Even though Tom and Susan Flanagan’s lakeside home was built only four years ago, it has the look of a rural farmhouse that has been transported to the waterside.
When the Flanagans purchased the overgrown lot situated in a tranquil cove, it didn’t take them long to realize that they had found the perfect spot to build their dream home. The couple took pictures of houses they liked in the area, and, with the help of Susan’s brother Steve Eady, they came up with the perfect set of plans for their lakeside home.
Steve, who owns Stephen Eady Company, designed and built the house. Throughout the construction of the home, he made design changes, such as adding a tin roof; using black for the kitchen cabinets, trim and doors; and using white wainscoted walls in the living room, entrance and foyer.
The white-clad exterior, with a steeply gabled roof, has a 360-degree wraparound porch that is comfortably outfitted with rocking chairs, ceiling fans and colorful plants.
Inside, the colors and decorative accents were chosen with waterside living in mind. The white-walled living room provides a perfect backdrop for the light blue gingham sectional sofa and stacked stone wood-burning fireplace. An antique trestle sofa table sits behind one section of the sofa, along with an antique quilt rack that holds quilts made by Susan’s mother. Over the doorway that leads to the screened-in porch hangs a large blue sailfish. A handcrafted pine coffee table ties in to the nautical and waterside theme, displaying a small wooden boat with oars sitting underneath the glass top.
Two French doors provide access to the rear porch, through which views of the lake and boathouse can be enjoyed. The French doors and expansive cathedral ceiling, with a modified Palladian window, give the living room a sense of spaciousness and light.
The large kitchen has an eating area that looks out on to the screened-in porch. A large island, used for entertaining, and the kitchen countertops are honed granite. White rectangular subway tiles were used for the backsplash behind the countertops. Red cooking utensils on the counters and stove, as well as colorful glassware and Fiesta Dinnerware displayed in glass-fronted cabinets, provide color-popping accents against the black woodwork.
Just off the kitchen, with outside access, is a laundry room and full bath, which are convenient when coming in from the pool or lake after a day of swimming, waterskiing or fishing.
The screened-in porch on the back of the house can be accessed from the dining area. The kitchen doors fold back and when opened provide a continuous dining, living and entertaining space from kitchen to porch. The porch, decorated with comfortable wicker furniture and ceiling fans, is a perfect spot to enjoy the quiet cove and watch the geese that sometimes congregate on the bank.
Also located on the first floor are the master bedroom and bath. The bedroom walls are a light seafoam blue – the perfect backdrop for the white country-style furniture. Hexagonal subway tiles were used for the master bath floor and shower. There is also a whirlpool tub with wainscoted decking, complete with an antique oak washstand – a piece that would have been found in any rural farmhouse.
The entrance foyer, which has a small sitting area, and the stairway have the same white wainscoted walls as the living room. Upstairs, two cheerful and colorful bedrooms mirror one another. One is painted a bright, sunny yellow and furnished with oak furniture. It has two dormer windows - one on the rear of the house and the other on the front - with small sitting areas. The second bedroom on the other end of the house has the same dormer windows, but the room is painted lime green and furnished with white wicker furniture. Just off the hallway, connecting the two upstairs bedrooms, is a full bath. On the other side is a rail overlooking the living room below.
Transitioning from the kitchen to the detached entertainment room is a covered sitting area for lounging or entertaining, complete with a wet bar and cushioned teak furniture. This area opens into the large and spacious entertainment room, complete with a stacked stone bar and iodized tin canopy. Behind the bar is a refrigerated beverage cooler and popcorn machine.
There are many entertainment choices in this room: ping pong, table shuffleboard or simply relaxing on a comfortable leather sofa watching a flat screen TV, which is placed over a stacked stone gas-burning fireplace.
To complete the festive décor, the room is decorated with plenty of “beachy” accents - parrots and palm trees, a wooden ship’s wheel, and a leather life preserver. A framed old travel poster of Key West hangs next to the bar, as well as a sign reminding guests that “It’s five o’clock somewhere.”
Located above the entertainment room is the “bunk room,” with custom back-to-back bunk beds on one wall, which were made by Tom. The double bunk beds have queen-size beds on the bottom and single beds on the top, built to accommodate the slanted roofline. There is also a separate double bed of pickled pine and a wicker desk.
As enjoyable as the indoor entertainment areas are, adjacent to the home is a large outdoor pool with a retractable cover for swimming, as well as lounge chairs and a gazebo with a shaded area for relaxing. If a more quiet and solitary retreat is desired, there are hammocks situated in a grove of pine trees near the waterside for napping or just gazing out at the water.
Tom and Susan Flanagan’s lakeside house offers relaxed indoor and outdoor living year-round, regardless of the weather. From the expansive porch to the entertainment room to the boat dock – and even the quiet hammocks – there are ample opportunities to relax and enjoy life in this charming farmhouse on the lake.