Sea Island, Georgia, Beach House Tour

Sea Island in Georgia is so much a part of Ela Lewis’ life that it’s almost a member of the family. “It really is a place that grows with you over time and across generations,” says Lewis, who often visits the site with her husband and two teenagers from their hometown of Chicago. On their monthly trips, they play tennis or accompany the resident biologists on their early-morning patrols to check on newly hatched sea turtles. “There’s something there for both the littlest and the oldest. It’s a beautiful and special place on the Georgia coast,” she says. Her husband, who grew up in Atlanta, visited Sea Island as a child, and their own family trips began when their first child was a toddler, about 15 years ago. “We love watching the wildlife. Countless unique bird species migrate through there, and the island has one of the largest sea turtle populations in Georgia,” she notes.

While the name Sea Island may sound a bit over the top, to their credit, they’re clear: It’s a 5-mile-long barrier island off the foaming Atlantic, with marshes on its western side so poetic they were immortalized by 19th-century poet Sidney Lanier. It was the same shimmering wetland that convinced Lewis and her husband of their own piece of paradise. “It’s very private, with marsh views both in front and behind the house,” she says of her property. “Plus, you get the most beautiful sunsets you’ll ever see. I mean, they’re incredible. When it came on the market, we just couldn’t resist.”

They commissioned designer Mark D. Sikes to make the waterfront space their own. His relaxed color palette was inspired by the natural surroundings of the home, which is featured in his new book. Forever beautiful: All-American style, all year long. The setting was also the inspiration for the hand-painted mural in the powder room, where artist Paul Montgomery depicted Lowcountry scenes similar to what is seen out the window. “We were definitely inspired by the Spanish moss, the water and the sky,” says Sikes. “These swampy greens have more yellow in them – the colors of the sunset. There’s a muted, faded feel.” The resulting retreat is as distinctly timeless and inviting as Sea Island itself.

Find a local muse

“There were a lot of shutters in the house and we decided to keep them. I liked how they filtered the light,” says Sikes. They cast striped shadows when the sun shines in, and that became the starting point for the designer. He took the same linear effect and applied it in many places throughout the house, including the wallpaper in the central stairwell – Farrow & Ball’s ‘Broad Stripe’ applied horizontally – and the ottoman in the living room, which features Jasper’s ‘Le Havre’ in a mitered stripe pattern. “In general, we always try to apply fabrics to upholstery in more unique ways,” he explains.

Romantic room

“We hung custom curtains between the living room and dining room to create a little more softness, especially because we had shutters everywhere else,” Sikes says of the pom-pom-trimmed curtains. He used tone-on-tone colors for the upholstery (with armchairs and pillows in Lee Jofa’s Nympheus Twill fabric) and for the painted accents that highlight the beaded ceiling. “We had a lot of fun with color,” he says of the decision to paint the walls, ceiling and trim in three different shades of Farrow & Ball—Skylight (No. 205), Borrowed Light (No. 235) and Light Blue (No. 22). They kept the existing terra-cotta floor to create a relaxed indoor-outdoor feel and laid layered rugs for texture. A colonial-style chandelier floats above.

Strive for a sense of age

“I think Sea Island has a very American, coastal feel,” says Sikes. “It doesn’t feel tropical or Caribbean.” He took destination inspiration in the dining room as well, choosing elements that reinforce that nostalgic feel. He hung two iron-finished lanterns from Visual Comfort & Co. and surrounded the long wood table with the family’s existing—but freshly painted—chairs. An antique mirror and a collection of vintage creamware (some of which the Lewises already had) add interest and give the space a timeless style.

Find a good balance

Sikes and his team curated modern artworks (like this abstract mixed-media work by William McLure) to contrast with more classic design choices. Hand-woven wicker furniture by Bielecky Brothers adds lightness to a space anchored by larger upholstered pieces, such as a sofa sectional upholstered in Godavari in Verdigris by Namay Samay.

Consider all the details

English textile designer William Morris’s 1887 Willow Boughs wallpaper adds a lovely leafy touch to this welcoming corner, which serves as a coffee nook for the family’s overnight guests. Sikes repeated the iconic pattern in the cushions on the bench, which were coated in Vert de Terre (No. 234) by Farrow & Ball. A John James Audubon print of a Whalebone Creek ibis references the regional waterfowl, and the marble table is by Serena & Lily.

Bring the past to life in an instant

In the son’s room, Sikes chose a sage-green windowpane check fabric with a flax background (Schumacher’s Luberon Plaid) for the walls to create a worn, sepia-toned effect. The woven Perriand Natural Rush Bed from Hollywood at Home adds another touch of earthiness.

Charm with prints

The interiors are permeated throughout with a “rustic, beachy look,” says the designer. That feeling is especially true in the daughter’s room, where walls covered in Penny Morrison’s blue/orange Vasari fabric cast a warm glow that mimics the spectacular sunsets outside. That pattern, which incorporates garden motifs, informed the room’s other floral accents, from the block-printed pillows (Penny Morrison’s Kalindi) to the framed plants. A wicker nightstand and side table, as well as plaster lamps, soften the formality of the canopy bed and enhance the beach house spirit.