Skip to content

Top Navigation

Southern Living Southern Living
  • Food
  • Holidays & Entertaining
  • Home & Garden
  • Style & Culture
  • News
  • Video

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Southern Living

Southern Living Southern Living
  • Explore

    Explore

    • These Haircuts Are Going To Be Huge in 2021

      The trendy haircuts you’ll be seeing everywhere next year. Read More Next
    • How To Season A Cast-Iron Skillet

      Learn how to season this Southern kitchen staple in five easy steps. Read More Next
    • The Right Way to Heat a Pre-Cooked Ham

      It's so easy, trust us. Read More Next
  • Food

    Food

    See All Food

    Lost Cakes of the South

    These simple and spectacular Southern cakes deserve a comeback
    • All Food
    • All Recipes
    • Holidays & Occasions
    • Quick Fix Suppers
    • Slow Cooker Recipes
    • Desserts
    • Casseroles
    • Healthy Recipes
  • Holidays & Entertaining

    Holidays & Entertaining

    See All Holidays & Entertaining

    70 Wedding Vow Examples That Will Melt Your Heart

    Fight writer's block and find ways to express your love with these romantic, funny, and short wedding vow examples.
    • Christmas
    • Entertaining
    • Thanksgiving
    • Southern Weddings
    • Easter
    • Kentucky Derby
    • Valentine's Day
    • 4th of July
    • Mother's Day
  • Home & Garden

    Home & Garden

    See All Home & Garden

    7 Paint Colors We’re Loving for Kitchen Cabinets in 2020

    ā€˜Tis the season to ditch your all-white palette in favor of something a little bolder and brighter.
    • Home Decor Ideas
    • Idea Houses
    • Before & After
    • Inspired Communities
    • Curb Appeal
    • House Plans & Builders
    • The Grumpy Gardener
    • Plant Names A-Z
  • Style & Culture

    Style & Culture

    See All Style & Culture

    50 Books Everyone Should Read in Their Lifetime

    Curl up with a classic!
    • Southern Culture
    • Hair
    • Travel
    • Beauty
    • Pets
    • Southern Fashion
    • Healthy Living
  • News
  • Video

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Southern Living
  2. Home
  3. Tour This Gorgeous Lowcountry Beach House

Tour This Gorgeous Lowcountry Beach House

By Stephanie Hunt
October 18, 2017
Skip gallery slides
Save FB Tweet
Credit: Photo by Peter Frank Edwards; Styling by Elly Poston
Originally appeared on Coastal Living
Start Slideshow

1 of 9

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Second Nature

Credit: Photo by Peter Frank Edwards; Styling by Elly Poston

"The rooms here invite you to relax and breathe deeply, like you do when you first step out for a walk on the beach," says designer Charlotte Lucas of the Kiawah Island home she designed as a vacation house for a young family. This is, of course, by design: Her clients asked that only colors visible from the house be used inside, a request that initially gave Lucas pause. But after spending several days on the island, taking walks through the peaceful marshscape, the Charlotte, North Carolina–based designer says she "totally got it. I knew it would be a shame to distract from these beautiful, soothing surroundings."

With nature as her inspiration, she created a palette informed by site visits at dawn, in the middle of the day, and again at night. "The goal was to feel just as at peace indoors as you do when you step outside," Lucas says. Burled finishes and natural weaves and textures further enliven and add depth to the earthy palette, but nothing shouts "look at me"—except, perhaps, the alligators loitering in the adjacent lagoon. Here, how Lucas built a beach house firmly rooted in the outdoors.

1 of 9

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 9

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Contrast the view.

Credit: Photo by Peter Frank Edwards; Styling by Elly Poston

"I like the way a darker window trim throughout creates a bit of modern juxtaposition, adding contrast and definition to the light and airy rooms," says Lucas. When weather allows, the three-tilt transom windows in the sunroom are wide open, serving up a salty breeze across the travertine pedestal table—a Palm Beach antiquing find—and vintage Brighton rattan armchairs.

2 of 9

3 of 9

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Go big on texture.

