When designing a room–or a house, for that matter–around spectacular views, how do you outfit the space without detracting from its major source of beauty? That was the challenge Bear-Hill Interiors’ Kevin Walsh and Brett Pitts encountered when they took on a home makeover of their own, for a modest lakeside ranch house they found on Lake Hamilton, which was featured in At Home in Arkansas.

“To make the most of the small, yet incredibly open space, and the lush wilderness that surrounds it, Walsh says he decided to keep the interior very cohesive, with a simple color scheme of white and brown. ‘I didn’t want to take anything away from the view,’ he says, ‘so I incorporated a lot of elements that can be seen through, like the fretwork dining chairs, along with glass and other reflective surfaces.’”

And although the house measures just under 1,000 square feet, features like vaulted ceilings, a wall of windows overlooking the lake, and comfortable outdoor areas, Walsh says the “home lives much larger than its footprint. I think most people are surprised that it’s only nine hundred square feet, because the main living space with the expansive window feels large and open.”

Other design elements that please the eye, without distracting: white upholstery in a variety of textures, along with raffia and sisal, and an eclectic selection of accessories, such as Jonathan Adler pottery and vintage glass birds. Says Walsh, “Our mothers were, of course, a little afraid of all the white, but we’ve assured them, and all our friends, that it’s all washable, and that it’s meant to be enjoyed.”

Want to see more of this space? Check out “Tone on Tone” in At Home in Arkansas.