Category: Home & Garden

This Clarks Hill Lake home is filled with family, faith and fabulous finds.

Every house tells a tale, but it doesn’t have to stand for decades before it has stories to share.

The Clarks Hill Lake home that Becky and Larry Meister built almost a year ago holds a lifetime of memories, even though Becky passed away only two months after they moved in. However, she left a lasting imprint all on the house.

“Becky always knew what she wanted. She knew what something would look like. She could see it in her head,” Larry says.

On the Hunt

Larry, a builder by trade, and Becky, who often helped him on home projects, never intended to construct the house at the lake.

They were looking for an Airbnb when they found the lakefront lot. Rather than turning the house on the property into an Airbnb, however, they tore it down and built their new home.

Of course, building a home was nothing new for the Meisters. They lived in 21 different homes during their 42-year marriage, and they built more than half of them.

“The last house was supposed to be the last house,” says Larry.

Instead, they sold it completely furnished and lived in a camper on their half-acre lake property while the new house was under construction.

“She was involved on many houses I built for other people,” says Larry. “If I was on a job, people wanted to know where Becky was.”

When they weren’t on a job, chances were good that the Meisters might be on the road somewhere. That’s what happens when building a house becomes an adventure. They often traveled around the Southeast to hunt for antiques and other treasures for their homes.

“I would come home on a Thursday or Friday afternoon, and Becky would have everything packed,” says Larry. “We never took her car on our trips. We always took my truck because she would find something she wanted to bring back.”

Hilton Head was one of her favorite places to visit, and the Meister home is filled with family photos that were taken there. They also stored some pieces until they found the right spot for them.

Becky worked closely with interior designer Michael Siewert of Signature Interiors to decorate the lake house, and on occasion, she would create her own designs as well.

For instance, Becky designed the custom-made white ash island that is the focal point of the kitchen. Measuring 6 feet by 9 feet, the island offers ample workspace on the surface and a large shelf for storage below. “It’s a furniture piece,” Larry says.

The metal stove hood, which they kept in storage for years, is a statement maker as well.

“We had the stove hood for a long time. I wanted to use it, but Becky said, ‘no,’” Larry says. “Then we painted it black, and that made all the difference.”

The kitchen also includes two white lanterns above the island, granite countertops, a pot filler and lots of cabinet and drawer space. Large windows above the restaurant-style sink overlook the front yard.

A black wall sconce lamp with a white shade is positioned on either side of the windows, and the backsplash features wavy subway tile with a distressed look.

Antique reclaimed wood doors with frosted glass on barn rollers lead to the butler’s pantry, which includes blue cabinets, a coffee station and a beaded chandelier.

Like the rest of the house, the kitchen and butler’s pantry have engineered oak flooring and polished nickel hardware on the cabinets and drawers. Other features that can be found throughout the house include 1-inch-by-10-inch baseboards, five-piece crown moldings, black window frames and black, two-paneled wood doors.

“We’ve had black doors for years,” Larry says. “We always loved the look.”

Lake Views

The keeping room, which adjoins the kitchen and has large picture windows that overlook the lake, shares a reclaimed brick fireplace with the living room. While the rustic mantel in the keeping room is made of heart pine, the living room mantel is black.

An arched entryway of reclaimed brick connects the kitchen and keeping room to the dining area and living room.

Featuring whitewashed shiplap walls, the dining area also includes a marsh grass chandelier and a round glass-topped table with a teak root base.

The whitewashed shiplap walls extend into the living room, which also includes a distressed chest, studded leather couches, area rug and an art mode TV. Pillar candlesticks and word art with Bible verses rest atop the mantel. Full-length windows and double glass doors, which open to a screened-in porch, let in the outdoors.

“There’s a great view of the lake from the living room,” says Larry.

The lake view also reaches into the master bedroom, which includes an upholstered headboard to the bed and a beaded chandelier.

Larry says his wife, who he met in grade school and started dating in high school, finished 80 percent of the house before her six-year battle with leukemia claimed her life. “Becky would have put a chair and a rug in the bedroom,” he adds.

The adjoining master bath features a soaking tub in the zero-entry, curb-free tile shower with recessed lighting; two vanities with mirrors that stretch to the ceiling and granite countertops.

The small spaces in the house, such as two powder rooms, showcase Becky’s talents as well.

While one features bright blue hydrangea wallpaper, a blue ceiling and blue cabinets, another includes tile flooring in a herringbone pattern and an oval vessel sink on a custom-made pinewood vanity.

“We had four different cabinetmakers do work for the house because we wanted different styles,” Larry says.

Walls in a rich shade of blue highlight the back foyer, which also includes hooks on the wall as well as two round mirrors and blue patterned wallpaper above a shelf.

“Becky wanted a primitive church bench to put along the wall, so I’m going to find one,” says Larry. “She had a great eye for detail.”

The foyer also leads to Larry’s office, which is accessed through a diamond glass-paned door that they found on one of their travels.

The office includes custom-built furniture as well as cabinetry and walls that are made of pecky cypress.

“My last office was all heart pine, so I wanted to do something different,” Larry says.

A corner of the office honors the military service of the Meisters’ son, Brad. Artfully arranged, unframed snapshots are laid flat on the edge of the custom-made desk, and a Bible in the center of the desk is open to the Book of Psalms.

Fun & Games

Brad and his two older sisters, Mindy and Ashley, and their spouses, along with the Meisters’ nine grandchildren, who range in age from 3 to 19, are frequent visitors to the lake house.

From the pontoon boat that’s docked on the water to the upstairs game room, there is plenty for them to do.

The game room features rough-cut pine walls, a pool table, ping pong table and foosball table.

