Houzz Tour: Simple and Soothing in South Carolina
Designer Yvonne McFadden pares down an elegant country vacation home for a family of 5
When a home is located in a beautiful and pristine setting, sometimes the beauty outdoors is underwhelmed by a bold and intrusive interior design. But for this home in Sunset, South Carolina, the goal was to create a palette of texture and color that would embrace the outdoors. This house is a second home for a family of 5, and has a gorgeous lakefront location. Designer Yvonne McFadden streamlined the interior finishes and products to create a calm and peaceful vacation home for this busy family. "Everything in the interior was chosen so that it wouldn't compete with the views, but enhance them," McFadden says.
An open floor plan gives this home a more contemporary feel and makes family socializing and occasional entertaining easy and natural. The kitchen is in the same great room as the dining room and the living room, making it the perfect place for a party.
Island countertop: Reclaimed White Oak
Cabinetry: Custom
Chandelier: Bobo Intriguing Objects
Island countertop: Reclaimed White Oak
Cabinetry: Custom
Chandelier: Bobo Intriguing Objects
Open shelving in the kitchen helps maintain the simple, airy feel. McFadden used used flat-finish paint and a matte finish on cabinetry to create a softer contrast with the rough-sawn wood and other natural textures.
Countertop: Black Absolute granite
Countertop: Black Absolute granite
To keep the architecture looking as clean and simple as the interior design, McFadden stuck with 1-inch trim throughout the home. A dull-rub polyurethane was used on the floors, giving the wood the durability of a polyurethane finish with the appearance of a waxed floor. "The craftsmen were so used to doing heavy trim and making all of the surfaces shiny, so we had to work with them to get them to simplify the look," McFadden says.
Arm chairs/coffee table: custom
Wood trim around windows/doors: Maple
Arm chairs/coffee table: custom
Wood trim around windows/doors: Maple
McFadden used a mix of natural linens, cottons, and wools to keep the house in line with the beautiful outdoor setting.
Couches: Barclay Butera
Table lamps: The Nicholson Gallery
Couches: Barclay Butera
Table lamps: The Nicholson Gallery
This home is part of a community in Sunset that overlooks Lake Keowee, visible out the windows in the main great room. McFadden refrained from detailed window treatments so the home would embrace the lake views as much as possible.
Table: Custom
Chairs: Restoration Hardware
Chandelier: Custom
Table: Custom
Chairs: Restoration Hardware
Chandelier: Custom
This home was meant to be a vacation home not just for the family, but for friends to come and enjoy too! The clients wanted to make sure that there would be plenty of places for guests to sleep, so McFadden squeezed two rustic twin bed frames into a spare bedroom.
Bed frames: La Lune
Night stand: Antique Chest, Love Train
Reading lights: Custom
Bedding linens: C&C Milano
Bed frames: La Lune
Night stand: Antique Chest, Love Train
Reading lights: Custom
Bedding linens: C&C Milano
Color pops out here and there, but overall the palette was purposely muted to draw attention to the exterior surroundings. "My work is very subtle. I'm not a bright, flamboyant designer in any way," says McFadden. "I like the lines and textures to speak louder than the palette. There's a softness to my work, and I think this home is a great reflection of that."
Headboard: Best Slipcover Company
Pillows/Bedding: Raoul Textiles and Sferra
Reading light: Circa
Headboard: Best Slipcover Company
Pillows/Bedding: Raoul Textiles and Sferra
Reading light: Circa
In another guest bedroom, a utilitarian-styled wood and steel desk adds a simple, rustic element to the space. The artwork framed above the desk is a mix of antique French stencils and antique Arabian rug patterns.
Desk and chair: Roost
Wall color: Pratt & Lambert Lambswool
Desk and chair: Roost
Wall color: Pratt & Lambert Lambswool
The soothing color palette and simple interior product lines continue in the home's master bedroom. The large upholstered headboard was custom made of linen and lined with bronze nailheads. Linen and cotton bedding completes the look.
Bedding/Pillows: C&C Milano and Libeco
Nightstands: Baker
Table Lamps: Urban Electric & Co.
Bedding/Pillows: C&C Milano and Libeco
Nightstands: Baker
Table Lamps: Urban Electric & Co.
A small sitting area with an armchair and chaise was tucked into the corner of the master bedroom — a perfect place to sit and read or enjoy a cup of tea at the end of the day.
Carpet: Custom, Eve Inc.
Chaise: Barclay Butera
Pillows: C&C Milano
Lamp: The Nicholson Gallery
Carpet: Custom, Eve Inc.
Chaise: Barclay Butera
Pillows: C&C Milano
Lamp: The Nicholson Gallery
The elegant bathtub in the master bathroom is the ultimate symbol of this home's peaceful, comfortable aesthetic. White limestone tile lines the floor, and a custom dark mahogany vanity adds a subtle richness to the room.
Tub: Sunrise Specialty, Piedmont with skirt
Pendant: Hinkley, Hampton Pendant
Sconces: Circa
Fixtures: Newport Brass, Chesterfield
More Houzz Tours:
A Sweet Southern Makeover
Casually French in Birmingham
A Georgia Peach Grows California Roots
Tub: Sunrise Specialty, Piedmont with skirt
Pendant: Hinkley, Hampton Pendant
Sconces: Circa
Fixtures: Newport Brass, Chesterfield
More Houzz Tours:
A Sweet Southern Makeover
Casually French in Birmingham
A Georgia Peach Grows California Roots
Sink fixtures: Moen, Waterhill
Barstools: Go Home Ltd.