When a couple from Washington, D.C., decided to build a second home on the coast, they chose the Ocean Park community on the eastern tip of Kiawah Island as the ideal location. The community is known for its picturesque native greenery and grand trees that layer in with the marsh, ocean and river. “We appreciate how the homes are integrated into the natural environment,” the homeowner says.

They worked with Knight Residential Group to build their home but decided they needed more in-depth assistance choosing interior finishes and furnishings than the builder provided. “I looked through design magazines and publications covering Charleston homes to see whose designs appealed to me, and MDI Luxury Design’s work really stood out,” says the homeowner.

MDI Luxury Design’s founder and principal designer is Margaret Donaldson. It’s no surprise that Donaldson’s 37 years working in the Lowcountry have made waves in the local design scene. When she first realized as a young adult in college that she was constantly rearranging spaces in her head, she knew that interior design was going to be her career. Today, her well-established firm has grown to include many other designers and support staff in her Downtown Charleston studio. She and her team design clients’ homes across the United States and Canada, and her ability to take difficulties in stride has served her well over the years. When she decided to launch her firm in 1988, she was just three weeks away from giving birth to her son. That didn’t stop her, and she jumped in headfirst. And when Hurricane Hugo swept through town less than a year later, she developed a plan and began helping all of the homeowners who needed assistance remodeling their homes after the devastation.

Donaldson and her team were happy to help the homeowners of this Kiawah home conceptualize and implement a design that would make them happy. The homeowners had chosen a reverse floor plan with open communal living spaces on the top floor to take advantage of the natural views. “We wanted our home to accentuate the things that we love about the island, particularly the abundance of live oak trees and serene beaches. The main living spaces—the kitchen, living room and dining room on the top floor—offer spectacular views of the foliage and the beach. When you stand outside on the roof terrace, the view of the ocean is framed by gorgeous old live oak trees. It’s almost as if a curtain of foliage is drawn aside to allow a view of the majesty of the water. It is truly breathtaking,” says the homeowner.

“This home was the perfect location for them because they wanted to take in the beauty of nature all around them but didn’t want to spend hours on yard maintenance,” says Donaldson about the four-level “very vertical” house. “The architecture makes the home look like a tree house; it appears nestled in the surrounding trees.”

MDI has helped numerous clients create their dreamy vacation homes on Kiawah Island. “One project seems to build on another one,” Donaldson explains. “I design many secondary homes on Kiawah. A friend shares my name with another friend, and the referrals continue to come in.”

With all of their localized Kiawah knowledge and experience, Donaldson and her team are immersed in the beauty of the graceful oak trees that intermingle with water views across the barrier island. They understood this homeowner’s wish to integrate the natural environment with the new home’s contemporary design. “The homeowner wanted a sleek and uncluttered interior look that matches the clean, contemporary exterior while drawing in the environment,” says Donaldson, who chose furnishings and textural finishes that nod to nature to achieve the look.

As the homeowner further explains: “My wish was for an organic, modern style where nature merges with contemporary design to create a serene and sophisticated atmosphere. We like how the sleek lines and minimalistic forms of the structure blend with the warmth and texture of organic elements.”

Donaldson’s long history in the industry has led her to implement a tried-and-true process to kickstart each project. She began designing this home as she always does—by sitting down with the homeowner to discuss a color palette for the entire home. “The color palette is always driven by the homeowner,” says Donaldson. “I begin by asking questions about the colors and textures they like, and they tell us the best they can in words what appeals to them. Then I put fabrics in front of them to get their reactions. This process helps them articulate their likes and dislikes and helps me understand which colors and fabrics speak to them. I then use their favorites in the main living spaces and primary suite since those choices are what they will wake up to and use every day.”

The homeowner’s adult daughter, for example, has a bedroom in the home relegated for her visits. Donaldson embraced the daughter’s love of seafoam green and used the color as upholstery fabric on the customized Vanguard Furniture bed in her room. She also called out that same color in the wallcovering behind the headboard. “The color palette is always the starting point in each room,” Donaldson adds. “I like to choose colors early in the process so when we’re selecting builder finishes, everything ends up making sense with what’s going on in the other rooms.”

The homeowner was looking for a departure in this vacation home. Her family’s primary home is traditionally designed with rich colors and tones. “I wanted this home to be the opposite—light and airy with a focus on the natural light,” she says.

Once the color process was complete—and considering that the homeowner wanted to embrace organic elements—they settled on an overall palette of blues, greens, and shades of brown and cream.

Organic elements flow throughout the home. They begin on the lower level at the entrance, where a wooden wall continues upward to the top level, ending in the interior dining area. The stone floor and floating wooden staircase on the bottom level remind visitors they are still outside even though the space is snugly enclosed on two sides. A marble fireplace surround in the living room works in conjunction with nubby textures on throw pillows and furniture, all overseen by a large picture window filled with green views of the treetops. The powder room is a study of how to bring the outdoors inside. Its showstopping element is a stone bowl picked up from an Atlanta antiques store, with natural striations that mimic ocean waves. Donaldson had it inverted and hung as a pendant. An organically shaped mirror reflects the hanging pendant and the live oaks right outside the window. On the second level, a bedroom designed for the couple’s adult son to relax during his overnight visits features a Bernhardt bed with a headboard made of teak slices. A nearby John-Richard cabinet evokes the oaks outside with decorative hardware that is formed into tree branch look-alikes.

With such a love of the surrounding elements, it’s natural the homeowners would want to take full advantage of elevated outdoor space to encompass the views. This home has a screened porch off the second level and a rooftop terrace that spans the length of the house. Organic elements such as Artesia coffee tables with live edges expand the natural feel of the covered space, while woven furniture with cushionless reticulated foam answers the homeowner’s request for low-maintenance details.

There are a few surprises packed into the design. The homeowner, who often works remotely, requested an office. There, pink furniture, gold bookcases and a fuzzy upholstered ottoman create a feminine vibe. The laundry room around the corner departs from the serene design scheme by introducing a fun—make that hilarious—wallcovering that lightens up a utilitarian room. “The ‘Drunk Monkeys’ wallpaper makes me laugh every time I walk into the laundry room,” says the homeowner. “It is the only room in the house without a view. Unlike the rest of the house, where the interior design is subtle and lets the eye rest on the outdoor view, the wallpaper of this interior room is the antithesis of subtle. It entices viewers to focus on the intricacies of the pattern; monkeys are smoking cigars, drinking martinis and engaging in profligate behavior. While the rest of the house has a quiet sophistication, this room is silly and immature and wonderful!”

The dining room’s unique surprise is the lighting installation on the partial wall that separates it from the deck. A series of 12 lights in a black-and-gold grid from Global Views straddles the worlds of functional lighting and art installation. The wall fixture provides a unique way to add ambience to the room without using overhead lighting.

While the vertical floor plan posed some challenges for Donaldson, she managed to squeeze in everything the homeowners wanted to live beautifully and functionally in the home. Three well-appointed bedrooms; four bathrooms; two offices; an open concept living, kitchen and dining area; two decks; a TV area; and storage space give them the room to host family, work remotely and relax. The views are stunning inside and out in this tree house by the ocean.

Dana W. Todd is a professional writer specializing in interior design, real estate, luxury homebuilding, landscape design, architecture and fine art.