A day bed, a billiard light with a Tiffany lamp-look and a vintage yellow scooter add to the décor.

If the Meister family just wants to sit and enjoy the outdoors, then the house offers plenty of spots to relax as well.

Two black wicker rocking chairs on the front porch, which includes brick flooring in a herringbone pattern and a tongue-and-groove ceiling, are nestled between giant ferns.

On the back of the house, the screened-in and open porches also have tongue-and-groove ceilings as well as saw-cut, salted concrete flooring. With ceiling fans and outdoor heaters, these spaces can be used year-round.

The screened-in porch includes two black rockers and a porch swing. A couch and chairs with cupholders are arranged around a wood-burning fireplace on the open porch. A railroad depot baggage cart, which they found on a trip to Brunswick Georgia, acts as the coffee table.

“We had gotten a lot of stuff, and it was the last thing Becky found,” says Larry. “I had to take everything off the truck to make room for it.”

Wood chimes, which friends gave to Larry after Becky died to remind him of her, add to the peaceful ambiance, and he calls the open porch his favorite spot in the house.

“It’s outside,” he says. “It’s a comfortable place to be.”

However, the entire house is a testament to lives well lived.

“I don’t think I’m ever going to leave here,” Larry says.

By Betsy Gilliland

With TLC and imagination, a local artist turns her campers into personal resorts to go.

There’s nothing Scooter Duke loves more than having a paintbrush in her hand. Unless it’s camping – correction, glamping – or, better yet, a combination of the two.

“I glamp,” Scooter says. “I don’t camp. I have Netflix, TV and air conditioning inside.”

Some of her favorite spots include Plumb Branch Yacht Club, Ridge Road and Wildwood Park at Clarks Hill as well as campgrounds in Helen, Savannah, Jekyll Island and Hilton Head. Regardless of where she parks her vacation home, however, it’s easy to find her campsite.

She usually sets up camp in her vintage 1981 Holiday Rambler with the pink flamingos that she painted on the exterior. Actually, Scooter has four campers – each one with its own theme – but the pink flamingo one is her favorite.

“My campers are fun and artsy,” she says. “I enjoy them. They’re glorified tents.”

Home Away From Home

Scooter started camping 25 years ago, and she has had a number of campers through the years. She loves vintage campers, but she always makes them stand out with her artistic talents.

Currently, her other campers include a 1963 Serro Scotty Sportsman, featuring the aqua flower she painted on the side and a matching awning; a 1977 Yellowstone, a rustic farmhouse camper with a western theme, and a 2003 slide out with extending sides to create extra living space.

She paints the exteriors of her campers with oil-based 1-shot lettering enamel, which also contains UV protection from the sun, so they can withstand the elements.

Scooter says it takes her two weekends, or about four long days, to paint a camper. She also sands and primes the campers before she paints them.

“Some people have she sheds, but I have my campers,” says Scooter. “They’re my home away from home – around water.”

Every January she sits down with a calendar to make her camping schedule, and she plans the rest of her year around it. She tries to go camping at least once a month, or every three weeks if she can.

“I just like the peace and quiet and being outdoors. My brain just relaxes, and I’m not worried about anything. I’m in a whole different world,” says Scooter. “Camping clears my mind and gives me peace. It’s my escape from reality.”

When she camps, she likes to grill out, cook over campfires and take her 8- and 15-year-old nephews fishing. “I really want to make memories with them,” says Scooter.

Her husband of 23 years isn’t a fan of camping, so she loads up her two chihuahuas and invites friends to join them.

“My friends say, ‘Call me when you get everything set up and I’ll come,’” says Scooter.

The setup is a sight to behold. After all, Scooter doesn’t just pull into a camping spot and call it good. She dresses up her campsites with all the creature comforts of home.

She puts up a colorful awning and creates outdoor sitting areas with chairs, ottomans, tables, a rug, string lights or tiki torches and maybe a straw hat-wearing blowup pink flamingo or two. She has been known to station a hot pink garden flag that says, “Let’s Flamingle” outside her flamingo camper.

“I touch it up every year. I add a little bit more flair,” Scooter says. “It’s really frou-frou. I have pink flamingos and a chandelier inside. I love flamingos because they remind me of summertime and water.”

As for the awnings, they are more for looks than function.

“They don’t stop the rain,” Scooter says. “They just add a little character.”

Show Ready

She pays just as much attention to the interior décor of her campers, painting the walls and decorating them in themes that match the exteriors. For instance, the flamingo camper has a pearl faux finish on the walls, and it is filled with aqua and coral throw pillows, stuffed flamingos, flamingo lamps, flamingo bedspreads, handmade curtains, a banner that says “Summer” and aqua appliances.

The Scotty features an aqua, silver and chrome color scheme with a metallic look on the walls.

“The outside of the campers attract attention, but I personally like the interiors because of the coziness,” says Scooter. “It’s also easier to paint the inside because the exterior requires more prep work.”

She says teal, aqua and coral are her favorite colors because they look vintage.

“When I go shopping, my eyeballs go straight for aquas and corals. I look for something that pops,” says Scooter. “I put everything together. It’s just fun to sit around and look at it.”

She’s not the only one who enjoys her handiwork, however, so she insists on keeping her campers show ready.

“People want to see the inside of the camper and take pictures of it. I tell my friends they can’t leave their suitcases out,” says Scooter.

She also paints campers for other people. When one of her friends was dating a beekeeper, she asked Scooter to paint a honeybee-themed camper for him. She painted honeybees and bright yellow flowers on the exterior of the Citation. The interior featured bright yellow curtains and throw pillows with bees or black and white honeycomb patterns on them.

