Travelers Rest, SC - New Home Construction

A mid-century modern mountain retreat designed for retirement living, multigenerational family, and a lifetime of mountain memories.

mid-century cabin exterior
mid-century cabin lower level plan
mid-century cabin main level plan
mid-century cabin exterior
mid-century cabin exterior
mid-century cabin exterior
mid-century cabin front door
mid-century cabin living room
mid-century cabin living room
mid-century cabin living room
mid-century cabin fireplace
mid-century cabin fireplace
mid-century cabin living room
mid-century cabin porch
mid-century cabin porch
mid-century cabin porch
mid-century cabin kitchen
mid-century cabin kitchen
mid-century cabin bedroom
mid-century cabin bathroom
mid-century cabin bathroom
mid-century cabin pantry
mid-century cabin patio
mid-century cabin patio
mid-century cabin patio
mid-century cabin MIL suite
mid-century cabin MIL suite
mid-century cabin MIL suite

A rustic mountain cabin in Travelers Rest, SC had been a family gathering place for years — full of memories, surrounded by mountain views and a neighborhood lake. When the owners decided to retire here, they knew the cabin needed serious work. What they didn't know yet was how serious.

The structure was failing. The mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems were broken and patched beyond repair. The aesthetic they loved — a mid-century modern take on a mountain cabin — felt impossible to achieve within four walls that were literally falling apart. The question wasn't just "how do we fix this?" It was "can this even be fixed?"

We started with a renovation plan, but a year into the design process, the structural realities made the answer clear: we needed to build new.

That's a hard pivot. It changes the budget, the timeline, and the emotional weight of the whole project. For a family already attached to this land and this place, it required a genuine reset. We worked through it together: redesigning from the ground up, honoring the spirit of the original cabin while finally giving the home the bones it deserved.

The new home is 1,700 square feet with a 670-square-foot mother-in-law apartment and a 540-square-foot garage — a thoughtful footprint designed for the way this family actually lives. Every doorway, bathroom, and transition was planned with aging-in-place in mind, including an adaptive kitchen and zero-entry shower in the mother-in-law suite. The design reflects a mid-century modern interpretation of a mountain cabin, with a touch of Scandinavian influence — clean lines, warm materials, a home that feels rooted in its setting rather than dropped into it.

Because the site was remote, finding a builder willing to work there took longer than anyone hoped. Through every delay, I stayed involved — making weekly site visits, coordinating with the contractor, and making sure that two clients living out of town always had someone on the ground keeping an eye on their home. That's part of the job. When the process gets hard, you don't step back. You stay in.

The result is a bright, functional home built to last — designed for gathering, for aging gracefully, and for all the years of memories still ahead.

Project details

Type: New home construction

Location: Travelers Rest, SC

Size: 1,700 SF main home / 670 SF mother-in-law apartment / 540 SF garage

Design priorities: Aging-in-place design, multigenerational living, mid-century modern mountain aesthetic

Services: Custom home design, construction administration

"Heather made the design process for a new build easy... We planned for our home to be our 'forever home' and Heather took ADA compliant measurements in creating our doorways and bathroom design. My mother lives next to us in a space that Heather designed as well, with an adaptive kitchen, bathroom, and zero entry shower. Heather's designs and creative flair helped bring our dream home to life!!!" — Elizabeth

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