Picnics & Parties Just Add Saltwater

At her 1930s converted fish camp in Savannah, designer Elizabeth Demos keeps it casual for a come-as-you-are evening down by the dock

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"MY DAD WAS ONE OF 12 KIDS in a Greek immigrant family," says designer Elizabeth Demos (elizabethdemos.com). "Unlike many men of his generation, he loved to cook and loved being in the kitchen." Growing up during the Great Depression, he also learned how to be resourceful -a skill Elizabeth regularly puts to practice while entertaining friends and family at her Low Country fish camp-turnedcottage. Her dockside gatherings (which include husband Paul Garguilo and their teenage son, William) make the most of the marshy surroundings and feature decidedly unfussy recipes served family-style with the soulful sounds of Leon Bridges playing in the background. As far as hosting goes, it's as easy-breezy as it gets-quite literally. "Our house is beautifully situated with only one barrier island between us and the beach," says Elizabeth.