:
Abbi Williams
Rustic Great Room With Deck Access
The big, beautiful arched window above the door to the deck matches the proportions of the kitchen window. It's a design move that brings continuity to the open concept living area.
From:
Abbi Williams
Deck and Great Room
The back wall of the great room disappears to seamlessly join it with the adjacent deck. A shed roof offers sun protection during the day.
From:
Abbi Williams
Rustic Wine Cellar With Reclaimed Wood
Reclaimed wood and a stone wall backdrop give this wine cellar a uniquely-rustic personality.
From:
Abbi Williams
Mediterranean Staircase With Vaulted Ceiling
The foyer and staircase get height and grandeur from a vaulted ceiling paneled in wood. The bannister is reclaimed wood with a wrought iron railing.
From:
Abbi Williams
Metal Detailing on Staircase
The staircase's newel posts are made from reclaimed wood, topped by custom-designed metalwork.
From:
Abbi Williams
Screened Porch With Fireplace
The screened-in porch has a stone fireplace and a swing for lazy days and chilly nights. Designers used a a semi-transparent gray stain for the ceiling's wood paneling that allows the wood grain to be visible and matches the tones of the stonework.
From:
Abbi Williams
Rustic Screen Porch With Swing
The homeowners decided to dedicate the screened-in porch to a spacious sitting area instead of trying to squeeze in a dining table as well. The swing is the size of a twin bed for totally roomy relaxing.
From:
Abbi Williams
Rear Exterior With Deck and Patio
A lower terrace and an upper deck offer lots of outdoor entertaining possibilities. There's also a downstairs powder room with easy access for just-out-of-the-lake swimmers.
From:
Abbi Williams
Deck With Lake Views
The master bedroom, screened porch and the great room all have direct access to this lake view deck. Its weighty railing matches the heft of the rest of the house.
From:
Abbi Williams
Lower Level Patio With Lake View
A low stone wall wraps around this scenic side patio that also offers a fireplace and a blissfully peaceful setting.
From:
Abbi Williams
Gray Rustic Wet Bar With Patio Access
The home's bar is full service with a full-size refrigerator, dishwasher, sink and even a pass-through window out to the patio.
From:
Abbi Williams
Pass-Through Window to Patio
This pass-through window opens from the bar out to the patio. A full-size sink on the other side of the window can be filled with ice and drinks, easy to grab during outdoor parties.
From:
Abbi Williams
Bar and Game Room With Lake Views
For a house on a lake, easy outdoor access is key! To open up the bar and game room to adjacent patios, there are two options: a folding glass door that instantly connects the back wall of the house to the outside. There's also a standard, 8-foot door in the bar.
From:
Abbi Williams
Flagstone Patio With Rocking Chairs
A lower level patio gets prime lakefront viewing. The stone is blue flagstone; the wood-toned ipe decking acts as a ceiling.
From:
Abbi Williams
