Designed for the Life You’re Actually Living: Inside a New Construction Home for a Discerning Tastemaker
When designed for the life you're actually living, inside a new construction home for a discerning tastemaker, there's a certain kind of client who walks into a design meeting already knowing things. Not necessarily what they want in a room — but who they are. What they value. How they move through the world. The busy professional who appreciates craft, who notices the stitching on a chair and the provenance of a rug, who travels well and lives intentionally and wants their home to reflect all of it without trying too hard.
This project was designed for exactly that person.
A new construction home on the lake. A pool. Rooms that needed to work as hard as the family that lives in them — and look extraordinary doing it. What follows is a room-by-room look at the design boards we created, and the thinking behind every choice.
THE PHILOSOPHY: SOPHISTICATED, LAYERED, UNMISTAKABLY THEM
Before we selected a single piece, we asked the questions we always ask: How do you want to feel when you walk in the door? What do you want your home to say? What does a perfect day here look like?
The answers shaped everything. This client wanted sophistication without stiffness. Fashion-forward without trend-chasing. A mix of materials and styles that felt collected over time — even in a brand new home. They wanted the house to feel like them: polished, warm, a little unexpected, and completely intentional.
That's the brief. Here's how we answered it.
Front Porch — The First Hello
First impressions matter. The front porch sets the tone before anyone steps inside — and we wanted it to say: this is not a generic luxury home. Sculptural woven rattan chairs in a generous, enveloping silhouette anchor the space alongside teal hourglass side tables that pop with personality. A knitted aqua pouf adds texture and a relaxed welcome. Rust-toned fabric swatches with a woven dash pattern bring warmth. Ceramic planters in slate grey and cream complete the tableau — organic, considered, and quietly confident.
Entry — The Promise
The entry is a promise. It tells guests everything about what's coming. Here, a tortoiseshell-framed mirror with architectural stepped detailing commands the wall above a grey stone-veneer credenza with lacquered black hardware. A coral-glazed ceramic lamp — sculptural, unexpected — sits beside a botanical art print of berries and eggs in a dark frame. The rug beneath it all is a showstopper: a hand-knotted piece in warm gold and silver with an abstract scrolling pattern that feels like something found in a Paris antique market. A tufted linen bench on bronze legs offers a place to pause. This entry doesn't just welcome you in — it intrigues you.
Living Room — The Conversation Starter
When designed for the life you're actually living: inside a new construction home for a discerning tastemaker, the living room is where sophisticated casual lives. A generous ivory sofa with clean architectural lines anchors the seating, paired with two slate grey barrel chairs that have just enough edge to keep things interesting. Between them, a travertine-top coffee table on a branching brass base — organic and sculptural — grounds the arrangement without heaviness. An antique-style Persian rug in terracotta, teal, and ivory pulls the warmth of the room together and introduces that collected, layered quality our client was after. A dark walnut console table behind the sofa does double duty as display space and room divider. This is a room that invites long conversations and looks extraordinary doing it.
Dining Room — The Statement
If there's one room in this home that announces the client's tastemaker credentials most clearly, it's the dining room. A dramatic walnut dining table with architectural arched base legs commands the space beneath a bronze-and-cream linear pendant. Flanking the room: a pair of honeycomb gold wall sconces that cast a warm, jewel-like glow. The sideboard is a study in contrast — walnut base with sculptural white lacquer cabinet doors featuring an abstract relief pattern. Beneath it all, a deep denim blue rug with a woven texture anchors everything with confident color from Lisa Peck's own textile line Sylvie and Mira. Above the table, a large-scale abstract painting in swirling ocean blues, teals, and golds adds the unexpected art moment every great dining room deserves. This is a room built for dinner parties that go late.
Family Room — The Exhale
Every home needs a room that lets you breathe. The family room is that room — but it never sacrifices style to get there. A deep, curved sectional in warm ivory with dusty mauve accents wraps the space in comfort. A round two-tiered coffee table in aged dark wood sits low and grounded. A charcoal lounge chair with clean lines offers a solo perch. A sculptural resin side table in smoky navy adds an art-object quality. The rug beneath — a large-scale botanical pattern in warm greige — brings in a whisper of nature without going literal. A sleek walnut media console keeps technology tucked and handsome. This room works for movie nights, homework, and everything in between.
Kitchen and Breakfast Room — The Gathering Place
When designed for the life you're actually living, inside a new construction home for a discerning tastemaker, kitchen for a tastemaker has to do more than function — it has to make a statement. The sink wall here is a masterpiece of restraint: a long stainless workstation sink with walnut cutting board panels flanked by two sleek matte disc pendants on black hardware. The faucets are industrial in spirit, polished in execution. The breakfast room is where personality really arrives: a sculptural round dining table on a branching walnut pedestal base feels like a piece of art you happen to eat at. Leather counter stools with clean lines and dark frames keep things grounded. A cluster pendant of interlocking glass orbs and brass delivers the jewel-box lighting moment this space deserves.
Powder Bath — The Unexpected Jewel Box
The powder bath is where this home takes a confident turn into the unexpected. Wrapped in a large-scale painterly wallpaper in soft turquoise and sea-glass tones, the room feels artistic, immersive, and entirely memorable. A sculptural rounded vessel sink in a saturated teal finish becomes the centerpiece — almost like functional ceramic art — paired with warm brushed brass fixtures that bring depth and sophistication. The softly curved mirror and textured disc sconces echo the organic shapes throughout the space, creating a room that feels layered rather than overly polished. Even the smallest details were chosen intentionally. This is the kind of powder bath guests remember long after they leave — bold, playful, and unmistakably elevated.
