A Graceful Getaway in the Blue Ridge Mountains

For more than three decades, her luxe residential interiors firm has sought to create an artful mix within each project, a philosophy expounded on in its name—Panageries Interior Design Studio, which combines the words panache and menagerie. “It’s about selected, collected, and curated pieces,” Masters says, “marrying tastes as well as sentimental pieces with new additions.”

Following a visit to friends in the area, the owners—who currently make their primary residence in Houston but plan to retire here—fell in love with the South Carolina resort community. After finding a home on the water with a layout conducive to entertaining, they sought to make it their own and reached out to Masters. “This house had great bones, but the previous owners’ style didn’t align with my clients’ taste,” the designer says. Here, the marriage of tastes came in tying together the existing masculine structure with more feminine furnishings and flourishes. “Both of the clients want to feel like this house is them in the end, and we helped them achieve that,” she adds.

To accomplish the goal, only the stone accents, wooden beams, and existing mantels and kitchen range hood were left intact; everything else was removed, replaced, or reworked to freshen the home’s palette and presence. In particular, the relationship between his and hers is on display in the living room, where the fireplace surround and timber beams are paired with shapely, inviting furniture selections and salmon-hued accents, a color that was pulled from the stone and flows throughout the main gathering spaces. Similarly, in the keeping room, plaid chairs with tapered legs and piping and pillows in the same salmon color family illustrate the aesthetically pleasing juxtaposition.

Additionally, custom Oushak rugs were a source of inspiration for many of the rooms. “I love to start here, because it’s the biggest piece,” Masters says. The rugs also provide pattern, something Masters notes she tends to show restraint in using on fabrics. However, she is fond of subtly incorporating a motif throughout an interior. The trained eye will catch herringbone and diamond embellishments repeated in the living room, kitchen, and primary bedroom. “It’s very understated,” Masters says, pointing to the effect on the kitchen’s stone backsplash and the island lanterns.

Carving out an office that was feminine and tranquil was also a high priority, as the wife is a busy executive with an international company and frequently needs to take calls and complete projects at the property. While this room had to function well, it was equally important that it reflect her style and ultimately become a place she wanted to be. “This is her command station, but it’s also a place of refuge and a place of peace, so again, there’s no pattern,” Masters says, pointing to such features as the window seat and reading nook surrounded by built-in bookshelves, both of which seem to invite calm.

While the main level was lightened, Masters notes the home’s downstairs has a “different, almost club-like vibe.” Formerly a second kitchen and dining area, the owners felt the space would function better for them as a bar and entertaining space. “He is a golfer, and this lower area isa wine-tipping, whiskey-sipping room,” Masters explains. With windows along only one side of the room, the designer played up its dark, moody vibe with rich brown woodwork, travertine, and a copper countertop while maximizing overhead lighting and lamps to keep it from feeling cavernous. With the guest bedrooms located on the same level, the area also serves as a hospitality space for overnight visitors, who are fortunate to receive an invite to the couple’s newly designed abode.