When a lake house is as stunning as this one, weekends at the lake are more than just a summer affair. Every season, this glorious retreat on Lake Gaston immerses its occupants in the comfort and charm of lake life. Sparkling waters are visible from windows in almost every room, expertly incorporating the beauty of the outdoors and making it impossible not to relax.
“The main inspiration for the house was to take advantage of the views and make it a family retreat where they could get together, relax, and get away from the stress of the day-to-day,” designer Rebecca Driggs says. Driggs teamed with builder Sid Cutts of Corbitt Hills Construction, residential designer Carter Skinner, and of course, the homeowners, to plan what was originally slated to be a remodel but ultimately became a rebuild.
The previous home didn’t optimize the lot’s spectacular lake views and had low ceilings throughout. Rebuilding provided the opportunity to put the master bedroom on the main floor, add a bunkroom, and create an open-concept layout with soaring ten-foot ceilings.
"The interior walls are painted in all neutral colors – mostly white – to let both the home’s wood elements and the lake views be the stars of the show,” Driggs says. As guests enter the home, the mahogany door exudes rustic ambience, opening to a warm and inviting foyer with tailored shiplap walls and lighthearted artwork. Rich white oak planks comprise the hardwood floors that run throughout the main level, underscoring the home’s rustic charm. The openness on the first level creates excellent sightlines throughout and promotes a modern sense of serenity. In the family room, lofty ceilings add a layer of sophistication to an otherwise casual living space.
Hundred-year-old heart pine beams, handscraped and chinked with nickel-gap ceiling boards, soar overhead. The room’s fireplace showcases a quarter-sawn white oak mantle, and the painted white millwork flanking the top and bottom of the fireplace includes a recessed niche to conceal the back of the televisions and any plugs. Striking black accents enliven the neutral color scheme and offset the wash of white color on the walls.
In the kitchen, a navy island serves as the jumping-off point for the bold blue hues featured throughout the rest of the house. The island offers four comfy swivel bar stools, which, along with the light fixtures, have rustic wood accents that match the antique cutting boards. The ceiling-height white cabinetry is juxtaposed against the wood elements that define the hood, shelving, pocket door, and dining table. Soft bluegray tile backsplash add a touch of delicate color. Cutts custom-designed the decorative hood, a feature rivaled by the custom mahogany pocket door separating the kitchen from the mudroomlaundry room, known affectionately as “the larder.”
The master suite is an indulgent retreat featuring a custom upholstered bed and a built-in window seat with custom cushions and sconces for reading. In the light and airy master bath, Driggs created a feeling of understated elegance, appointing the room with his-and-her vanities, Lucite drawer pulls, a chandelier, and heated floors of herringbone tile. But it’s the freestanding soaking tub that occupies the pride of place in the bathroom.
The hallway leading into the master bedroom is made of a wall of windows that uniquely captures sunlight and ensures that the corridor is never in the dark. The custom bookcases at the end of the hall showcase the homeowners’ extensive book collection and nautical-themed accessories. The nautical feel continues within the stairway with beautiful balustrades forming a cable railing system and decorative oars from Bramble Company lining the walls.
The home has plenty of bedrooms and sleeping space, all impeccably decorated, but the bunkroom on the lower level, known as the terrace, is worth a specific mention. White beadboard wainscot offsets the bright blue of the bedding. Each of the six beds has its own reading light and niche for storing books or electronic devices.
Many of the touches that are found throughout the home are replicated on the covered porch, which runs along the lake side of the house and features a fireplace, seating area, dining area, and grill station. The stained wood ceiling is a signature look of Corbitt Hills and rivals the ceiling in the family room. The cable railing mirrors the indoor staircase and ensures that the view of the lake is never obscured. The stylish, silvery-gray furniture from Summer Classics nicely blends with the indoor decor. Finally, as an artist, the homeowner wanted her new lake home to include a studio.
The art studio, located on the terrace level, features a workstation created from the island in the previous kitchen. This airy room is made complete by colorful, industrial-style pendant lighting, a reclaimed sink, barnwood shelving for housing supplies, and plenty of the artist’s completed work. And with stunning lake views visible out the windows, there is never a shortage of creative inspiration.