Calming and Therapeutic

Scooter, who started painting murals on her bedroom walls when she was 13 or 14 years old, not only embellishes campers with her artistic talents.

She’ll paint on just about any surface including trees cut into slabs, concrete, wooden floors, furniture, canvases and tennis shoes. She paints designs on business windows or murals on the sides of buildings. She still paints murals, particularly baby murals, in people’s homes as well.

She also helped her stepdaughter, Laura Duke, paint an octopus mural on the wall at Trattoria Polipo, an Italian restaurant on Walton Way Extension.

Most people find out about her artwork through word-of-mouth, and other than the art classes she took in high school, she never had any formal training.

Oftentimes, when she works, she just picks up a brush and starts painting.

“I usually have an idea in my head, or I’ll do a sketch on the computer so I’ll have a draft,” says Scooter. “If somebody tells me what they want, I can see it in my head and put it on paper for them.”

When she was 16 years old, Scooter started doing hand lettering as a sign painter after the father of one of her friends hired her to work at his sign company. She received on-the-job training and stayed at the shop for 10 years.

She also worked in the sign shop to create signs for projects at Plant Vogtle for 13 years and has been doing the same type of work at SRS since July.

Scooter, who rarely slows down and got her nickname from her father when he called her his “little motor scooter,” says painting is calming and therapeutic for her.

“It’s like fishing,” she says. “You just get away from reality and you’re in your own thoughts.”

By Betsy Gilliland

Until their permanent home is completed, this Appling family is enjoying living in their party barn.

Whether they’re hosting neighborhood bonfires or taking in animals in need, Cori and Chris Pittman and their sons love to share their hospitality with human and four-legged companions.

There is ample space for them to accommodate guests and furry (or feathery) family members on their 11-acre Appling property, where they plan to start building their permanent home this year. For the past 16 months, however, they have been living in the party barn that they initially constructed on their land.

“It’s built for company and to entertain,” says Cori. “It’s not ideal for forever, but for now, it’s perfect.”

The barn has a coastal farmhouse look, and some of its exterior features will match outside accents on the house.

For instance, the house will include shaker shingles like those on the upper level of the barn and an A-framed roof pitch and gable that will match the barn. The house also will feature the cedar accents and galvanized lighting that give the barn its coastal feel.

Outdoor Living

Along with their three rescue horses, bull, heifer, male and female donkey, six chickens, fainting goat and Texas Blue Lacy dog, the Pittmans love to spend time outside. So, naturally, the party barn has lots of outdoor gathering spots including two covered porches.

The porch off the master suite features double doors to the bedroom, two rocking chairs, a “grandma coastal vibe” lamp with a wicker shade atop a distressed table, an outdoor tweed rug, a tongue-and-groove ceiling and two lanterns beside a pair of olive trees.

“We turn the lamp on at night, and we enjoy our time in the morning out here,” Cori says. “We like to come outside and visit with the horses. They line up along the fence while we drink our coffee.”

A TV on the other covered porch stays on for game days, so guests can watch sporting events outside or in the living room. This porch includes wicker furnishings, a wooden bench, two ceiling fans, three galvanized lights, a tongue-and-groove ceiling and a diamond-cut concrete floor.

The Pittmans also like to eat and grill outside, and Adirondack chairs surround a fire pit on the patio.

“We didn’t want a traditional fire pit,” Cori says. “It looks like a gas drum that has been cut in half.”

The main entrance to the barn is a rollup, all-glass garage door that they can open for entertaining, and rustic metal planters by the garage door match the lighting. Cori decorated around the greenery-filled planters, which were her first purchase for the barn.

Sealed cedar corbels support the overhang above the garage door to break up the white exterior, and the overhang also includes a tongue-in-groove ceiling. A single galvanized light fixture hangs above the large picture window that is centered atop the garage door.

“I wanted a really large window in the front that could be a focal point,” says Cori.

Western Gothic Style

An outdoor staircase leads to the upper level office that Cori and Chris share.

“We incorporated both of our styles in the office space so we could both enjoy it,” she says.

In this room, where she has a desk on one side and Chris has a desk on the other, Cori decorated around the antler light fixture.

The décor includes rustic blacks and blues, neutral colors, Aztec prints, animal print pillows, a shimmery antelope print rug, a coffee table between two brown leather couches and two cowhide rugs.

“We took a trip to Texas, and we wanted to bring back cowhide rugs,” Cori says. “We got a lot of ideas.”

Built-in benches run the length of opposite walls beneath clerestory windows that let in light, and the ceiling features a gray-washed cedar wood beam. Moody blue suede drapes on the large picture window add a different texture to the space, and equine head pictures flank either side.

However, Cori also seamlessly mixes in coastal décor to soften the look.

A vase filled with preserved hydrangeas accents a rustic, distressed light blue chest in the entryway.

“I got the chest to put downstairs, but it fit perfectly in the office,” Cori says.

Pop of Personality

Neutral colors are the hallmark of the living room, but greenery brings it personality.

“The fiddleleaf plants and ferns give it a pop of life,” says Cori.

Across from the rollup door, a magnolia leaf wreath is centered in the black metal window frame that rests on a black chest against the shiplap wall.

“I wanted it to look like art. I wanted something tall here,” says Cori. “I knew it would be the focal point because this is what people see when they come in.”

A distressed floor lamp stands next to the chest, where more dried hydrangeas fill a vase. A horse statue is placed in a tray.

“I love the look of preserved flowers, and you’ll find horses hidden all around the house,” says Cori.

The décor also includes a shimmery antelope rug, accent pillows and a full-length antique bronze mirror. A flat-screen TV, which features an art mode when it is not in use, hangs above a distressed serpentine chest.

