Lake Life Redefined

Design by Warehouse 67 | Story by Terri Glazer | Photography by Annabella Charles

 Kim Loudenbeck’s latest project, her recently renovated home on Pickwick Lake, brings a new definition to lake life. Asked to tell the story, she begins this way: “We've been in our [Eads] home almost three years now and we had the urge to tackle a new project.” 

The interior designer and owner of Warehouse 67, a self-confessed “project addict,” attributes her desire to create beautiful spaces to her childhood spent drawing and painting. “To me, renovating a house is like creating a three-dimensional work of art. I get to envision what’s in my head and make it a reality.” And she continues with a laugh, “I’ve never met a house I didn’t like! Every house I go into, I see what it could be and it just makes me so excited and gives me so much encouragement to transform it into a space that people can live in and enjoy.” 

Not wanting to move her family again, Kim and her husband Jeremy initially considered flipping a home in the Memphis area, but low inventory in the Mid South real estate market made that challenging. They broadened their geographic range, considering the possibility of operating an AirBnb in coastal Florida, and even as far away as Scotland, but ran into a series of roadblocks that eventually led them in a different direction. 

After helping several clients with houses at Pickwick, Kim started to consider a home on the lake. “What I was hearing was that everyone has either a place that’s been passed down in their family for years, or a custom-built new home on the lake. You rarely ever see a beautiful turnkey house that's been renovated to become the best version of a lake home,” she says.

After about a year of looking, the couple came across what they saw as the perfect opportunity in the Riverton, AL, area. The 1984 ranch home checked off all the boxes they wanted for a renovation: a large lot, waterfront access and a panoramic view of the water. “I can always change a house,” says Kim, but you can’t change the location.” 

Once they completed the purchase of the house in July 2020, the family spent the summer enjoying Pickwick Lake, as well as the hiking trails and waterfalls in the Riverton area. They fell in love with the historic area and neighborhood. Over the summer she reached out to other local homeowners to learn what they loved most about their lake houses. She found out that some of the most popular features are a large gathering room, lots of places for people to sleep, a well-appointed kitchen, a covered porch and outdoor living areas, so she set about making plans to reimagine their 1,500-square-foot place into the perfect getaway spot for the family.

 “I love taking spaces and transforming them into something that people can enjoy and that fits with the setting. I’m so grateful that I was able to realize the vision that I had in my mind for what this home could be. It is now as beautiful as the view and the location where it sits.”

 —Designer and homeowner Kim Loudenbeck 

By October the plans were finalized to double the square footage of the home. Demo began the week of Thanksgiving, overseen by the Loudenbecks. Kim explains that they wanted the project moved along so it would be finished by this summer. “It’s harder when it’s far away. Once you start, you want to get to the end result and just be able to enjoy it. By doing it ourselves we were able to meet that deadline.” They called on subcontractors with whom they had existing relationships in Memphis for part of the work, and also used local workers from the nearby area. 

As was the case with most everything in 2020, the renovation had special complications brought on by the pandemic. “Trying to rebuild during Covid with all the product shortages and challenges, to say it was hard is an understatement,” says Kim. She admits, “We've had to be way more hands on with this project than on any other we've ever done. Even though it's been stressful it's been good because I've learned new things. We even hauled loads of building materials up there ourselves to keep the job on track! I don't know how many miles we put on our vehicles, but now that it's done in record time, six months from start to finish, it's so worth it.” 

Kim says she loves the fact that the home isn’t a typical “cookie-cutter” new construction. “We kept the beautiful characteristics that were there and we added to it in a way that was harmonious with the original structure. It makes for a very unique home that is intriguing and interesting visually. You never know what's around the corner, and I think that's part of the charm of this property.” 

“It had a natural stone exterior, very typical of the area,” says Kim. “On the new addition we added stone to complete that feel and to make it seem like it's been there all along.” The project included a complete gut of the two-story section of the home along with rebuilding the single-story side to make it two-story as well. 

Maximizing the waterfront location was the Loudenbecks’ first priority. To that end, they replaced walls in the living room and kitchen with 16-foot sliding glass doors to provide expansive water views. Two of the three bedrooms upstairs have a pair of full glass window walls for panoramic views. “You almost feel like you’re floating on the water,” says Kim. 

She describes the biggest challenge in any renovation project as the limitations involved in working around a footprint that is already established. “We've done a lot of new construction and with that the sky's the limit—you can put walls where you want them. But when you're married to a footprint you have to get much more creative on how you utilize that space.” Despite the constraints, she feels like they were able to pack a lot of features into the lake redo.

Designwise, the location of the home gave Kim a sense of freedom to push the limits a bit more than usual. “Here in Memphis you kind of have to keep in certain parameters when you're designing. At the lake I felt like I was a little bit more free to do things that I normally wouldn't do for a main home,” she explains. 

In her planning of the space, Kim wanted to use a mixture of more modern pieces with traditional elements to redefine lake living. “So many of the lake homes I have been in have either been older homes with a reflection of past generations or newly built homes with a mountain lodge vibe. I wanted to create a space that incorporated all of the natural elements of its surroundings with a fresh approach that is current and relaxed.”

Kim used textural details and natural colors to achieve this. One bedroom has the shiplap look, painted in deep navy to give it a pop of color. In another she added green wainscoting. The bonus room is designed in a relaxing natural palette with an unexpected colorful focal point—the American flag that once flew on the original home. 

In the kitchen, blue-gray cabinets with antique mirror panels, waterfall-edge countertops and gold hardware elevate the design but stop short of making it formal or fussy. Kim even extended the design into the pantry, an often neglected area of nondescript shelving. “The pantry is so cute and cozy,” she says. “We put in cabinets and a countertop. We increased the depth of the wall cabinets and brought them all the way down to the countertop, making it an extension of the kitchen; it doesn't feel utilitarian at all!” 

At just under 3,000 square feet, the renovated lake house is a bit smaller than most of the projects Kim undertakes, but that presented a distinct advantage when it came to design and furnishings. “Because there aren't as many pieces, it allowed me to hand pick every one for its character and charm. The home is beautiful in itself, but I was able to layer on even more interest with the furnishings and the fixtures,” says the designer. 

Kim’s affection for her pandemic project is evident in the way she describes it. Although the Pickwick home is dear to her heart, she can’t neglect her passion for projects, so it’s probable that she’ll take on another challenge before too long. She says, “We're looking forward to enjoying it this summer, but we never know what the future holds. I know myself and I know that I'm going to want to do another project. I always tell people, ‘It's not if I do another project, but when."