Rooms with a view: a lakeside home is designed in harmony with its serene waterfront location and colorful gardens.

"Swan Lake," the home of Mary Ann and Anthony Petro, is comfortably situated on a quiet cul-de-sac in the heart of northeast Jackson. A stately Georgian, red-bricked and symmetrical, this home is much more than a mere dwelling place. It has been crafted, decorated, and landscaped with only one thing in mind: to be a reflection of the people who live in it.

The elegant rooms and thriving gardens echo the warmth and comfort found in Mary Ann's soft voice. "We built our house to maximize the natural light," she says while glancing around her home, designed to be only one room deep, "and we really use every room in it."

A manicured front lawn carpets the area from the driveway at the south end and stretches northward, tucking itself neatly against the structured beds that line the porch and the flowers blooming along the north side. Bisecting the green expanse is a brick walkway lined with boxwoods, their shiny leaves contrasted by pockets of purple and white salvia. The entrance is gracious; the wide steps, the generous porch, and the traditional front door all work in tandem to welcome family and friends.

The view from the foyer is nothing less than breathtaking. Floor-to-ceiling windows line the rear of the house, offering a frame through which to enjoy the view of the tranquil lake that borders the rear gardens. Antique heart pine floors running throughout both levels of the home have been honed to virtually eliminate knots and radiate the color of clover honey. "The craftsmen called them 'Petro boards,'" Mary Ann recalls.

The foyer leads to a large living room filled with French antiques and upholstered pieces in soothing, colorful garden pinks and soft greens. Mary Ann, who was inspired to go into interior design while building her home, points out a favorite armoire, a New York find, that anchors the south wall, and an "old French clock" that keeps time between the double expanses of windows. Filling the northeast corner of the room is an antique piano, which Mary Ann plays. The remaining wall space displays huge oil paintings that echo the soft color palette.

"My friend Alexandra Stoddard, who suggested the name 'Swan Lake' for our house, encouraged us to choose paintings that made us happy," Mary Ann explains. Stoddard, a pioneer in the art of homekeeping, was instrumental in Mary Ann's decision to study interior design. The two have remained friends since Stoddard assisted the Petros with the design of their home's interior.

The dining room features a French antique buffet and table with reproduction French chairs, all found by the Petros in Destin, Florida. An antique mirror, discovered in New Orleans, hangs prominently above the buffet, reflecting the light from the window wall. The formality of the furniture is softened by warm pink and green fabrics found on the chairs and drapes, the latter of which Mary Ann explains had to be redone because they weren't "swoopy" enough for her husband. Soft pink walls and a lime green ceiling echo the French fabrics, and the honey-toned woods provide an inviting background for the couple's collected china, crystal, and silver.

The pivotal feature of the Petros' ample kitchen is light, light, and more light. A skylight illuminates the rectangular island's dark surface and bounces light from the white cabinets to the gleaming appliances. The sink area, positioned opposite the windows, sports a mirrored backsplash that allows Mary Ann to enjoy a view of the lake while washing dishes or chopping vegetables. A French table and chairs offer a prime spot to savor the view while sipping morning coffee, and next to the cozy fireplace sits a small rocker given to Mary Ann by her father.

"I love to cook," Mary Ann says, "so this kitchen is where we really hang out."

Just off the kitchen is what Mary Ann calls the "garden room," because it overlooks a small courtyard garden designed with Anthony in mind. It is a comfortable space filled with sofas and chairs upholstered in fabrics that reflect the blooming hydrangeas outside, which, when viewed through the tall windows, become art for this restful space. A large armoire houses video and stereo equipment, while a small table and chairs tempt family members to sit for a while to play chess, solve a puzzle, or simply gaze out at the water.

The master suite occupies the opposite end of the first floor. From the foyer, the heart pine floors lead through Anthony's snug study overlooking the front lawn into the master bedroom. The east and west walls are floor-to-ceiling windows, giving the room the freedom to become a part of the home's lush outdoors. "In the early morning, we can see the mist on the lake," says Mary Ann. "Seeing the sunrise from this room is beautiful."