“I bought the chest when we started building,” Cori says. “I wasn’t sure where I was going to put it, but I knew I would find a spot for it.”

She custom-made the living room drapes with a “drop cloth” look, but a strip of light blue with navy trim gives them a touch of elegance.

The powder coating on the galvanized rails of the rollup door give the space a homey feel.

“I wanted the living room to be a cozy spot where everybody would feel at home,” Cori says. “My husband jokes that we live in a fishbowl, but I love the openness and the natural light. It just feels so homey and comfortable.”

Farmhouse Features

The sealed concrete flooring throughout the barn connects the living room with the adjoining eat-in kitchen.

“We wanted to keep the floor low-maintenance,” says Cori. “It’s perfect for summer because it’s cool. The squares keep it from cracking, but give it a rustic look.”

Other features throughout the barn include shiplap, antique bronze hardware and faucets, wicker, wood, an indoor/outdoor audio system and three-panel doors.

Although the space is open, another gray-washed cedar beam offers a bit of separation between the living room and kitchen.

“We put a gray wash on the beams to take off the red,” says Cori.

The kitchen also includes vertical shiplap on one wall, wicker chairs at the round table, a wicker light fixture above the fluted farmhouse sink, a laundry nook and cabinetry that stretches to the ceiling.

“The cabinets go all the way to the ceiling to draw the eye up,” Cori says.

She also added black and white MacKenzie-Childs accents such as a tea kettle and salt and pepper shakers “to give the kitchen a little pop.”

A Private Oasis

The master bedroom includes distressed furniture, another shimmery antelope rug and colorful accent pillows on the four-poster, bead-framed bed. An arched mirror tops the gray distressed chests that serve as nightstands, and a pendant light with a glass shade hangs above each chest.

The room also has an accent wall featuring wallpaper with a gold and white design.

“I wanted the bedroom to feel different from the rest of the house,” says Cori. “I wanted it to be our own little oasis.”

A set of three framed Masters watercolor prints hangs on either side of the closet door, and Cori pulled the olive green from the accent pillows for the suede custom drapes on the double doors.

She also redid the distressed white dresser, which the couple has had since they’ve been married.

“I like a mixture of furniture,” Cori says. “I especially like the distressed look.”

The bath includes a round mirror and sconces on the shiplap wall as well as a farmhouse sink.

Between the boys’ bedrooms, Cori created an accent wall where a decorative sheep head mount separates two pictures of the couple in frames with vertical black and white stripes.

“I like being able to be creative and have more than one design style,” she says. “It all comes together in the end.”

By Betsy Gilliland

The seaside colors and decor of this Evans home make it the picture of serenity.

Life is busy for Evans residents Chloe and Nate Giancola and their three young children. So, when they built their home in Stonegate in the spring of 2023, they wanted it to be as restful and relaxing as a day at the beach.

Outside of their own home, there are few places this family would rather be than Hilton Head Island, South Carolina or the beach towns off of Scenic Highway 30A in Florida. Accordingly, they turned to these seaside communities for design inspiration.

“The overall theme for our house is definitely coastal, but we didn’t want to lean too hard into one theme,” says Chloe.

Simplicity and Durability

These DIYers also did some of the work themselves. Nate and a former neighbor designed the floor plan for the one-story house with a basement. “We’ve never seen a floor plan that was this wide open,” says Nate.

The couple, who met in high school in Watkinsville, Georgia and got married in 2012, have lived in several different houses, so they had a good idea of the type of floor plan they wanted.

Nate and his father, a retired furniture maker, also constructed the playroom as well as the built-ins in the house.

In addition, many of the walls feature photos that Chloe, a professional photographer, has taken through the years on their various trips around the world.

“It brings me a lot of joy to take photos wherever we are because we don’t know when we’ll go to those places again,” she says.

Other features that can be found throughout the house include five-panel doors, simple craftsman crown molding and LVP flooring.

“We love the color and durability of the LVP flooring. It handles scratches and water well,” Chloe says. “And we wanted to keep the crown molding simple since we have paneled doors.”

Open and Inviting

Their favorite spot in the house is the living room. “It’s a nice, central spot where we can connect with each other,” says Nate.

The space features white walls, white furnishings that provide lots of seating and red oak open shelving. However, the focal point of the room is the electric fireplace on sea blue shiplap in a chevron pattern.

“I love the color,” says Chloe. “We didn’t want too much blue, but we wanted to make a statement with it.”

Nate’s father also built the oak fireplace mantel from a tree that fell on his property while the house was under construction. “I love the grain on the side of the fireplace mantel,” says Chloe.

They added the corbels to the mantel to make it stand out from the shelves, where Chloe displays more photos, driftwood, candlesticks and a ceramic pineapple – a symbol of Southern hospitality.

“I love pineapples,” she says. “I can never have enough pineapple home décor.”

The living room opens into the kitchen, where the island is the same shade of blue as the shiplap.

“I didn’t want it to look too matchy-matchy, but I wanted it to look like a cohesive space,” says Chloe.

The kitchen also features quartz countertops, quartz backsplash and glass-front cabinets beneath the crown molding. The oversized gold hardware in the kitchen matches the gold lanterns above the island.

“We wanted a classic white kitchen,” Chloe says. “I also love the oversized look of the hardware.”

A doorless recessed pantry is located in the hallway around the corner from the kitchen.

“I chose to not put a door on the pantry. With it being in a hallway, I felt like that made sense,” says Chloe. “No one can see it from the kitchen, and it’s also an incentive to keep it organized.”

The nearby drop zone includes board and batten walls and a greenish-blue shade that was inspired by a signature color of Spartina 449, one of her favorite Hilton Head-based stores.

