Porch of the Week: Refined Rugged Style and Leafy Lake Views
A design-build firm creates an expansive screened-in space for family entertaining and lounging in South Carolina
Perched in a tree canopy overlooking South Carolina’s Lake Keowee, this expansive porch offers year-round enjoyment. Design-build firm Ridgeline Construction Group created the custom home, which has a refined rugged look that fits right in with the trees along the lakeside. Designed for indoor-outdoor entertaining, the porch provides ample space for the homeowners to host their friends and family, including their adult children and numerous grandchildren.
The homeowners, empty nesters from Chicago, originally planned for the house to serve as a second home and as a hub for themselves and their family. However, they wound up relocating permanently. “The house works really well for them. When they decided to move here full time, we didn’t have to tweak a thing,” interior designer Maggie Madarasz says.
The homeowners, empty nesters from Chicago, originally planned for the house to serve as a second home and as a hub for themselves and their family. However, they wound up relocating permanently. “The house works really well for them. When they decided to move here full time, we didn’t have to tweak a thing,” interior designer Maggie Madarasz says.
Full-color Pennsylvania bluestone flooring matches other bluestone used on the exterior and throughout the landscape. Along with the stone, the knotty Engelmann spruce lodgepole pine ceiling adds a rustic touch. “This is a great material we recommend often because it’s a neutral color without the reds and yellows other woods have. It has a good price point too,” Madarasz says.
The railings are powder-coated iron made by a local metal fabricator. They provide contrast and ensure safety while keeping the views of the lake open.
The paint colors match the exteriors. The elegance of the bluestone, neutral ceiling and concrete mantel refine the ruggedness of the natural materials. The patterned upholstery on the furniture also elevates the porch’s style.
At 580 square feet, the porch is generously sized, and it has been thoughtfully scaled to accommodate a large dining table, lots of lounge seating, a fireplace, circulation and plenty of breathing room. The swivel chairs can turn toward the lake, the dining table, and the fireplace and TV.
Siding paint: Dorian Gray; trim paint: Gauntlet Gray, both by Sherwin-Williams; railings: Steve Howard Custom Fabrication and Welding
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The railings are powder-coated iron made by a local metal fabricator. They provide contrast and ensure safety while keeping the views of the lake open.
The paint colors match the exteriors. The elegance of the bluestone, neutral ceiling and concrete mantel refine the ruggedness of the natural materials. The patterned upholstery on the furniture also elevates the porch’s style.
At 580 square feet, the porch is generously sized, and it has been thoughtfully scaled to accommodate a large dining table, lots of lounge seating, a fireplace, circulation and plenty of breathing room. The swivel chairs can turn toward the lake, the dining table, and the fireplace and TV.
Siding paint: Dorian Gray; trim paint: Gauntlet Gray, both by Sherwin-Williams; railings: Steve Howard Custom Fabrication and Welding
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There’s a large opening between the great room and the porch, seen at the back left in this photo. This allows for an easy flow between these spaces. “It opens up the house for indoor-outdoor entertaining,” Madarasz says.
A bar area sits just off the porch and connects the indoor and outdoor spaces. “The bar was a big deal, and we spent a lot of time planning it,” Madarasz says. In addition to being a central spot for serving beverages, it’s a favorite place for doing puzzles or playing a game with the kids.
The bar’s style is also cohesive with the porch’s style. The concrete countertop is the same color as the porch’s mantel. Also, the large pieces of slate in the chandelier nod to the stone on the porch.
Light fixture: Ardesia linear LED pendant, Hubbardton Forge
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The bar’s style is also cohesive with the porch’s style. The concrete countertop is the same color as the porch’s mantel. Also, the large pieces of slate in the chandelier nod to the stone on the porch.
Light fixture: Ardesia linear LED pendant, Hubbardton Forge
Browse bar and counter stools
The screened-in porch creates a cover for a patio beneath it. The path seen here leads to a fire pit area that’s closer to the lake. To the right of the porch is the small grilling deck.
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Here’s the fire pit patio that offers a perch closer to the water. Large flagstones and boulders show how the landscape design becomes more rugged farther away from the house. Steps from here lead down to the lake, which has a sandy beach.
Greenspace Outdoor Construction did all the landscape contracting work. The team there created the patio, custom fire pit and retaining walls, and strategically placed boulders throughout the property. “They do an amazing job,” Madarasz says.
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Greenspace Outdoor Construction did all the landscape contracting work. The team there created the patio, custom fire pit and retaining walls, and strategically placed boulders throughout the property. “They do an amazing job,” Madarasz says.
More on Houzz
Read more stories about porches
Browse thousands of porch photos
Find a local interior designer
Shop for your porch
Porch at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with adult children
Location: Sunset, South Carolina
Size: 580 square feet (54 square meters)
Designers: Maggie Madarasz of Ridgeline Construction Group (interior design), Kellam Group Interiors (furniture selection), Design Elite (architecture)
Builder: Ridgeline Construction Group
Madarasz worked on the interior design, including finishes and lighting, throughout the home, and a designer friend of the homeowners helped them select the furniture. For the porch, the homeowners wanted space for easy indoor-outdoor entertaining — and they wanted it to be usable year-round. “There are six motorized vinyl panels that roll down. I was here on a freezing day with the vinyl down and the fire going, and it was completely cozy out here,” Madarasz says.
A fireplace anchors the space. “When it came to materials, we started with the exterior and made sure the interior spaces felt like they were of the same house,” Madarasz says. The stone selected for the chimney — Coyote Gray by Get Real Stone in a random ashlar pattern — drove the design. Madarasz custom-designed the mantel, and local firm Concrete Canvas fabricated it.
The porch is oriented to take advantage of the views of Lake Keowee and the tree canopy. The screen door seen here on the left leads to a small grilling deck.
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