Did you try to access BNOTP today and found yourself staring at a blank page? I awoke this morning, sat down to create a post and discovered that was not going to happen. Apparently Comcast was experiencing some kind of major routing/networking issues and it effected many sites nationwide.
My host, Liquid Web, was effected by the outage and from what I read online, the outage impacted several network providers including Comcast, AT&T, Time Warner and Verizon. Unfortunately, the routing for the zone where my server lives was effected by the Comcast outage. So glad things are back up and working now because I have a beautiful home to share with you!
2014 Southern Living Idea House at Palmetto Bluff in Bluffton, South Carolina
I’m super excited to take you on a tour of this year’s Southern Living Idea House here at BNOTP! Were you able to tour it in person this year? In the past I’ve had the chance to tour a Southern Living Idea Home when it was here in Georgia and it’s always a great experience. I’ll link to that tour at the end of this post in case you would like to see it, too.
This years Southern Living Idea House is located in the Lowcountry in Bluffton, South Carolina. It’s surrounded by a forest of pines trees on one side a beautiful lake on the other. Doesn’t this look like the picture of serenity?!
If you haven’t yet toured this home but live near the area, it will be open for tours through December 14th, 2014.
Love seeing the reflection of the home in water…so beautiful! Notice the metal roof–such a practical design that will last for many, many years. The architect for this lowcountry home is Ken Pursley. He worked closely with designer, Suzanne Kasler to create the home and interiors you’ll be seeing in today’s tour.
I’m thrilled to see it has a porch! Let’s go take a closer look!
What do you think? Could you spend your mornings and evenings here?
Forget mornings and evenings…let’s just stay out here all day! You could do some serious entertaining on a porch this size, couldn’t you?
Such a beautiful view!
The table we get of glimpse of in this picture below is a large table that’s perfect for dining outside. It will easily seat six.
I think I see a fire pit…let’s go take a closer look.
Before we head out to view the fire pit, let’s grab a drink here from the outdoor bar.
Would you like a straw with your drink?
A perfect spot for grilling out!
The fire pit will no doubt be put to good use in a couple of months when cool weather begins to move in.
Another great spot for a cozy dinner for four. Love the view!
As you enter the home through the front door, you get a view of the dining room. Suzanne Kasler was going for a casual elegance when she combined the beautiful lighting with more rustic elements on the table.
Just beyond the dining room you’ll find the living room. The windows overlook views of the marsh. This room was large enough to create two separate seating areas. I can’t see it but there’s supposed to be a hidden, upholstered door near the hearth. Can you guess where it leads? You’ll see in just a sec.
The hearth is made of blackened steel and it houses the TV along with built-in bookshelves. The TV kind of disappears into it, doesn’t it.
A view looking toward the other seating area here in the living room…
Love the views from this side of the room. Suzanne chose floor-to-ceiling curtain sheers for the windows and they are a Sunbrella fabric so they won’t fade in all the natural light pouring in through the windows.
You can see how the areas all connect in this photo below. The dining room, living room and kitchen all interconnect and flow into one another.
There’s a nice large eat-in island in the kitchen. The cabinets were designed in a simple shaker style and were painted gray-blue to coordinate with the hearth in the living room.
Notice the shelves in the corner.
Regarding the storage in the kitchen, designer Suzanne Kasler said, “Put everyday things in reach so you can stow and go.” The architect for the home, Ken agreed and believes, “There is beauty in the functionality.”
If you enter the home via the carport, you’ll find yourself in this room…the mudroom. The bulletin boards are a place to post family schedules and appointments.
Located between the mudroom and the kitchen is a room that is being called a “multipurpose” room and the concept for this space was as a storage area for those things you don’t necessarily want in full view. This room contains a dishwasher, sink, cabinets and open shelving for storage. The table is an antique French piece.
Love all the shelving and storage in this space! Let’s check out the bedrooms!
Amazingly, to reach the master suite, you enter via a hidden upholstered door that’s located in the large hearth in the living room! A sisal rug and velvet pom-pom fringe on the curtains add texture and softness to this space.
The master bath is painted a soft blue.
This bedroom was created with children in mind. Love the fun color scheme Suzanne chose for this room.
The bedding is done in bright colors of pink and orange.
The bathroom…
The guest room is furnished with Hickory Chair’s Candler Bed. The color of the headboard is called greige and white.
This seating area over near the windows is a great place for reading with all the natural light pouring in. What a view!
The guest bathroom…
This room was designed in shades of blue and navy for a more masculine feel. The stripes and navy color also give it a bit of nautical flair.
Hope you enjoyed touring this year’s Southern Living Idea House at Palmetto Bluff in Bluffton, South Carolina. Thanks so much to Southern Living for sharing these photos with me so I could share them with you!
You can see more of this lowcountry charmer at Southern Living online here: Palmetto Bluff Idea House . You can also take a video tour at that link.
