Test of Time

The foyer’s footprint was kept small to create a cozy entrance. It gives guests a first glimpse of the nickel joint walls that run throughout the house for a clean, classic cottage aesthetic.

Architect Timothy S. Adams of T.S. Adams Studio and Westbrook Interiors infused charm into every crevice of this lakeside retreat.

Adams introduced more natural light into the family room by placing dormers on either side of the vaulted ceiling. To add warmth, the ceiling is accented by timber trusses, which were sourced by the homeowner, who retired recently from the building industry.

The staircase features a modern take on pickets.

A screened porch is a cozy landing spot year-round, and offers lake views.

“I always think that second homes should be a bit whimsical,” says Adams of this recently built lake house.

Open to the kitchen, the dining area features a double lantern light fixture by Paul Ferrante through Ainsworth-Noah. Grain sifters from Nicholson Gallery have been repurposed as artful accents. The chairs are from Jerry Pair and the table is custom.

The rear porch of this lakeside home offers scenic views.

The rear porch of this lakeside home offers scenic views.

The island is accented with reclaimed oak to link back to the family room’s wood beams for a sense of continuity.

The butler’s pantry doubles as a bar when entertaining guests.

A handmade Moroccan tile backsplash creates a stunning focal point in the kitchen.

Westbrook aimed for a lighter and brighter feel in the master bedroom while also abiding by her design philosophy that “bedrooms should always feel a bit more elegant than the rest of the home.” She achieved this with delicate accents and antique pieces. The bed is Kerry Joyce through Ainsworth-Noah.

Function meets style in the master bath where Westbrook used trimwork to combine medicine cabinets and an interior window into one cohesive unit. The vanity is by Morgan Creek Cabinet Company. A soaking tub also adds a hint of luxury to laid-back lake life.

Function meets style in the master bath where Westbrook used trimwork to combine medicine cabinets and an interior window into one cohesive unit. The vanity is by Morgan Creek Cabinet Company. A soaking tub also adds a hint of luxury to laid-back lake life.

They say good things come to those who wait, and in the case of this cozy-meets-modern lake home, this sentiment couldn’t be truer. Plans for the homeowners’ Lake Keowee home were being drafted pre-recession and once the economic slowdown hit they decided to press the pause button and be patient. “The homeowners really wanted to do this project right and were willing to wait a few years for things to pick back up,” recalls the home’s architect, Timothy S. Adams.

 That doesn’t mean the home was ever far from their minds, though. During that downtime, the husband meticulously built a stick model of the entire lake home based off Adams’ plans. “It was really impressive. He’s incredibly detail-oriented and this labor of love was really a testament to the project,” says Adams. “He brought the model to us and said, ‘I can’t wait to build this house.’”

 The wait was undoubtedly worth it. Almost eight years after pen was first put to paper, the couple was ready to welcome friends and family to their lakeside dwelling. Upon entering, guests are greeted by a cozy foyer with stone flooring that serves to blur the lines between indoors and out. Then down the steps, the home’s unique architecture begins to reveal itself. A charming interior window gives a peek inside the vaulted family room, while the nearby kitchen and dining room are more intimate in scale. “It’s not a big house, but the layout gives it character and that quality of an old home where you come in and experience it as you move through it,” says Adams.  “Essentially, we wanted it to look like a cottage that has stood the test of time, but has been updated with a fresh perspective.”

 To capture this feeling, the homeowners called upon interior designer Barbara Westbrook. Along with project designer Kim Winkler, Westbrook employed a palette of neutral tones to complement the home’s natural surroundings and balanced a mix of antiques and more modern pieces, a design formula none more apparent than in the family room where clean-lined wing chairs sit across from a pair of well-loved leather chairs. “It was really indicative of the play on textures needed,” says Westbrook. “This is a modern house with some patina to it.”

 She also lent her creative touch to the kitchen, where a handmade Moroccan tile backsplash gives the neutral space a dose of glimmer, and in the master bedroom, where she plays up the beauty of the natural light with an elegant yet organic design scheme that feels positively dreamlike. Perhaps Westbrook’s most charming pick of all are the Paul Ferrante lanterns gracing the family room fireplace. A work of art in its own right, the towering stone fireplace was inspired by an image Adams had seen in an old Arts and Crafts book years before. While that image featured a fireplace with a copper hood, Adams imagined this one with two timbers projecting out that could be used to hang lanterns.

 “I always think second homes should be somewhat whimsical,” says Adams. “They’re an opportunity to depart from your day-to-day life. So have fun, let go and make that home an experience.”

INTERIOR DESIGN Barbara Westbrook and Kim Winkler, Westbrook Interiors (404) 355-9430; westbrookinteriors.com ARCHITECT Timothy S. Adams, AIA, T.S. Adams Studio, Architects (404) 262-3499;  tsadamsstudio.com BUILDER Ken Berry, The Berry Group. (864)- 868-2811; berrygroupllc.com