A starburst light fixture hangs in the laundry room.

“I like a fun, unexpected light,” says Chloe. “It brightens up the room and makes it more fun.”

Nature and Wildlife

They also hung a chandelier in a fireworks design in the dining area, which features a coffee bar with quartz countertops. The tabletop, which rests on white metal legs that were custom-made to support the weight of the stone, is made of quartz as well.

“I love how it looks like water is running through it,” Chloe says of the tabletop.

She made the painted oyster shells, which are decorated with blue and white paper napkin prints, in the leaf-shaped wooden bowl in the center of the table.

Three spotlights on the wall highlight coastal-themed photos that Chloe took on family vacations to Hilton Head and 30A along the Florida panhandle.

Succulent plants are arranged on a trio of open shelves in a corner of the dining area, and the space includes lots of cabinets and drawers in the coffee bar to store cookbooks and appliances.

They also like the view of the backyard where they see deer, turtles and an owl.

“Even though we don’t live in the country, we still see a lot of wildlife,” says Chloe.

Work and Play

The home features an office for Chloe and Nate and a playroom for their children as well. The two rooms, which are across the hall from each other, share some of the same characteristics including built-ins, lots of drawer space and a herringbone wood countertop.

To make the office feel more formal, they selected decorative hardware for the drawers. The canvases on the wall are photos that Chloe took in Italy and Greece when they went on a babymoon before their first child was born.

Nate also built a shelf above her computer to display Chloe’s camera equipment.

The playroom features drawers for the children’s toys, and each child has an individual drawer. There also is plenty of floor space in the room to play.

“The playroom will grow with our children,” says Chloe. “Right now we make a lot of crafts there, but they can do their homework in the playroom when they get older.”

In the center of the built-ins, nine frames feature sea creature sticker puzzles from a book they got in Hilton Head and put together as a family.

The coastal theme continues in the master bedroom, where lamps with a gold seahorse base sit on each of the light blue bedside tables. A trey ceiling, a gold canopy bed and a full-length wood cheval mirror accent the room as well.

“We don’t have curtains on the windows, so the sun shines through in the morning,” says Chloe.

Calming and Peaceful

A hallway, which features a walk-in closet on either side, connects the master bedroom with the master bath.

In the master bath, a photo that Chloe took in Savannah features Spanish moss hanging on trees. The room also includes quartz countertops, a ghost chair at the vanity, oversized gold hardware and a soaking tub with black fixtures on the wall.

Vertical white tile in the walk-in shower is accompanied by a strip of greenish-blue tile in a chevron pattern. This tile, along with the tile in the shower niches, matches the color in the drop zone. The shower also has a tile floor, a built-in quartz bench, rainfall showerhead and black hardware.

“I wanted the space to feel like the entire house – calming and peaceful,” says Chloe. “This is where we start the day to go to work or school. But we can also come in and rest and get re-energized to go back out in the world.”

The family also likes to recharge on the back porch, which includes a fire pit, vertical aluminum rails, a vinyl cathedral ceiling that mirrors the shape of the house, two ceiling fans and Trex composite material on the floor.

“We wanted maintenance-free flooring so it wouldn’t rot or swell,” says Nate. “We don’t have to treat it.”

The porch also features several lighting choices including natural light, recessed lights and string lights.

“We found the perfect lot,” Nate says. “It’s close to everything, but it’s still quiet and secluded.”

White brick on the exterior gives the house a textured historical look, and they built a mailbox post with leftover brick.

“We loved the white brick, but we didn’t want it to be perfectly white,” says Chloe. “We wanted it to look like it had been here for a while.”

They plan to remain in the house for a while as well.

“Our plan is to be here until the kids grow up,” Chloe says.

By Betsy Gilliland

While this Champions Retreat couple hosts their extended family for Thanksgiving every year, their house is filled with people year-round.

When Catherine and Emmanuel “Manny” Ngoh started making plans to build their custom home in Champions Retreat, where they have lived since 2015, they had three items atop their wish list.

“We wanted a media room. We wanted something Mediterranean, and we wanted an outdoor kitchen where we could entertain family and friends,” says Catherine.

Although the Ngohs originally are from Cameroon, they have lived in the United States for about 26 years. “He came here for school, and I came here to join him,” Catherine says.

Manny, an endodontist, attended college in Atlanta and the Medical College of Georgia, and most of their relatives now live in the Atlanta area.

While the parents of three grown sons are empty nesters, their home is hardly empty. Just about any occasion calls for filling it with people they love, and Thanksgiving is no exception. Typically, they host about 25 people for the holiday.

A Matter of Scale

With 16-foot ceilings, windows that stretch from floor to ceiling and oversized accessories, their home is a reflection of their generous spirit and big-hearted personalities.

“Everything had to be big to match the height of the ceilings,” says Catherine. “Otherwise, it would get lost.”

Two tall white columns with a marble look separate the two-story foyer from the living room, which is accented by a coffered ceiling and a raised hearth marble fireplace.

The wall behind the fireplace has a stone look, and a TV with a curved screen is situated above it. A trio of large blue pillar candlesticks, which hold white candles, rest on the hearth.

Furnishings include a pair of white octagonal tables, a striped couch, an ottoman and an oval-shaped glass coffee table. Three velvet pillows from Italy line the couch, and they have different fabric on each side.

A pair of blue chairs sits in front of the two-story bay windows that are accented with custom-made, fire-retardant, gold-colored silk window treatments. Catherine got the silk fabric from Scalamandré, a New York company that develops custom textiles.

Founded in 1929, the company has been commissioned to weave fabrics for some of America’s most famous homes including San Simeon, Monticello and the White House.

