A man-made reservoir surrounded by lush greenery and a wooded expanse, South Carolina’s Lake Keowee is ideal for fishing, swimming, boating, and finding a tranquil respite from the everyday hustle. And for those lucky enough to snag a piece of property bordering the water, there’s even more opportunity for all of the above. One such property in Seneca, SC, introduces a vibrant take on lake life and easy living. Get a peek inside!
This tranquility of this Lake Keowee-facing infinity pool is hard to beat — but the home’s fun interior gives the view a run for its money.
This nearly 5,000-square-foot lakeside home is far from quaint at four bedrooms and three-and-a-half baths — but that doesn’t diminish its peaceful charm. Thanks to interior designer Perry Walter of Walter Studio Interior Design in Atlanta, GA, the home is a bright and cheery breath of fresh air.
“My client loves color, modern, and mixing vintage with a midcentury look to it,” says Perry of what prompted the home’s aesthetic. “She’s a child of the ’60s or ’70s, so she loves a lot of color and vibrant patterns. That’s how we started. We gave a more modern aesthetic to the entire home and used a lot of color in each room, whether with artwork, pillows, rugs, or fabrics. A lot of people in the surrounding areas have more neutral, subtle interiors, but we punched it up with color.”
An open floor plan brings in tons of natural light and offers an ideal locale for entertaining. “They entertain quite a bit, especially during the warmer months,” explains Perry, “so everything that we used in this room was performance fabric — either treated with a stain-resistant finish or with performance fabric already built in.”
The main living space is a beautifully crafted great room encompassing the living room, kitchen, breakfast area, and even a second-floor office loft. Built by Johnston Design Group out of Greenville, it features standout vaulted ceilings that captivate. “The ceilings are close to 30 feet!” says Perry. “They are a tongue and groove, Douglas fir. And then there are European, oak-stained, plank-wood floors. Above that, you have a loft space they use for an office area, which leads to the primary bedroom.”
“There are retractable doors that open up to the pool, so all of the light from the lake and sunlight come in that way,” Perry tells us. “The house is painted all white to make everything else and the furnishings stand out.”
Vibrant art and statement seating bring vivid color to offset the white walls and mostly neutral furnishings. “The piece of artwork we did for the great room above the fireplace is from Nashville artist Blaire Wheeler,” Perry says. “My client loves hummingbirds, and she found this artist on Instagram, and we contacted her and took it from there. My client also loves hibiscus, so we incorporated a little bit of that as well. It was kind of a unique approach to this space.”
Splashes of color appear in everything from art to throw pillows to a collection of decanters. Stained ebony wood planks above the fireplace slide back to reveal a hidden television.
Additionally, Perry brought in bright and bold jewel tones through a collection of Blenko glass decanters displayed on a credenza that holds dining accessories and linens. A circular marble table from Design Within Reach that hints at midcentury style, surrounded by round-back upholstered chairs from A. Rudin, offers muted edges for contrast. “Everything in the house is very angular with straight lines,” says Perry, “so we tried to add a lot of curves with the furniture to soften it up.”
Vaulted ceilings provide depth, while an upstairs office loft provides an aerial view of the great room below.
Ottomans from Kravet, covered in Studio B fabric from Jim Thompson Fabrics, offer a touch of whimsy beneath two works by Athens, GA-based artist Winston Wiant.
Though Perry didn’t alter the pre-existing kitchen space, he added stools from Southern Design Source in Atlanta. They perfectly offset the island and countertops by Concrete Canvas Studio out of Greenville, SC.
The upstairs of the residence offers several bedrooms, including the primary suite. But it’s the office loft adjacent to the master bedroom that beckons. A well-placed bar top overlooks the living room below, providing ample seating for cocktails with a view. A thoughtful, cozy vignette offers an ideal spot for reading, while carefully concealed desk accessories make for clean lines and an organized workspace. Artwork by Nashville artist Gina Julian lends even more color throughout.
A beautiful green office chair from Design Within Reach adds an intense pop of color to the home office. “The client likes everything concealed, so [equipment] is hidden behind there,” Perry says of the built-in storage. “There’s also a fun little piece of Gina Julian artwork of sprinkled doughnuts on the desk.”
“The chaise lounge is from Lee Industries out of North Carolina,” says Perry. “We made a little lounge space there to read a book or search the web.” Another piece of Gina Julian’s pop art hangs overhead.
The picture of tranquility, the main bedroom also has a balcony overlooking the lake.
A combination of natural materials makes for an earthy, beautiful master bathroom. Polished concrete countertops from Concrete Canvas Studio bring out the glass mosaic backsplash.
Pretty in deep pink, a fuchsia Furug rug and edgy geometric pillows bring out the bold hues of another Gina Julian painting in this second-floor guest bedroom.
“We mixed in some vintage nightstand tables that are painted gray — they’re from my client’s mother’s family,” says Perry. Adding another dose of pink, Perry incorporated vintage chairs covered in houndstooth fabric by Romo.
“The guest rooms used to be kids’ rooms, but now they are in their 30s, so my client changed them out,” Perry says. “This one is on the second floor and overlooks the lake, so you kind of feel like you’re in a treehouse.”
Located on the main floor, this guest room boasts a blue tufted bed with mustard accents. Pillows from Lulu DK add even more yellow embellishments, while a rug from Furug adds a textured, neutral element.
Just as captivating as the home’s interior, its exterior offers a beautiful landscape no matter the season. In the front yard, shrubbery and flowers add patches of color in spring and summer. In the back of the house, the infinity pool overlooks a wooded area adorned with greenery that leads to the lake. Something tells us this is one modern lakehouse we’ll dream about this summer!
“[The lounge chairs] are from Frontgate, and the little white side tables are Serena and Lily,” Perry tells us.
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