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

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Photo By: Abbi Williams

Photo By: Kevin Meechan

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

HGTV Faces of Design 2018

Waterside Retreats: Sophisticated Lake House in S.C.

Related To:

Shop This Look

Lake House and Garage Exterior With Car

Rustic Stone Exterior and Breezeway

Breezeway

Rustic Lake House Exterior

Neutral Chef Kitchen With Arched Window

Rustic Dining Area With Arched Ceiling

Dining Area Under Arch

Rustic Dining Area and Great Room

Great Room With Wood Paneled Ceiling

Rustic Great Room With Arched Window

Rustic Living Room With Stone Fireplace

Great Room Stone Fireplace

Rustic Great Room With Deck Access

Deck and Great Room

Rustic Wine Cellar With Reclaimed Wood

Mediterranean Staircase With Vaulted Ceiling

Metal Detailing on Staircase

Screened Porch With Fireplace

Rustic Screen Porch With Swing

Rear Exterior With Deck and Patio

Deck With Lake Views

Lower Level Patio With Lake View

Gray Rustic Wet Bar With Patio Access

Pass-Through Window to Patio

Bar and Game Room With Lake Views

Flagstone Patio With Rocking Chairs

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