A French pencil-post bed claims center-stage, adorned by cheery floral fabrics. An easel positioned near the bed displays a painting of an old clapboard church. The painting was given to Mary Ann by one of her clients, who, after she had admired his own original painting of the church he'd attended as a child, decided to commission a replica for her as a thank-you gift.

Tucked away in the corner of the house near the bedroom is Mary Ann's study, bordered on two sides by windows that overlook the lake and the English country gardens. Hidden from the rest of the house like a delightful secret, this room offers Mary Ann an idyllic spot to generate design ideas for her clients. A French writing table is positioned to make the most of the view, while a striped sofa offers the perfect place to nap or read.

The rear gardens and decks at Swan Lake mirror the color and vibrancy of the house itself. The terrace stretches into a walkway that runs the length of the house, providing the Petros with a variety of spots from which to enjoy the lake view. Just off the living room, a covered area is home to a group of white rocking chairs and a pair of 15-year-old ficus trees. "They've been with me a long time," Mary Ann smiles.

Beside the covered area, a long path leads to the hydrangea garden Mary Ann created for her husband and further still to an herb and vegetable garden near the driveway. Rosemary, lemon balm, dill, oregano, mint, and a variety of basils grow happily alongside blueberries, tomatoes, and lettuce. A cedar tree reminds Mary Ann of childhood Christmases. The one speck of shade features double impatiens in ruby red.

The backyard's steep descent toward the lake, once virtually unusable, has been transformed using a series of wooden stairs and decks like a tiered and decorated wedding cake. Knock Out roses line the first set of steps, and though they bloom profusely, Mary Ann explains that this is the third set of roses--the first two plantings were completely consumed by beavers. "We woke up one morning, and they were gone!" she laughs.

The spaces between the deck's tiers have given Mary Ann more opportunities to add nature's colors, with herbs, perennials, and annuals providing year-round color. Hollyhocks, coreopsis, and coneflowers in several varieties adorn the hillside, their stalks rustling in the gentle spring breeze. More rocking chairs on the landing provide the Petros a relaxing spot to watch their pair of elegant swans glide effortlessly across the lake.

The steps on the north side lead to yet another colorful garden, the one Mary Ann claims for her own. Evergreen clematis, snapdragons, and Mexican tarragon line the path to the brick walk that meanders through the garden she planted a dozen years ago with the help of native British gardener Rita Hall.

"We put all this in to see what would work," recalls Mary Ann. "It's truly been a trial and error thing. I try to plant things that are hardy, and as the seasons change, I re-evaluate to see what I need to change."

Easter lilies, creeping phlox, petunias as full and round as peonies, irises, and foxgloves, their blooms spilling over the white fence, delight the eye at every turn. A pale green antique garden chair gives Mary Ann a place to sit and admire her handiwork. Tall spearmint junipers provide structure at the edge of the garden, though Mary Ann has been warned that "they don't really grow here." That was just the challenge she needed to try it anyway, and with the success of the junipers, she's made a habit of growing plants that typically wither in the Mississippi sun, including a lily brought to her from Thomas Jefferson's garden.

An old Southern lilac anchors the northeast end of Mary Ann's garden, thriving despite its shaky past. "My husband was leaving the Baptist Hospital parking lot, and someone was going to throw this tree away, so he jumped out of his car and saved it!" She dares not prune it, for fear of killing it, so she planted an antique rose to provide it a bit of company.

The Petros' garden has served as a backdrop for countless parties, family gatherings, and even wedding portraits for the couple's two daughters. To keep it current, Mary Ann scouts out new plants at garden shops and passes along her successes to her daughters and her friends.

Though a visitor might think Swan Lake is a finished work, the Petros have plans for a few tweaks, including a pool and exercise room and a children's garden for their grandchildren, a "touchy-feely" explosion of color that will give the little ones reason to visit their grandparents more often. "We don't want our grandchildren to outgrow us," Mary Ann laughs.

The experience of building and decorating their home has been a joy for both Anthony and Mary Ann. "We wanted it to be warm and comfortable," she says, "and it turned out better than we'd hoped."