Catherine likes to change the décor, switching out pillows and changing curtains to match. While Scalamandré is one of her favorites, so is the view from the living room.

“I really love the glass windows,” she says. “Sometimes we see golfers on the course.”

The living room overlooks the ninth hole of the Creek Course at Champions Retreat, where this family of avid golfers spends lots of time.

Oversized vases and planters in the living room are filled with flowers and greenery, and an arched pass-through opening above built-ins in the space connects it with the dining area.

Conversation Area

The dining area features an octagonal trey ceiling, hardwood flooring that extends throughout the first story, built-in cabinets with an old world finish, four studded upholstered chairs at a round table and a chandelier above the table.

“We use this area when we entertain,” Catherine says. “It’s a conversation area when I’m in the kitchen.”

She loves to cook, so naturally, the kitchen is one of her favorite spots in the house.

“I like the kitchen because I get to cook my favorite meals for my family,” Catherine says. “That’s the area where we can sit down together.”

The spacious kitchen includes two islands. A chandelier hangs from a six-sided trey ceiling inset that matches the shape of one island.

“If we had done a square island, it would have looked smaller,” Catherine says. “This gives us more space and more storage. It has a unique shape.”

A farmhouse sink is nestled in the other island, where five studded leather stools offer extra seating.

Other kitchen features include a wine cellar with a glass door, granite countertops, tile backsplash, diamond-shaped tiles in the backsplash inset above the stove, pot filler, wood stove hood with a stone-look finish, appliance garage and lots of drawers and cabinets for storage.

The Ngohs also spend a lot of time in the adjoining keeping room, which features leather furnishings, a six-sided trey ceiling, a TV and sliding glass doors to the covered back porch.

In the formal dining room, rust-colored walls and window treatments offer a warm contrast to the cream-colored wainscoting. Studded, upholstered chairs surround the table.

The dining room also features a two-story coffered ceiling and a built-in sideboard beneath an arched mirror. Two oversized vases anchor each end of the sideboard, and four African pictures hang on the opposite wall.

Casual Entertaining

While the Ngohs have plenty of space for formal entertaining, they also have ample room for casual get-togethers.

For instance, their media room features two rows of leather seats, skylights in the black ceiling and a golf simulator.

“Manny did most of the design for the media room, where he likes to read or work on his golf game,” says Catherine. “I did most of the rest of the house.”

The upstairs billiards room overlooks the living room. While there’s no pool table in the room, they use the space, which features a curved, wrought-iron balcony railing, as a sitting area.

For their overnight – or longer – company, the guest bedroom features a king-size, four-poster bed. Although the bed and bedside tables are made of mahogany, the Ngohs updated them with a coat of white paint for a more modern look.

Double doors lead to another guest room, which features a built-in desk with bookshelves and a trey ceiling. Designed as a study, the space was converted into a spare bedroom.

The master suite is another one of Catherine’s favorite spots in the house. The room features an octagonal trey ceiling, bay window in the sitting area, custom-made silk window treatments, built-in drawers with a TV nook and shelves, a small refrigerator, a leather bench with carved wood legs at the foot of the bed and a door to the outside porch.

They often eat dinner on the porch at the tile table with wicker chairs and take advantage of the outdoor kitchen amenities. They include an Evo grill, Big Green Egg, refrigerator, granite countertops and cooktop with lid.

The porch also features a TV, ceiling fans, Edison lights, recessed lighting, heaters and tile flooring.

A stone fire pit and palm trees outside the wrought iron fencing around the pool, which features a stone waterfall and diving board, add to the ambiance of the outdoor living space.

“We like to use the pool in the summer, and we like to have friends use it as well,” Catherine says.

Whether the Ngohs are hosting family get-togethers, Christmas parties, Bible studies or other faith-based gatherings, they’re most content when they’re entertaining company.

“We just like having people here,” Catherine says. “We like it when people are happy. Fellowship is a good thing.”

By Betsy Gilliland

Life is laid back, quiet and easy at this Clarks Hills Lake hideaway.

Clarks Hill Lake resident Brandon Barden might find himself between boats from time to time. As far as lake houses are concerned, however, he found a keeper.

In September 2021, he bought a three-story house in the Soap Creek area of the lake.

The Lincolnton native was moving back home after 10 years of city life in Nashville, Tennessee and other metropolitan areas as he pursued a career in the NFL.

Brandon quarterbacked the Lincoln County High School football team to back-to-back Class A state titles in the 2005-06 seasons under legendary coach Larry Campbell, who also coached Brandon’s dad. After transitioning to tight end at Vanderbilt University, Brandon played the same position as a pro from 2012 to 2015.

One thing that never changed, however, was his love for his hometown, where his family spent many weekends boating at Clarks Hill when he was in high school.

“I always wanted a lake house. This house was built in 1983, and I saw it when I was growing up,” Brandon says. “I wanted to come back home to be closer to family. I’m a country boy at heart.”

Back to Nature

Surrounded by pine trees, the house has views of the lake through large windows on all three levels. The home also sits sideways on the irregularly shaped, .7-acre lot so that it faces U.S. Army Corps of Engineers land and the water – not the neighbors.

“There were trees everywhere when I bought the property, but my dad and I cleared the land,” says Brandon. “The lot feels bigger than it is.”

They also landscaped the property, put in a gravel driveway and painted the interior of the house.

Whether he is working on the house, furniture, cars or tractors, Brandon likes to redo things. He and some of his friends repainted and reroofed his dock, and he likes to buy boats, fix them up and sell them as well.

Arranging eight seats, which were cut from the trunk of a large red oak tree that was on the property, around a metal fire pit, he also created a natural outdoor sitting area. “I like the simple look,” Brandon says.

