PEACE, LOVE & LAKE HOMES TEXT BY ANNE MARIE ASHLEY PHOTOGRAPHY BY DUSTIN AND SUSIE PECK
ONE COUPLE FINDS PEACE IN DESIGNING THE LAKE HOME OF THEIR DREAMS WITH THE HELP OF SOUTHERN STUDIO INTERIOR DESIGN.
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F I N D I N G A L A K E H O U S E that suited her tastes with a dock that suited her husband had been eluding homeowner Irma Barrington. The couple had searched for properties for over a year, but to no avail. Her son-in-law found a home for sale on Smith Mountain Lake and showed it to Irma’s daughter, Maggie, in an effort to help, but her daughter took one look at the old brick ranch with gorgeous views and said, “There’s no way my mother will look at this property,” and pushed it aside. Meanwhile, Irma and her husband had reluctantly concluded that building a custom home was the only way to go. “I was not looking forward to building, but felt it was the only way we could come together on our wants,” says Irma. “When I told our Realtor, she said, ‘I have just the property for you.’” Shortly after, they pulled up to an old brick ranch with gorgeous views. “I said, ‘Are you kidding me?’” admits Irma. But their Realtor urged them
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