If you would love to see this beautiful home in person, tickets can be purchased online and all proceeds go to the Boys & Girls Club of Bluffton. The home will be open for tours until December 14th.
To see the 2010 Southern Living Idea Home in Senoia Georgia, check out these past posts:
Southern Living Idea House: Outdoor Rooms
Southern Living Idea House: Kitchen
Southern Living Idea House: Bedrooms and Nursery
I love your blog, really. But, after coming in from outside here in Texas and being EATEN ALIVE BY MOSQUITOS, all I could think about when I viewed this beautiful waterfront site, was, you guess it…..MOSQUITOS! ha ha
lol Well, hopefully they have some serious mosquito control in effect there.
Great showcase home. Looks so cool and refreshing in this steamy summer heat right now. Thanks Susan!
Do you happen to know how long the home will be open for tours? We thought about an Oct trip down. We used to have a vacation house nearby …then we sold it. 🙁
Someone mentioned mosquitoes…. “noseeums” down there. They are monsters! Ha!
Thanks for the pics. Oh and this…technology is wonderful as long as it works! That’ sweat I tell my students.
Oh, I hate noseeums! They have those in Dublin, GA too and they are awful! Yep, it’s open for tours until December 14th. Let me know if you go…I’ll live vicariously through you! 🙂
Beautiful home…thanks for sharing. Suzanne is an Indiana gal. I’ve seen other homes she has done and really like her style.
I have a good friend who just moved to Bluffton! I had sent her a link to go see this house and am sending this link to her too. Love the house but am rearranging the furniture in my mind. The 2 extra sofas in the living room just don’t look right to me. You have your BACK to that view!!!! And then in the bedroom with the 2 white chairs, I would put 2 swivel rockers facing each other so they could see OUTSIDE. But that’s just me:):) Thanks so much for this tour Susan.
All I can say, Susan, is “Yowzah!”! What a magnificent home. Thank you for sharing. Will this home eventually be sold? Rosie @ The Magic Hutch
I think so, Rosie. That’s a great question…I’ve never asked but I’m pretty sure they are ultimately available for purchase.
My thoughts too, were mosquitoes! That porch needs to be screened in or I would NOT be spending time outside mornings or evenings! and with a marsh there too. Just bugs , bugs ,bugs. No thank you.
That was also my first thought……no screens on the porch??? No way can you sit out there with all that water and marsh!!! Love the generous interior, but would also do much different furniture arranging…..got to look out on that view!!!
Hi Susan,
What a beautiful setting! The lake is so still it has a mirror reflection. 🙂 I think the setting is my favorite part of this house. There were some things I liked about the house, particularly the expansive porches, but there were several things I didn’t like about it, surprisingly.
I wonder what they do with these houses? I thought perhaps it was a raffle type thing, like the St. Jude houses.
Btw, THANK YOU for getting the larger, darker print back in this comment box. I can see again! Lol. And thanks for the tour.
Hmm, it’s still not showing a preview of the comment, but at least I’m happy I can see it again. 😀
I don’t think this plugin will show a preview, wish it did.
What a stunning home! There are many ideas I would like to take from there to use in my own home – what a great source of inspiration. Here in the UK we love looking at these fabulous houses as they are so different from anything we have here…….keep the home tours coming, I love them!
Wow! You were in South Carolina? When was this? I’m sure you enjoyed your little trip down here, Susan. Of course, it could be considered a biased statement from someone hailing from this state. I’m just that proud of it.
Life here in the South is so amazing. We have all the modern conveniences, yet we can be as close to nature as we please. I’m glad you were able to glimpse it through touring this house. You know, a lot of homes here are fortunate to have that scenery around it. There is so much water and greens in this side of the country.
I wish you could have visited one of the islands. Homes there are so beautiful, like those in John’s Island or Kiawah Island. Maybe next time you can come and see them. I do hope you enjoyed your South Carolina experience. Have more fun adventures!
James, I wish I could have seen it in person. Southern Living just kindly shared those pics with me so I could share them on BNOTP. SC is a great state, I love visiting there! 🙂
I would love to get further away from metro Atlanta! I did visit Kiawah once many years ago and it was beautiful! I haven’t been to St. John’s Island though…if it’s anything like Kiawah, I know I would love it!
It’s good to hear that you like SC too. I think you’d like any of the islands here, Susan. I’m glad you got to visit Kiawah Island once. Kiawah is actually my favorite, but all the others are just as lovely. They are a wonderful taste of nature, so beautifully vibrant and kissed by crystalline waters. Although if you want a bit of activity, I would suggest Folly beach. It has a lot of restaurants in the vicinity that you could choose from too. Hope you could visit here again in the future!
A really comfy, soothing place–inside and out. Got some inspiration for decor, so thanks for the tour today.
