INTERIOR DESIGNER SARAH YERGER IS IN HIGH DEMAND IN Reynolds Lake Oconee, where she devotes nearly all of her workdays to designing new homes and major renovations in the waterfront club community. The accolades of the designer and her eponymous firm, Sarah Yerger Interiors, have made her a sought-after name among discerning homeowners. The industry applause includes being named Modern Luxury’s Best of Modern Design in 2025 and 2026, along with earning Best of Houzz Service for six consecutive years. Her professional credibility is further underscored by her membership in the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), the profession’s leading organization that holds its members to the highest standards of ethics and business practices.
While the outward expression of Yerger’s accomplishments is satisfying, it is not what defines her business. Her success lies in her ability to take her clients’ thoughts and desires and turn them into design gold. She does this by actively listening to her clients, leaning on her intimate knowledge of the local area and working hand in hand with design partners in the community with whom she has developed close relationships over the years. “I am so fortunate to work with people who have become my friends, such as local suppliers Stanton Home Furnishings and Lights of Oconee,” Yerger says. “One call is all it takes to get the best suppliers out to my clients’ homes. It’s so nice to have a hands-on community surrounding and supporting you. Jimmy Stanton at Stanton Home Furnishings, for example, introduces me first to new products, as well as lends accessories that my clients can try out in their homes to see if the style and fit are right. I love to collaborate with the Stanton showroom, where I can meet with my clients for an interactive room-by-room presentation, allowing them to visualize their entire project, sit on and choose furniture, and pull fabric swatches for consideration. Lights of Oconee is always willing to help with my projects. It’s beneficial to not be forced to go to Atlanta to find the best luxury resources for my clients.”
Yerger extends these friendships to her clients. A recent case in point is the new home she designed for Reynolds Lake Oconee homeowners Pam and Brian Quinn. “I care for the Quinns and their children deeply,” affirms Yerger. “Working with friends is so special.”
Pam Quinn remembers when she and her husband first met Yerger. They were part of a small church group that met at Yerger’s home, which at that time was in Reynolds Lake Oconee. “We had the same taste,” she says. “Sarah’s home was warm and inviting. I loved her lighting choices and the timeless, soft colors. It was so different from the other lake houses around us and was what I wanted in a home.”
Fast-forward two years to when the Quinns decided to demolish their small A-frame home in Reynolds Lake Oconee in favor of building a larger home that would be more functional for their family. They immediately approached Yerger to handle the interior design of the new home, remembering how they had fallen in love with her personal design style. Along with local professionals and long-standing friends, architect Chad Mattison and residential builder Artisan Built, the team began to plan for a traditional statement-making home encompassing views of Lake Oconee, just as the Quinns envisioned.
“We wanted a timeless home that was traditional yet fresh,” says Brian Quinn, who in his job as a Reynolds Lake Oconee real estate agent has either seen or sold almost every home in the community over the last decade. “Many people know me in the area; we have deep roots in the community, so it was wonderful to work with local companies and professionals to build our first, and God-willing, last home.”
“This couple was like-minded in their style and vision for the home,” Yerger says. “They asked me for a traditional design that was classic and welcoming, with beautiful finishes and a wow-worthy entrance. Of course, with two young children, they also needed it to be practical. We walked a fine line between creating a show house and a welcoming environment for friends, neighbors, children and the family’s beloved dog.”
The Quinns had particularly loved the lighting in Yerger’s home, so they gave her carte blanche to bring in her favorite choices that would make their home just as warm and inviting. She sourced luxury brands through her connection with family-owned Lights of Oconee to make the biggest statements in the home. Starting in the foyer, she created a wow-moment with a glamorous Fredrick Ramond sparkling crystal and burnished-gold chandelier. She added an elegant checkered black-and-white marble tile floor to delineate the entrance from the adjacent living room’s warmly stained hardwood flooring.
Once through the cased opening into the living room, a double-tiered wagon wheel chandelier in aged brass hangs from a soaring, vaulted beamed ceiling. It leads the eye toward the custom-designed white oak barrel ceiling in the adjacent dining area, beyond which a wall of sliders opens onto a covered porch and views of the water. Yerger placed sconces on either side of the arched opening to the dining space to mark its significance as an open but separate room. A second set of sconces mark the demarcation between the end of the dining room and the beginning of the porch, with a floor plan that flows when the sliders are open.