Edison lights are strung through the trees around the fire pit, and a bright red picnic table is situated nearby. The yard, where a deer feeder attracts 10 or so deer at dusk, is an ideal place to connect with nature.

A dirt road runs past the house, and Brandon takes his English cocker spaniel, Remi, for daily walks down the path that ends at the lake. A bench on the bank is an inviting spot to sit and watch the sunset.

Of course, so is the covered front porch of the house. The porch features white columns, tile flooring, six lantern light fixtures on the wall, three ceiling fans, two red rocking chairs and a wood bench. Other décor includes an old chest and a print by local folk artist Leonard Jones.

Whenever the lake is calling, though, fishing rods are stored strategically by the front door.

An open patio on the side of the house also faces the water. Furnishings include two red Adirondack chairs and a red table with four red spring back chairs. A white spiral staircase leads to the screened-in porch upstairs.

Made for R&R

Just as the outdoor setting offers lots of scenery and serenity, the interior of the home is made for R&R as well.

The double glass front doors lead into a game room with a pool table and a basket full of board games. Soothing green walls serve as the backdrop for a “Carpe Diem” sign, small canoe paddles and vintage Clarks Hill Lake prints. Floor-to-ceiling windows frame picturesque views of the lake.

The view continues in the downstairs living room, which features a two-sided, raised-hearth, wood-burning stone fireplace that extends up to the second story. The identical fireplaces have a wood beam mantel and storage for firewood on one side.

A fly rod that belonged to Brandon’s grandfather hangs on the wall above the floor-to-ceiling windows, and fishing pictures are nestled between the windows. Many of the furnishings are antiques, and Brandon uses a tiger wood chest with crystal drawer knobs as a TV stand.

“Most of the furniture is from boutiques or secondhand,” he says. “I didn’t want to go modern because it’s not a modern house.”

A downstairs guest room includes an antique chest tucked between twin beds with wood headboards. More nostalgic Clarks Hill prints hang on the wall above the beds.

‘The Spot’

While the lake view is gorgeous from the first floor, it’s simply stunning from the upstairs living room.

“This is the spot,” says Brandon. “This is where I spend most of my time.”

With a feeling of spaciousness, the upper level features more windows that stretch from the pine flooring to the tongue-and-groove cathedral ceiling.

“The ceiling is one of the prettiest features of the house,” Brandon says. “We painted the walls off-white to make the ceiling pop.”

Furnishings include a contemporary floor lamp, leather chaise lounge, dropleaf table behind a leather couch, leather chair with an ottoman, antique rocking chair and TV. Reflecting Brandon’s love of the outdoors, three deer heads are mounted above the fireplace and a duck decoy made of cork sits on the wood beam mantel.

Hanging on the stone fireplace, an old saw blade is painted with a spring scene on one side and a fall scene on the other. An old-fashioned fireplace bellows leans against the stone wall.

The view through the windows is just as impressive at night as it is in the daytime.

“When the moon is full, it comes through the windows and shines onto the porch,” says Brandon.

Moonlight isn’t the only attraction of the covered screened-in porch, however. The space also features a white cathedral ceiling, wicker couch, round table with two chairs, strands of Edison lights and mosquito net in the doorway.

“It’s nice to come out here in the morning and feel the cool air,” Brandon says. “It’s like natural AC.”

Tucked between the living room and the screened-in porch, the dining area includes a distressed wood table with a bench on each side and a chair at each end. Brandon, who works in sales, uses the table as his desk, and he likes to leave the door open when he’s working at his laptop.

The kitchen includes a coffee station, granite countertops, tile backsplash and two barstools at the peninsula. Three small shelves are hung by rope on the wall. The middle shelf holds an upside down wood “Lake” sign with an arrow.

It’s no accident that the sign is upside down, though. The arrow is facing the wrong direction, so Brandon simply flipped it so that the arrow would point toward the lake.

Wakeup Call

This level of the house also includes the master bedroom, which has a king-sized bed with a studded leather headboard and footboard, and a guest room.

Painted a deep shade of blue, the guest room features antique furnishings such as a bed with a wood-slatted headboard, dresser with a mirror and ladderback chair.

A nook with another bed and bath overlooks the upstairs living room. This loft space also includes a tongue-and-groove ceiling and pine flooring with a darker stain.

“Waking up here is beautiful,” says Brandon. “There’s just a little fog on the water. The mornings are spectacular.”

The only thing better than looking at the lake, though, is spending time on it. Whether he’s on his Jet Ski or his current boat, Brandon goes out on the lake every weekend.

“I love it here. It’s so peaceful and quiet,” he says. “I enjoyed living in cities, but I always wanted to come back home. There’s nothing like living in the country.”

By Betsy Gilliland

This West Lake home is the perfect place to retreat with family or entertain a crowd.

For many people, house hunting in the midst of the pandemic could have been stressful. Not for Jill and Pittman Morris, however.

“It gave us an opportunity to focus on something besides the pandemic,” she says.

After looking at a two-story, red brick house in West Lake, the couple knew they had found

a place where they could weather the pandemic with their two children, Jack and Emma. Even better, they could enjoy their new home for many years to come.

In addition, Jill, who had lived in West Lake as a teenager, says the previous owners had done “massive renovations,” so there were few changes they needed to make when they moved into the home in August 2020.

“The house had a modern, but comfortable, feel that really appealed to us,” Jill says.

Pittman agrees. “We like the open floor plan and how it flows,” he says.