I could live on that porch and keep the OFF repellent people in business at the same time. I always enjoy your home tours. Thanks, Susan.
lol I googled last night and there are several pest control companies in that area that promise they can keep mosquitoes out of your yard. I wish I had know that years ago because there’s a house behind me with a pond and years ago, the mosquitoes were terrible here. You couldn’t even walk to your mailbox without being eaten alive. I’m thinking maybe they are treating the pond now because it hasn’t been that bad the last few summers. We still have them but nothing like in past years.
What a beautiful and peaceful setting. I can imagine sitting on the porch in the fall watching the leaves change. The interior is so comfy looking, I could curl up just about anywhere and read a good book. I love the French table in the multi-purpose room, will be on the lookout for one of those.
Thank you for sharing this lovely home.
You can see the table and the stools around it a bit better at the Southern Living website Charlotte, just in case you want a better look at it.
What a lovely, lovely home, in a beautiful setting. You captured it wonderfully in your photographs. Thank you so much for sharing!
Thank you so much for sharing this fabulous home, Susan! What zen. I live by the Potomac River, and the mosquitoes are horrific, until that is, I hired Orkin. I haven’t had a mosquito bite since. There’s just one thing about this wonderful home that I’m not sure I’m fond of: the black steel wall.
Beautiful home, thanks for sharing. I always look wistfully at homes like these–decorated with LOTS of white–and wonder how one actually lives with so much white without destroying the decor. I don’t even want to think about what my rambunctious little grandson would do to house like this one LOL. Have a great day. :0)
I do love the look and it’s easy to decorate around, changing out the pillows for seasons, etc… If I ever end up in that little cottage I dream of retiring to, I may get a white sofa but get one with slip covers so I can wash them with a bit of bleach in case something bad happens. I’d be afraid to serve red wine to anyone sitting on a white sofa. I’d be afraid to drink it sitting on a white sofa! 🙂
Thanks for sharing! It’s a beautiful home in a beautiful setting. I am disappointed in the decor though. I don’t like the direction Southern Living has been going lately!
I am so thrilled you posted these photos, Susan! I just did a post last week on black painted window frames and was considering that for my own home, but when I picked up my SL mag, I spied the painted window frames in the kitchen — a much softer color than black! Now (thanks to you!) I can see that they’re a blue-gray and I’m loving that as an option. I’ve pinned a couple to come back to… thank you so much for sharing!
xo Heidi
I like that too, Heidi…better than the black ones I’ve seen. It’s such a softer look as you mentioned. So glad this was helpful…makes my day to hear that! 🙂
so enjoy your home tours Susan. This house looks super comfortable to relax in. Love all the soft blues and cream. And a gorgeous porch. And in my imagination, I can make it totally bug-free 🙂
Exactly! Might have to screen in that porch. lol
While I appreciate your posting this tour, and the house does have some great features, your house is much more our taste – looks & “feels” like a home. When I saw where this house was, I didn’t even enter. After living 12 years in Columbia, SC, all I saw in this Bluffton house was Heat, Humidity, and Mosquitos. We then moved to western NC and have loved every minute living here.
Paula, amazing how a little distance can make a difference. Do you have many mosquitoes there at all?
Not sure this is in my top SL idea homes list. While it had some charming notes, for the most part it felt a little contrived and sterile, unusual for a SL project. Most lakehomes are a retreat and furnished for comfort and conversation. This one looked staged by a designer with only serious adult friends, I couldn’t find the warmth. The kitchen windows on the sink counter were awesome 🙂
I love everything about this home!
I know this is late but I just visited the SL Idea House this week and had to comment. I hadn’t been to impressed by the house in the pics (except for the beautiful view) but the pics DO NOT do it justice. It’s beautiful…and what came across as sterile in pictures comes across as calming and restful in person. I could move in tomorrow and not miss any of my stuff…LOL. The little town area in the community is adorable – right on the river. There is an Inn and you actually rent cottages in the village…for a premium price! And, just down the street from the SL Home are 3 more equally beautifully decorated homes you can tour…but not on the water. Definitely worth the drive over!
Judi, thanks so much for that update. I bet it is wonderful in person! So good to hear from someone who has actually seen it in person! 🙂
Beautiful home. My husband and I just visited today. We came away with lots of ideas for updating our home. It was very well decorated and more beautiful in person. We are planning to go back with friends. Really worthwhile to view.
That’s great to hear, Jean…would love to see it in person!
Hi there! What a beautiful home! I am interested in finding out about the gold circular light fixture over the kitchen table. Any information would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Hi Molly,
I’m not sure of the source for that fixture, but check out the Southern Living website because I bet they have info on that. I just noticed on this page, there’s a video titled “Shop This Video.” I’m not sure if they mention the source of the light fixture in the video or not. If they don’t, look for a contact email at the website and email them. Hopefully they can give you more info or give you an email for someone who can: http://www.southernliving.com/home-garden/idea-houses/2014-idea-house
Gorgeous house on gorgeous property!