Warm wood statements and brass lighting keep the living and dining rooms’ lofted ceilings from feeling cavernous. Instead, the rooms feel like a hug, enhanced by Yerger’s choice of Sherwin-Williams’ “Alabaster” paint as the warm but balanced canvas on which she flowed accents of greens and blues. The contrast between the ceilings in these two rooms is one of Brian Quinn’s favorite features, along with the custom built-ins—one serving as a bar—that Yerger created on each end of the dining room.
Yerger was called on to solve a few issues, such as when the dining room floor plan ended up being too tight of a space to accommodate a standard-size table. She worked her community connections again, turning to local craftsman Toby Logan to custom-build a narrow dining table that perfectly fit the home’s traditional style.
Impactful lighting continues in the kitchen, where double glass-and-brass lanterns illuminate a softly veined Taj Mahal quartzite-topped island painted a serene blue-green. Lowered ceilings and a double-sided limestone fireplace connected to the living room speak of tradition and comfort. A traditional La Cornue range blends masterfully with the alabaster cabinetry, and brass hardware on both continues the seamless look.
Yerger didn’t limit herself to adding compelling light fixtures in the main rooms. She also flowed them into functional rooms such as the scullery, laundry and mudroom, as well as private spaces like the offices, bedrooms and bathrooms. The primary suite, for instance, features a sparkling 12-light crystal-and-silver fixture in the bathroom and a pineapple-topped brass chandelier in the bedroom. “We didn’t skimp on lighting,” she says. “It is the single biggest statement in this home.”
After checking off most of the features Yerger knew the family wanted—timeless design, fabulous lighting and traditional touches—it was time to get down to practical business. With two young children, the Quinns needed a way to keep their home beautiful while being pragmatic for daily living. Yerger’s novel idea of creating two versions of certain rooms—one for the adults and one for the children—made so much sense that the Quinns quickly agreed to it. Two laundry rooms, one for mom to handle some of the duties and one near the children’s upstairs bedrooms so they can learn how to do their own washing, is a game changer for the family. Yerger also designed dual powder rooms on the main level—the formal one is conveniently located near the foyer for guests, and the kid-friendly one is situated near the mudroom drop zone.
Yerger also had ideas about how duality could help the couple, designing his-and-her water closets within the primary bathroom. As a full-time remote worker, he has his own office space, while a special room for her office was carved out off of the kitchen. Special touches, such as a feminine Thibaut wallcovering and brass sconces with delicate leaf detailing, decorate the area just for mom. By locating Pam Quinn’s office in close proximity to the laundry, kitchen and scullery, Yerger provided her with a corner of the main floor to serve as her command central. She didn’t forget functionality for the children in these spaces either, carving out niches for custom lockers in the mudroom and reachable shelves so they could help themselves to bowls and snacks in the scullery and kitchen’s cabinets.
Yerger and Artisan Homes designed the upstairs level exclusively for the children. Having their lake-view bedrooms, bathrooms, laundry and what Yerger calls the “flop room” for recreational activities allows both privacy and containment of the natural mess that comes along with having little ones in the home. “I love having the kids upstairs with their own space,” says their mom.
When putting all of the architectural and design pieces together, this family home is both practical and beautifully traditional, with spaces carved out for each family member. Its overarching tone of welcoming warmth is just what the Quinns were searching for when they first approached Yerger.
“It was great to see the home they had wanted for so long come together for the family,” Yerger says. “You feel the Quinns’ personality as soon as you walk in the front door. The ultimate result is a refined lake home shaped by trust, creativity and a local collaborative spirit that celebrates both lasting friendships and exceptional design.” *
Dana W. Todd is a professional writer specializing in interior design, real estate, luxury homebuilding, landscape design, architecture and fine art.
When putting all of the architectural and design pieces together, this family home is both practical and beautifully traditional, with spaces carved out for each family member.
