Home Tour | A Look Inside Lisa Furey's Palmetto Bluff Vacation Home
Ask our interior designer community, and they'll tell you that designing for a client is one thing, but applying that same process for their own space is something else entirely. As overwhelming as it can be, interior designer Lisa Furey rose to the occasion when designing her elegant, lakefront vacation home in Bluffton, South Carolina.
Located in the heart of Palmetto Bluff, Lisa's chic aesthetic leanings and commitment to "livable luxury" are present in every corner of her coastal abode. Even with its light and neutral color palette, there's something unmistakably inviting about the space - The expansive backyard and lakeside views certainly help set the tone for a getaway trip worth making!
But the centerpiece of the home? Our Sullivan sofas in Oyster Performance Linen, of course. Accented with bold, patterned pillows and enveloped by polished side and coffee tables filled with art books and foliage, our Sullivan once again ties the room together. Adding this with the Sullivan's tasteful look and sturdy foundation, this sofa provides a sense of comfort that is unmatched. And while Lisa appreciates having options, we were thrilled to see that including Maiden Home in her space was a natural choice.
If you're not convinced, hear from Lisa below who invited The Frame for an exclusive tour and spoke to us about the design process and life in mellow Palmetto Bluff.
MEET LISA
I'm Lisa Furey, an award-winning interior designer known for creating fresh, timeless and elegant, but livable spaces. A lifelong resident of the Main Line/Philadelphia area, I now split my time between the Low Country of Bluffton, South Carolina and suburban Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. I'm married to Jim and have three daughters, Taylor, Kelly, and Lauren.
After practicing divorce law for ten years, I switched gears in 2002 and found my calling as a down to earth, “barefoot” designer who embraces all styles through an "easy does it" approach.
PERFORMANCE FABRICS
My clients are looking for low maintenance, quality furniture, and fabrics that allow them to relax with friends and family without concern for pieces that are too dear or precious to be truly used/lived in. Performance fabrics provide my clients with more customization options (for instance, they may not have chosen a certain color for fear it would get dirty quickly) and allow children with chocolate, adults with red wine and pets with dirty paws to co-exist with beautiful pieces in chic spaces.
Maiden Home upholstery is not only timeless and beautiful to the eye, but sits well, is well-made, and easily cleaned. I don't know of any other company who provides such wonderful fabric options, quick white glove delivery, multiple size and stain options, and high quality for a fair price.
LISA'S MAIDEN HOME
We have two white Maiden Home Sullivan sofas in Bluffton. Last night, we had a group of six over for a visit. Everyone who sat on the sofas commented on the high comfort level. The quality is wonderful - the wood legs, the staining, the stitching of the upholstery - all good!
LISA ON DESIGNING FOR HERSELF
The hardest part of designing my own home was the awareness of all of the choices out there. Only getting to pick one item, out of ALL OF THOSE OPTIONS, is tough! On the daily, I present clients with a few options and then work with them to find the best one of three or four. Here, at Duck Crossing Cottage, we were aware of a lot more choices than I make the clients aware of. I was ready to call a designer!!
Designing for myself always helps me relate/understand why the clients have hired me - I understand their second-guessing, feeling overwhelmed with all of the options, desire to make the 100% best choice. It's a good exercise in empathy.
The most rewarding thing about walking into this home is knowing that I would not change a thing. Each item I see was chosen deliberately and has a purpose - well thought out, pretty to look at - and highly functional. To me, that is money well spent and a room well designed.
SOUTHERN CHARM
Palmetto Bluff is a beautiful community on 22,000 acres located in the Low Country of Bluffton, SC. While it is coastal, it is not beachy. We have rivers, tributaries, and marshes. Nature's colors are more greyed down than they are at the beach. Duck Crossing Cottage is on a lake, across from a preserve, with a park/open space to one side. Because the surroundings are so beautiful, we designed the home with a lot of windows. It is an upside down house to take the best advantage of the lake views. Colors are mostly chalk, white, and taupe, with accents of blues, greys, and grey-green. All of the finish materials selected are natural, and furniture is simple in form and line so as not to detract from the views and surrounding beauty.
THE BUILD OUT + DESIGN PROCESS
We visited Palmetto Bluff several years ago (stayed at the onsite Inn) and fell in love with the property. We decided to "just buy a lot and hold on to it." Three months later we were in the architect's office! We initially designed a small, 690 square foot guest cottage. About two years later we added a carriage house and then finally built the main house, "Duck Crossing Cottage."
Lisa Furey Interiors does a lot of design-build, so I was very familiar and comfortable with the ground-up building process. We hired a great builder, designed the structures hand in hand with the architect, and marched forward.
LISA'S DESIGN DISCOVERIES
The biggest discovery was realizing how much my husband and I loved doing this for ourselves and not just others. We intend to keep it up, build more homes, furnish them and sell them - this is a long-term plan and a little bit of a pivot in the business model, but that is the ultimate goal - Barefoot Build is on the horizon and Jim and I will become partners in that venture!
Shop the look: The Sullivan Sofa in Oyster Performance Linen + Washed Oak finish.
