Date:  July 1, 2026  |   Story: Rebekah Hall Scott  |   Photography: Rett Peek  |   Styling: Bailey Dougan  |  

Designer Katie Rees helps bring a family’s refined lake-house dreams to life

For a family’s new home on Hot Springs’ Lake Hamilton, designer Katie Rees leaned into her clients’ vision for bringing the outdoors inside and created a space designed around entertaining. “From the very beginning, Katie and her team really understood the vision we had for the home and helped bring it to life in a way that felt both beautiful and functional,” the homeowner says. “We appreciated how seamlessly they balanced creativity with practicality.”

The exterior of the home features natural stone, and Katie notes that her clients wanted to incorporate this in the interior as well. “They wanted it to have more of a modern flair, but not be cold,” she says, pointing to the earthy elements throughout the spaces. “Katie has such a talent for creating spaces that feel elevated while still being warm and livable,” her client says. Because the home will be used frequently by the couple’s children and other guests, durability was also a priority. Katie selected materials that would stand up to high traffic, including wood tile instead of hardwood floors.

When it came to style, Katie says her clients wanted to embrace pops of deep black and other moody colors, while keeping an overall earthy and light look. To strike this balance, she used artwork, upholstery, and accessories that bring visual interest and have an appeal all their own. “For all my clients, I want the house to be a classic space that will age well,” she says. “I try to make the materials and finishes as timeless as I can, and not too trendy. Then, I bring in some of that color and punch with art and furniture.”

On the home’s lower level, which features a second kitchen, Katie selected finishes to celebrate the light coming in from the waterfront view, including a textured black clay zellige tile and marble countertops. “They have an entire basement downstairs that is great for their teenagers and college kiddos,” Katie says. “It’s nice because they have two living areas, so the adults can stay upstairs and be quieter, and then the pool table is downstairs, where the kids can rule the roost.”

Outside, sweeping views of Lake Hamilton can be seen from the infinity pool and outdoor kitchen area, which extends the footprint of the home to provide additional living space while matching the style of the interior. Katie’s client says her family could not be happier with the final result. “The home feels exactly like we hoped it would,” she says. “We can’t wait to make memories here with our family and friends for years to come.”

Above: An infinity pool with a tanning ledge looks out over Lake Hamilton. Katie helped her clients design the home’s outdoor kitchen and seating areas, incorporating the same tile she chose for the pool as a backsplash in the cooking space. “More outdoor entertaining areas are always a plus at the lake,” the designer says. “They wanted a good spot for grilling as well as comfortable spaces to gather with family and friends.”

Quiet Comfort
A burled-wood coffee table, chosen for its shapely detail, anchors the serene living room. “We had so much symmetry going on in this room that I wanted to break it up and add some interest with a few of the pieces,” Katie says. A gallery wall features original works by Louisiana artist Mike Klung, and the horse painting by artist Jo Hyman, seen through the arched doorway, is a nod to the horse racing at nearby Oaklawn.

Soothing Neutrals
The primary kitchen, which guests see when they enter the main level of the home, features a stone tile backsplash, which Katie notes helps “bring the earthiness over” from the adjacent dining room. The curvature of the island mimics rounded edges seen throughout the home, elevating it from “your typical rectangle island,” Katie says. “We also used a fluted banding on the bottom of the island, just to bring some interest and make it unique,” she adds.

Celebrating Texture
Natural stone frames the entrance to the dining space, which is surrounded on three sides by floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Lake Hamilton. The dramatic six-foot-wide chandelier, made from individual strands of leather, brings contrast against the neutral scheme.

Bathing Beauty
In the primary bath, the light fixture is composed of petal-shaped glass discs layered atop each other and effuses a soft glow when lit. Honed, green Calacatta marble was chosen for the walls and floor, and Katie used the same family of marble to incorporate a fluted detail behind the tub.

Moody Moment
Dark, textured grasscloth wallpaper envelops the primary bedroom, which features a panoramic view of the lake. The white oak, tongue-in-groove tray ceiling is stained in tones similar to those used throughout the home, while a four-poster bed, upholstered in boucle fabric, provides a soft spot to land. Katie commissioned several pieces of original artwork for the home using different color palettes for each space, including the abstract lake scene by Arkansas artist Melissa Griffith shown here.

Custom Curves
As a nod to the arches found throughout the home, Katie chose to incorporate a custom wood treatment on the vanities. “We had the trim carpenter replicate the radius of the arch, and then we had the mirrors custom cut and matched the wood to the drawers of the vanity,” Katie explains. “It’s all white oak and uses the same stain, so it all flows together.” Alabaster sconces add a polished detail while staying true to the natural material scheme.

Serene Sight
Katie worked with Troy Turner of Turner Custom Millwork to design a white oak table for the downstairs hangout that serves multiple purposes. “This is their game table, their poker table, a place to share meals—they’re using it a lot, from what I hear,” Katie says. “We wanted it to be a little taller than a normal table so that when you’re sitting there, you could see at eye level with the lake.” Stools with black leather seats provide a comfortable, chic spot to perch, while the pass-through window makes it easy to take drinks and snacks out the pool.

Easy Entertaining
A downstairs hangout offers additional room to host guests with a more casual, laidback design. In this space’s kitchen, a black zellige tile backsplash shimmers with light from the lakefront view. “The tiles have irregular  shapes to them, so this wall has a lot of texture and movement to it,” Katie says. Satin-brass metal pendant lights pop against the black tile, and the marble countertops include dramatic veins of green and gold.

Cozy Quarters
The bunk room on the home’s lower level includes a sophisticated take on traditional bunk beds, intended to stylishly sleep guests and friends of the family’s teenage sons. Katie selected white oak for the elevated storage base, built-in drawers, ladder, and bed rail. Plaid wallpaper lends a subtle masculine touch.

Design Resources
Contractor and draftsman Brock McLeod, Rogers Equipment & Construction Interior design Katie Rees, Katie Grace Designs Accessories Cantrell Furniture Design Center, Cobblestone & Vine, Katie Grace Designs, Kaufman By Design, and Providence Design Appliances Metro Appliances & More Art Katie Grace Designs, Melissa Griffith, and Heike Talbert Bedding Cobblestone & Vine and Katie Grace Designs Brick and fireplace Antique Brick & Block Cabinetry Duke Custom Cabinets Countertops McElroy Tops and Floors and Pacific Shore Stones Decorative painting AF Decorative Doors Pella Fabrics Designer Effects and Katie Grace Designs Flooring, lumber, and windows The Design Center at Red River Lumber Furniture Abide Furniture, Cantrell Furniture Design Center, Cobblestone & Vine, Katie Grace Designs, Providence Design, and Turner Custom Millwork Hardware Duke Custom Cabinets and Katie Grace Designs Ironwork Luxury Iron of Arkansas Lighting and mirrors Katie Grace Designs Millwork Santos Lucas Outdoor furnishings Katie Grace Designs and Ninth & Co. Pool Diamond Pools Rugs C&F Flooring and Rug Gallery and Katie Grace Designs Tile Katie Grace Designs, Lumber 1, and Triton Stone Group Wallpaper (installation) Johnson Painting and Wallpaper Window coverings Katie Grace Designs and Two Blind Guys