A Lake Norman Masterpiece Highlights Timeless Architecture, Elegant Interiors, and Breathtaking Views

Architect John Haley and builder Kingswood Custom Homes brought in fieldstone from New York and New England to create the Northeast farmhouse-inspired Lake Norman home.

Landscape architect John Howard of Howard Design Studio used a mix of flora and fauna that celebrated the home’s lakefront location.

Bevolo lanterns line the ceiling of the front porch that overlooks the motor court.

The entry hall pulls in the exterior stone that was sourced from the Northeast, continuing the material story of a centuries-old farmhouse.

An antique rug from Keivan Woven Arts lines the hall’s flagstone floors, while a bench from B.D. Jeffries provides a window perch. The Jamb pendant is from Ainsworth-Noah.

In the family room, three oversize Ferrell Mittman sofas linger near custom ottomans that can be tucked under the antique coffee table. The room is illuminated by a Paul Ferrante chandelier from Ainsworth-Noah.

A hall, elegantly furnished with an Italian table from William Word Fine Antiques and stools from Bungalow Classic upholstered in a subtle plaid, serves as a connection point between the dining room and kitchen.

The dining room is a lesson in balance: elegant but restrained. Designer Jackye Lanham surrounded the New Classics dining table from Ainsworth-Noah with Dessin Fournir chairs upholstered in a Dedar textile.

Surrounding a custom kitchen table by Skylar Morgan, chairs from Dixon Rye add a dash of the unexpected, while still maintaining the subdued gray-blue palette found throughout the home.

While designed as a place for cooking messes, the scullery holds its own in charm thanks to cabinetry painted Pratt & Lambert’s Genteel Gray, a Waterworks farmhouse sink, and a Visual Comfort & Co. ceiling fixture.

Swivel chairs upholstered in Mark Alexander surround an Iatesta Studio coffee table from Ainsworth-Noah in the “lake room.”

Kingswood Custom Homes and Cabinet Creations inset a river-cypress bar—the same materials as the adjacent walls. Willard & Vu LLC created custom curtains in a Cameron Textiles fabric to enclose the space when it’s not being used.

A vintage fixture from Reborn Antiques illuminates the moody hall leading to the primary suite. Interior wood for the walls and floors throughout the home were supplied by Wyatt Childs Inc.

For a sitting area in the primary bedroom, a chair in Ellisha Alexina Textiles fabric and a Keivan Woven Arts rug provide a scenic setting for admiring the lake.

A sheer portiere hanging around the O’Neil Ruppel bathtub sets a serene tone in the primary bathroom.

Designed by Haley, the builder worked with South Carolina-based Cabinet Creations on the primary bathroom’s custom vanities, which were topped with stone from AGM Imports Granite & Marble and fabricated by Harkey Tile & Stone. The patterned tile from Renaissance Tile & Bath adds a splash of the unexpected.

Designed to resemble a classic boathouse, the cabana offers easy lounging. The interior wood walls are custom finished with a soft blue hue.

Patio loungers overlook the pool and Lake Norman beyond.

In the outdoor dining area, Terrain dining chairs surround the antique table, while vintage fixtures hang from above.

With every home, there should be one driving design intention. For this one on Lake Norman in North Carolina, it was capturing the jaw-dropping vistas. “Above anything else, it was about the views,” notes Jackye Lanham of Jacquelynne P. Lanham Designs. The approach to the sight lines differed from the modern glass box one might expect. “We wanted the charm of a Pennsylvania farmhouse where outbuildings had been connected over the years, but it needed to cater to a contemporary lifestyle,” explains architect John Haley of John D Haley AIA.

To strike this rustic-yet-refined balance, the team turned to natural materials—reclaimed river cypress, Southern pine, French oak, fieldstone, and flagstone—first seen in the fieldstone exterior and flagstone-floor porch, which carries into the entry. “The team created cozy, inviting spaces,” says project manager Scott McMillan of Kingswood Custom Homes. “Everything was used in perfect harmony.”

Steps away, the family room is lined in cypress and pine, which leans away from the stone used in the adjacent entry. Referred to as the “party barn” by Lanham, the room lives up to its moniker. “We used three overscale sofas and lots of stools,” she says. “Everybody can pile in.”

The designer set the easy-but-elevated vibe with a palette of grays, muted blues, and light neutrals. In the kitchen that meant misty gray cabinetry and striped chairs in shades of charcoal and slate, while antique beams infuse a historic touch.

An open hall between the kitchen and dining room provides easy conversation flow between the rooms. All talk will likely be about the views, because the dining room windows offer them up in spades. The designer once again used a restrained hand, choosing neutral textures and a simple chandelier to let the water take center stage. “We didn’t want anything fussy,” she notes.

In the aptly named “lake room,” a pewter-toned portiere can be pulled aside to reveal a built-in bar of the same wood. The cypress walls “feel like they’ve been pulled up from the water,” muses Lanham.

The exterior, which showcases landscape architecture by John Howard of Howard Design Studio, is just as entertaining-centric. Beside the pool, the lower-level cabana (complete with a bar and fireplace) serves as an indoor-outdoor lounge area.

If hosting isn’t on their minds, the owners’ primary oasis offers an escape with a treehouse-like bedroom and inspiring bathroom, which features a subdued take on a Moroccan shower room with its gray-and-white geometric tiles painstakingly installed by McMillan and his team. “This house is so thoughtfully crafted,” reflects McMillan. “It’s truly reminiscent of an old house that’s expanded over the years.”

INTERIOR DESIGNER Jackye Lanham, Jacquelynne P. Lanham Designs, (404) 364-0472; jackyelanham.com ARCHITECT John D. Haley, John D. Haley, AIA, (843) 801-5656; johndhaley.com BUILDER Scott McMillan, Kingswood Custom Homes, Inc., (704) 889-1600; kingswoodhomes.com LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT John Howard, Howard Design Studio, (404) 876-7051; howarddesignstudio.com