06/05/2026
Presenting a special personal project by our Principal, Lisa Brooks. Take a look into her custom home design to see how a designer creates their own dream space.
As Principal of SouthPark Interiors, Lisa Brooks’ life’s work has centered around multifamily, student housing, and hospitality projects. The Hideaway on Lake Norman became the opposite exercise—a home designed for one family. Her own.
Deeply personal, layered, and lived in, the home represents a vision that had been quietly taking shape for nearly fifteen years. Long before there was a lot, a timeline, or even a real possibility of building, Lisa carried around plans and inspiration heavily influenced by the cottages of Cassique on Kiawah Island and the warmth and restraint of Belgian farmhouse architecture.
Wrapped around a central courtyard pool and inspired by Hill Country architecture reimagined for Lake Norman, The Hideaway became a collection of everything the family loves most. Handmade zellige tile, knotty pine ceilings with chunky beams, limestone, oak, richly layered materials, and collected pieces create rooms that each speak in their own voice.
The Belgian influences and collected layers blended naturally with her husband's Southern roots, resulting in a home that feels both refined and familiar. Nowhere is that more evident than in the den, where a true Americana spirit comes to life. It's a space that feels timeless, welcoming, and deeply connected to the traditions and places that shaped him. The Hideaway truly became a labor of love and would not have been possible without the many trusted vendors, artisans, and collaborators who brought it to life.
Years of sketches, saved references, design meetings, site visits, material reviews, revisions, delays, and evolving ideas ultimately culminated in a home that was never designed to please everyone—and that is precisely what makes it so special.
Photography:
Builder: John Williams
Design Team: Martha Thomley, President and Owner; Emily Hiott, Vice President; and Lucy Harrison, Lead Interior Designer.