Primary Bath — Quiet Luxury, Perfected
The primary bath was designed as a study in restraint — calm, refined, and deeply restorative. Clean architectural lines define the space, anchored by a sculptural freestanding soaking tub that feels both modern and timeless. Brushed nickel fixtures and integrated accessories bring a tailored precision, while softly textured sconces and a linen-toned framed mirror add warmth without excess. The palette remains intentionally quiet: warm whites, soft stone tones, and subtle metallic finishes that allow materials and craftsmanship to take center stage. Every element was selected to create an atmosphere that feels effortless and restorative, transforming everyday routines into rituals. The result is a bathroom that doesn't compete for attention — it simply feels exceptional to live in.
Guest Bath — Tailored with Character
The guest bath balances utility with personality, creating a space that feels thoughtful rather than secondary. A charcoal concrete sink introduces a grounded, sculptural element against the softer finishes surrounding it, while brushed metal fixtures lend an understated industrial edge. The mirror's dark antiqued frame adds depth and contrast, paired with elongated alabaster-inspired sconces that cast a warm, flattering glow throughout the room. When designed for the life you're actually living, inside a new construction home for a discerning tastemaker, carefully selected hardware and plumbing details give the space a collected, custom quality — refined but never precious. The overall effect feels masculine, modern, and quietly luxurious, offering guests a space that feels intentionally designed from every angle.
Kids’ Bathroom — Playful, Polished, and Built to Last
The kids’ bathroom was designed to feel fresh and playful while still reflecting the elevated design language carried throughout the home. Clean-lined fixtures and durable materials provide a practical foundation, while moments of color, texture, and shape bring personality into the space. Rounded mirrors, sculptural lighting, and layered finishes soften the room and create an environment that feels cheerful without becoming overly themed. Durable surfaces and thoughtful storage solutions ensure the room works beautifully for busy mornings and growing routines alike. The overall feeling is bright, energetic, and intentionally designed — a bathroom that feels sophisticated enough for the home today while flexible enough to grow alongside the family.
Media Room — Cinema Worthy
The lower level media room was designed to feel like a private screening room — intimate, enveloping, and effortlessly sophisticated. A large-scale sectional in warm ivory linen with a chaise configuration invites full commitment to whatever's on screen. Two matching swivel chairs in cream boucle with dark wood trim flank the space for flexible viewing. The coffee table — a two-tiered design in weathered grey with a slate leather top — is both functional and beautiful. An oversized framed oil painting of a theater interior adds a cinematic in-joke that's entirely intentional. Globe wall sconces in frosted white complete the mood. This is not your average basement TV room.
Bar and Game Area — Play Hard
Every well-designed home needs a space that gives adults permission to play. The bar and game area delivers that in style. A sculptural round game table on a stone pedestal base sits at the center, surrounded by upholstered dining chairs in pale grey linen with dark frames — the kind of chairs that work equally well for a poker night or a serious board game tournament. The bar features a hammered stainless sink, clean-line faucet, and a sculptural brass linear pendant overhead that says this space takes its fun seriously. A set of raw ash bar stools with architectural joinery and a leather cushion rail rounds out the seating.
Her Office — Focused and Beautiful
Her office needed to be a place where real work gets done — and where doing it feels like a pleasure. A shagreen-finish writing desk with black iron legs and bronze ring pulls is elegant without being precious. A slate grey leather side chair provides a second seat for working conversations. A sculptural bouclé swivel lounge chair — round, enveloping, impossibly comfortable — offers a place to think. A gold cage-style side table beside it holds a book or a coffee. A brass flush-mount ceiling fixture with frosted glass panels casts a warm, even light. This is a room that says: she has her own space, and it's exactly right.
His Office — Grounded and Focused
His office takes a different approach — quieter, heavier, more anchored. A substantial light oak desk with a slab base and integrated drawer cabinet has a sculptural simplicity that feels genuinely modern. A ceramic table lamp in dark, metallic glaze sits beside it — textural and interesting. A swivel lounge chair in warm greige linen with a matching rounded ottoman creates a reading corner that's genuinely inviting. A dark bronze ambient sconce adds a moody, focused glow. The overall feeling: a man who knows what he likes and doesn't need to prove anything.
OUTDOOR LIVING Poolside — The Best Seat in the House
When the home is on a lake and has a pool, the outdoor spaces aren't afterthoughts — they're the point. The poolside design delivers two distinct moments. First: a sculptural woven rattan daybed with a deep cocoon silhouette, paired with a teal drum side table — an invitation to disappear into a book and not come back until dinner. Second: a pair of clean-lined teak chaise lounges with linen cushions and matching teal accent tables for classic lakeside lounging. Both arrangements are designed to look as good as they feel.
Outdoor Terrace — Fire and Conversation
The terrace is where the evening happens. A sleek three-seat outdoor sofa in charcoal grey with aluminum frame anchors one side. Two matching armless lounge chairs face it across a sculptural concrete fire table — low, modern, dramatic. A geometric white side table adds a contemporary punctuation mark. This is a space designed for the kind of evening that starts with cocktails and ends with the stars.
THE WHOLE PICTURE
What makes this home work — what makes every room feel cohesive despite the range of materials, moods, and functions — is the thread that runs through all of it. Every choice connects back to who this client is: discerning, warm, fashion-forward, and genuinely intentional about how they live.
From the front porch to the terrace. From the dining room showstopper to the quiet corner of his office. This is a home that tells people who you are — one square foot at a time.That's what we do at LiLu. We don't just furnish rooms. We bring intention home. Ready to start the conversation about your new build or renovation? We'd love to hear about the life you're designing for.
Contact us today to start your next project!
