Hello from the upstairs porch of my client’s fabulous c.1854 home on Charleston’s Historic Battery!
It was a whirlwind week and I enjoyed every minute of my long days here. If you have read my blog for awhile you will know how grateful I feel to have such incredibly lovely clients who take me with them when they move or buy an additional home. This loyalty has taken me to some really great places and I am really thankful for all of my clients–including my Charlotte clients who have patiently waited for me to come home after three weeks traveling to other jobs.
I don’t have the professional pictures back yet from my photographer so you will have to settle with my silly iPhone and little camera (didn’t even have my good DSLR with me) for a sneak peek of the photo shoot.
I chose a Carrera mini brick for the back splash and a leathered stone top for the kitchen.
My client is an avid entertainer and actually uses his small bar. I like the mirrored backsplash because it gives an illusion of deeper space.
One early morning (7 am) I caught my photographer on the other side of the lens. He is definitely carrying coffee in his left hand and I can assure you I was balancing a Venti/Grande/Venti in my other hand while taking this.
Who doesn’t adore ranunculus and tulips? These are peony tulips which opened a day later to a wonderful bowl shape with irregular edges. They looked like a perfect hybrid of tulips and peonies which quite frankly is like a dream come true for a flower freak like me.
I hauled at least 26 vases down there (and a whole lot more stuff) since I can never decide what I want my flowers to look like until I am in the moment.
Yep. That is a Confederate flag flying on a neighboring house. For many Southerners it’s about heritage and not about hate. Still hard to imagine a time when there were two parts to the United States but it all started here in Charleston. If you walk a couple of hundred feet down my client’s street you can see where the first shot was fired across the water one hundred and fifty two years ago.
My client loved the bathroom I designed in his Charlotte home so we tried to re create some of the those elements. The marble is a tiny bit different but it has the same feeling.
I love this lamp so much I can’t see straight. It’s the perfect pop of shine against the mahogany chest.
This is the way I found the porch when I went up to sweep up the magnolia leaves (oh yes, we designers tidy our clients’ homes- sometimes more than our own!). It’s absolutely perfect out here on the second story porch. My client loves sitting out here in the evening–enjoying a cigar and a nightcap–I imagine that isn’t too different from the master of the house a hundred years ago.
The porch runs the long side of the house as with most Charleston homes. It was designed so the long doors could be opened out to the porches to catch the breezes. The porches also provide heavenly shade and the house is much cooler because of them.
Coffee tables are fun to style and this one is a favorite. It is antique mirror with a gold Eglomisé Greek key running on the border. Of course I had to choose a crystal bowl with a Greek key as well.
Did someone say Greek key? Why yes, I would like that on my linen Roman Shade as well. How about those Carrera mini bricks for the backsplash! And peonies in the antique French urn (which is now residing on his dining table) are heaven to me.
Simple is good. It’s hard at times to restrain when styling or edit appropriately but less is always more.
Part of my client’s back courtyard. It’s like a secret garden back here and I love to sit and listen to the rustle of the wind through the palms. The Confederate jasmine was blooming and it was almost intoxicating. Everywhere I went in downtown Charleston was perfumed.
I used Confederate Jasmine, ivy, and fern from my client’s courtyard to mix in with a white hydrangea. It was lovely. Until….
My photographer asked me if I was making coffee…
No, I was just burning down the guest room by putting the candle too close to the flowers. Nice.
Hard to believe it looked like this last year! The magic of construction and renovation!
Thanks for reading…more to come from Charleston soon. If you enjoyed this post on the Charleston project please read more about the construction and renovation of this house. You can also use the search bar on the top right for more posts about Charleston.
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Hope your week is wonderful…I am so happy to be home in Charlotte.
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