How Two Teams Transformed This Local Home Into a Dream Family Hub

Front Light Building Company and Gaston Crue Interiors united to bring comfort and character to a Palmetto Bluff home.

Story by Alea Wilkins
Photography by Eddie Tucker

There’s a reason strong relationships are built on a solid foundation. Through mutual understanding, cooperation and trust, it guarantees not just something beautiful, but something that will last. For the second home of an Oklahoman couple, Front Light Building Company director of design Julie Callaway believed teamwork would turn their dream house into reality.

Starting with a Palmetto Bluff spec home, Callaway laid the hard surfaces before meeting the clients, a couple looking for a new place after their adult children left the nest. To bring their vision of a flexible family hub to life, Callaway reached out to fellow designer and friend of 15 years, Gaston Conley of Gaston Crue Interiors. Though they’d never collaborated on a project before, she knew they’d click. “Finding the right designer is like finding the right therapist,” she says. “I knew instantly after spending time with this client that he would be the perfect fit.”

Together, the two designers worked with the couple to create their ideal gathering space, showcasing the magic of collaboration done right.

A Southern welcome

For the couple’s first Lowcountry home, the designers wanted to embrace their new surroundings without feeling overly kitschy. Bright, open spaces set the stage for delicate homages to the scenery, like oyster shell art decor on the kitchen counter or a captain’s wheel hoisted up on the wall. To develop each room’s distinct feel, Conley and his business partner, Ellen Burkhart, used their shared love for wallpaper as a starting point. “We took inspiration from each wallpaper and then created a scheme off of that,” Burkhart says, mentioning the laundry room’s pheasant pattern and a delicate deer design upstairs. “It was very fun because each room felt like its own space, but it was still kinetic. It still flowed.” 

As a whole, the team let the home’s purpose guide the design. In the great room an open-concept kitchen stretches into a spacious seating area. Surrounding the chocolate leather ottoman, a pair of couches — each with a matching set of tropical throw pillows — and a couplet of leopard-print armchairs face the fireplace. Callaway says this set-up encourages harmony. “It was important to center everything off the fireplace because it acts like an architectural anchor in the house,” she says. “It definitely gives the space a sense of balance and symmetry, and that’s important because these are in rooms that everyone naturally gathers.”

Hostess with the mostest 

With a big family, satisfying everyone seems like an impossible task, but the designers were up for the challenge. Since the homeowners intend to host their children and grandchildren all under the same roof, they wanted to ensure each family member had a place to relax, work or play. “The biggest thing was flexibility, making sure that there were spaces that could be used for multiple purposes,” Callaway says. 

In the bourbon room, a cozy fire and ample seating suit both cocktail parties and family movie nights. The card room, filled with a pair of square wooden tables and chairs, makes working from home comfortable by day. When off the clock, kids can join in with board games or crafts. Even when family is away, the couple can appreciate their own groups of company without feeling too distant. Callaway explains that the hidden sliding doors between rooms make for easy adjustability as parties come and go. “If they have friends over, the guys can take one room, and the women, the other. There’s flexibility to make drinks, mingle. There are a lot of cool opportunities,” she says.

Work in progress

Bringing this grand abode to life was not without its challenges. To the Gaston Crue team, sourcing pieces that reflected the homeowners’ character while meeting their timeline added extra pressure. Since they joined the project later on, they only had six months to pull it all together. Conley says that typically, a project of this grandeur can take upward of 18 months. Still, with time, the homeowners can continue to build their own collection of knick-knacks and memorabilia—personal touches that will grow and change as the homeowners do. This principle guides Conley’s thinking: “A home never finished is what keeps it alive—always evolving, always welcoming,” he writes on Instagram.

All together now

From the first floorplan to the perfect finishing touch, it takes a village to build a home. This collaborative project exemplifies how a strong partnership can turn a simple spec home into something spectacular. “Being able to work side-by-side is such a big thing, and for it to just blend together and create such a beautiful space, I think that says a lot about our relationship,” Callaway says. To her, connecting with others is one of the most rewarding parts of the job, and this time was extra special. “Their home has been complete for over a year now, but we still check in all the time. She wants to hear about my kids. I want to hear about her grandkids,” she says. “That’s what makes this job so special.”