stiles

Lake Eufaula spreads wide behind the shoreline home of Leonard and Donna Stiles.

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Vacation, weekend home awaits Stiles at lake

Leonard and Donna Stiles found the right vacation home waiting for them on the shores of Lake Eufaula.

“When I walked in the house, I pretty much knew that’s what I wanted,” Leonard Stiles said. “I like the exterior, but it was more about the layout of the inside.”

He said he especially liked how open the house felt.

The Stiles, who live in Arkansas, have spent weekends and vacations at their white modern farmhouse for about one and a half years.

Aaron and Natalie Tracy of Lakeside Resources built the house as a spec home in 2018. The house is located in Stone Ridge Estates, on a point south of Eufaula.

By Cathy Spaulding • Photos by Von CaStor

Counters and cabinets contrast in black and white on the kitchen island and along the walls. An open plan features space for the living area, dining area and kitchen.

The Tracys sought to create a light and open feeling in the house. The two-story main room, with a cathedral ceiling reaching 26 feet, exemplifies the openness.

Quaker aluminum windows reaching 8 feet from the floor line both sides of the main room. Matching clerestory windows above the first-floor windows add even more light.

“Even from the street, you can see almost to the lake,” Natalie Tracy said.

“That’s part of the lake life with the water here, merging the indoors and outdoors,” Aaron Tracy said. “We see this requested from a lot of our clients on convergent styles. We have black aluminum windows on these smooth white walls, but we’re also bringing in natural elements like distressed beams. It’s kind of a match-up of various textures and styles.”

Distressed cedar beams form thin brown lines across the living room’s

The master bathroom features a freestanding tub and his-and-her sinks.

Distressed wood handrail and pipe accent the stairway.

Aaron and Natalie Tracy seek to create airy, open spaces in the modern farmhouses they design.

cathedral ceiling, the kitchen ceiling and the mantle.

A massive, yet sparse chandelier hangs from the ceiling. Floors throughout the first story are 36-inch by 6-inch wood tile planks.

“A lot of our customers here prefer the tile floor because of wet feet,” she said.

The kitchen features a patterned white quartz countertop on the 9-foot island and a black quartz countertop along the walls. The cabinets and drawers also contrast on the island and along the walls.

Natalie said she likes to work with different textures.

The kitchen features a walk-in pantry, stainless steel appliances, and includes a separate bulk icemaker under the counters.

“Everyone wants to have ice, and not go buy ice when they load their coolers,” Aaron Tracy said.

Off the garage, a “mud locker” with shelves, hanging hooks and a bench offers

RIGHT: An intimate fire pit offers a peek at Lake Eufaula.

BOTTOM: Deer are frequent visitors to the Stiles’ home on Lake Eufaula.

Lake Eufaula spreads in all directions in this artistic map.

a place to leave towels, bags and other gear.

The master suite on the other side of the ground floor features a large lakeview window.

“When you wake up in the morning, your first view is out there at nature and of the lake,” Aaron said.

Bedroom and bathroom walls are the slightest of gray, a paint color called crushed ice.

The master bath has a separate shower and free-standing tub.

The laundry room, just off the master suite, features clothes racks and ample storage.

A flex room by the master suite could be an office, audio-video room, extra bedroom or separate living area. It has a built-in bench by the window and bunk beds. Leonard Stiles said he has three grown daughters and several grandchildren.

A half bath near the entrance has a vessel sink on a hand-built distressed wood counter.

The stairway has square distressed

A screened porch offers a breezy respite from mosquitoes.

wood handrail, accented by steel pipe going diagonally underneath.

“You really have the contemporary farmhouse going on,” Aaron Tracy said. “We continue to reintroduce the different textures and elements with the steel pipe and the wood posts.

Upstairs, two bedrooms feature vaulted ceilings and are connected by a Jack-and-Jill bathroom. The third upstairs bedroom has its own bathroom, and the bathrooms feature quartz countertops.

A screened porch off the main area offers the outdoor breeze without the mosquitos.

“Even in the winter, they have their nice outdoor heater,” Aaron said.

A back open patio looks onto the sloping back yard with a view of a community marina.

“The Corps of Engineers has moved away from individual dock permits to community docks, and it helps keep the

ABOVE: The Stiles home features a cozy back porch.

shoreline less littered,” Aaron said.

Large stone outcroppings pop up in front of and behind the house.

“God put those there,” Aaron said. “You see they have a nice little fire pit out there, they just use the natural rocks and made a nice little fire pit.”

When the water’s right, the homeowners have a swimming beach.

Aaron Tracy said the lake has a lot of bald eagles.

“They like to use some of the trees nearby as a fishing perspective,” he said. “We see almost on a daily basis multiple bald eagles. We have a lot of deer that are almost tame. Lots of great fishing.”

Leonard Stiles, a southeast Oklahoma native, said “just being on the water” is one of his favorite things about the house.

“My brother-in-law has a home on the lake. My parents live 20 miles away,” Stiles said. “So it’s kind of like coming home for me.”

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