Credit: Photo by Peter Frank Edwards; Styling by Elly Poston

The living room gets loads of natural light by way of large windows and doors that open to the porch. This creates an ideal canvas for hushed tones and interesting textures, like toothy taupe upholstery and grasscloth-covered walls. "Going strong on texture gives dimension to neutrals," says Lucas.

3 of 9

Advertisement

4 of 9

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Bring color to life.

Credit: Peter Frank Edwards

Lucas doubled down on the greens in the marsh-scape by turning live foliage into an integral element of her design. "We didn't use many true greens in fabrics because we wanted those to come in organically," says Lucas, who based the palette on favorite hues seen in the marsh year-round, as it changes drastically season to season.

4 of 9

5 of 9

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Designate your own neutrals.

Credit: Photo by Peter Frank Edwards; Styling by Elly Poston

Sage green cabinetry connects the kitchen to nature in a light, soft way; a walnut island amplifies the room's connection to the earthy landscape. The quartzite stone countertops and backsplash are "bombproof," adds Lucas, who had them honed to a leathered finish. Blown-glass pendants in woven brass cages and a custom stovetop hood trimmed in unlacquered brass add handsome polish and "help age the house a bit," the designer says.

5 of 9

6 of 9

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Give neutrals a chance in kids' rooms.

Credit: Photo by Peter Frank Edwards; Styling by Elly Poston

The couple's first child was barely a year old when they moved in, so the nursery needed to grow with her and also be adaptable for future siblings. (Baby No. 2 is on the way.) The wallpaper, "a really lovely ivory with taupey stars," says Lucas, subtly mimics the carpet's raised diamond-and-dot pattern, and the French daybed works as both a sweet focal point and a big-girl bed. The handcrafted scalloped light fixture provides good bedtime-story light and natural rattan texture, Lucas adds.

6 of 9

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 9

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Find your earthy whites.

Credit: Photo by Peter Frank Edwards; Styling by Elly Poston

"The owners didn't want any crisp whites because you don't see them as readily in this landscape," says Lucas, who instead painted the walls in the nursery bath a soft gray (Slipper Satin by Farrow & Ball) and chose creamy off-white marble. The softened-up "white" palette shifts the spotlight to a rich mix of metals—unlacquered brass faucets and hardware, and a beveled gold mirror.

7 of 9

8 of 9

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Make peace with the dark.

Credit: Photo by Peter Frank Edwards; Styling by Elly Poston

Grasscloth walls in a steely gray-blue echo the hues of midnight on the marsh. "I was inspired by the murkiness of the water at night, the dark grays of the sky," Lucas says. The indigo stripe headboard linen is by Christopher Farr, paired with a duvet by Leontine Linens. A 19th-century continental nightstand adds a bit of age to the room.

8 of 9

9 of 9

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Embrace the beauty of wood.

Credit: Photo by Peter Frank Edwards; Styling by Elly Poston

"It was important to the owners to have porch furniture they could stretch out on," says Lucas, who outfitted this screened-in master bedroom porch with a vintage bamboo sofa and love seat, a faux bois side table that resembles the branches of a tree, and a bamboo wheeled cart that doubles as a bar when the homeowners entertain. The decking is hardy îpe, and the beadboard ceiling is painted the same shade as the exterior trim. "I like the consistency, and the way it harmonizes with the natural surroundings," the designer says.

9 of 9

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Stephanie Hunt

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 9 Second Nature
2 of 9 Contrast the view.
3 of 9 Go big on texture.
4 of 9 Bring color to life.
5 of 9 Designate your own neutrals.
6 of 9 Give neutrals a chance in kids' rooms.
7 of 9 Find your earthy whites.
8 of 9 Make peace with the dark.
9 of 9 Embrace the beauty of wood.

Share options

Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Login

Southern Living

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • About Us
  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Books from Southern Living
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
  • Sitemap

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en EspaƱol this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
  • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
Southern Living is part of the Meredith Home Group. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. Southern Living is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporationthis link opens in a new tab All Rights Reserved. Southern Living may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.southernliving.com

View image

Tour This Gorgeous Lowcountry Beach House
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.