Meaningful Mementoes

The Morrises, who met while studying abroad, worked from home during the pandemic, and they have continued to do so when possible. Jill’s office features a desk that was a gift from her mother. In addition, two bookcases that line one wall came from the Sumter County courthouse, where Pittman’s grandfather served as district attorney.

“The bookcases were in my grandfather’s home when I was growing up,” says Pittman.

The office also includes a transom window above each of the two doors, a pocket door from the foyer, a pair of arched windows, a chair rail and wainscoting on the walls.

“It was supposed to be a formal living room, but we didn’t need it,” says Jill.

Instead, their living room is a homey space with built-in bookcases, four white columns, a TV above the fireplace with marble surround and a sunken floor.

“It reminds me of my grandmother’s house,” Jill says. “She had a sunken dining room.”

Furnishings include swivel chairs and a small writing desk in a corner. The desk, which came from Jill’s mother, has drawers on its sides and a flip-open top.

“My mom loved to collect unique-looking furniture,” says Jill.

A German Christmas pyramid on an end table is another small, but meaningful, piece in the living room. The pyramid features a train in honor of Pittman’s father, who was a train engineer for CSX, and it was a gift from Jill’s mother to her grandchildren.

“Every year my mother gets the kids something in memory of Pittman’s parents to remind them of their grandparents,” Jill says.

Jill’s fondness for birds is reflected in the décor throughout the house, and two blue and white paintings of birds on a living room wall started the avian theme. Her sister, Anne Luckey, has provided them with a number of paintings, including three Masters Tournament paintings in the foyer, as well.

“She does most of our artwork,” says Jill.

Elegant Entertaining

The white cabinets in the large kitchen give the space an open, airy feel, and Jill loves to spend time there.

The kitchen also features black leathered granite countertops on the perimeter cabinets, a marble granite countertop on the island, tile backsplash, farmhouse sink, stainless steel range hood, pot filler and glass-front cabinets with glass shelves.

With one of three fireplaces in the house – another feature that sold the Morrises on the home, the adjoining keeping room is a favorite gathering spot for the family as well.

“I have always wanted a keeping room. My friend had one growing up,” says Jill. “We watch a lot of movies in the keeping room. It’s just cozy. This whole section of the house is where we usually are.”

Large windows overlook the backyard pool so their parents can keep an eye on Jack and Emma when they’re outside.

The kitchen also connects to the dining room, a large space that can accommodate everyone with ease when the Morrises host holiday gatherings with Jill’s extended family.

Upholstered chairs surround the dining room table that Jill’s father’s wife gave the couple when they bought their first house, and Pittman’s mother found the chest in the dining room.

“It’s been awesome for entertaining,” says Jill. “I like the elegant look.”

When they entertain, that elegance seeps down to every last detail, including the napkin rings.

Jill’s mom found a set of special silver napkin rings on eBay and gave them to Jill and Pittman when they got married. Fittingly, the napkin rings have “P and J” engraved on them.

“I like to keep pieces that have some memory to them,” says Jill. “We can always find a spot for them.”

Napkin rings also are a tradition in the Morris family. Pittman’s grandmother had silver napkin rings engraved for all the members of their family with their names.

“When we got together, everybody had their place setting. When she downsized, she gave everybody their napkin ring,” he says.

The dining room also features deep blue walls above the chair rail, wainscoting, a bay window and transom windows above the pocket door from the foyer.

Feeling at Home

The home features red oak flooring downstairs, and one of the few changes the Morrises made to the house was to the floors. They installed a hardwood floor in the master bedroom and re-stained the rest of the flooring. In addition, they painted the shiplap cathedral ceiling and beams white.

“Everything was brown when we moved in,” says Jill. “We loved the room, but we wanted to lighten it up.”

The master bedroom also includes a ceiling fan, a bay window that overlooks the backyard, hammered aluminum wall sconces and built-ins on either side of the fireplace with a wood surround.

An upholstered storage bench sits at the foot of the bed, and a chaise lounge in front of the bay window holds a special place in Jill’s heart.

“That was the first piece of furniture I ever bought for myself,” she says.

When they were house hunting during the pandemic, the couple also wanted to find a place with amenities that they could enjoy without having to leave home.

For instance, the upstairs movie room, where they like to watch films and ball games, can provide hours of entertainment. Pittman installed the speakers in the wall and hung the projectors, and they hung their son’s Marvel comic pictures on one wall.

“Jack is a big Marvel fan, but he didn’t want the pictures in his bedroom anymore,” says Pittman. “He still likes them, though.”

Three electric guitars and an acoustic guitar line the floor beneath the comic pictures. Pittman used to play the guitar, and he rebuilt one and painted it red as a pandemic project.

A sliding glass door leads from the movie room to a balcony, which includes a ceiling fan, tongue-and-groove ceiling and mini fridge for drinks.

Outdoor Oasis

The back porch beneath the balcony also has a tongue-and-groove ceiling, along with a brick floor, wicker furniture with blue cushions, ceiling fan, palm trees and three white columns.

Arched windows top the doors to the porch.

Two hanging chaise lounge chairs with a canopy provide seating around the swimming pool, which also features a hot tub with a spillway.

The outdoor kitchen, aka “Pittman’s Pub,” includes a Big Green Egg, granite countertops, two mini fridges – one for adult beverages and one for children’s drinks – dishwasher, smoker, gas grill, cast iron grill and pizza oven.

The tongue-and-groove ceiling and travertine tile floor extends to the connecting covered eating area, which is accented by a stacked stone wood-burning fireplace, TV and white columns atop stacked stone bases.

With all of these amenities and a stream behind their property that provides another place for the Morris children to play, the family has no intention of going anywhere.

“I hope to be here forever,” says Jill. “This is my dream house.”

By Betsy Gilliland