While living in Boston, one of the things I missed most about life in the
Lowcountry was the summer storms. You know the ones--they roll in in the late afternoon with their ominous wall of dark clouds and bang around for an hour or so before they head out over the ocean. Much to my delight, we had one of those storms the other day, so I took a break from
the beach job hunting and headed down the road (and over the bridge) to
Daniel Island, a newly--and beautifully--developed community right outside of downtown Charleston. The idyllic island community was the perfect place to put the
Coastal Living 2013 Showhouse, which is where I was headed.
Now, I know I promised to post budget-friendlier makeovers of the
Coastal Living covers, but the last two covers have made it hard for me to keep that promise! The July/August issue featured a beach scene, while the current cover features India Hicks in front of her family home. Both are beautiful, but a bit hard to recreate ;) So, I hope you will indulge me while I feature one of the magazine's other creations.
The publication's annual home design project brings the magazine to life, especially in my case, as I got to see it with my own eyes! So I have decided to share it with you. The project took a team of local and national experts to pull-off, with Interior Designer
Ginger Brewton using her talent to perfect the finishing touches. Brewton managed to keep it coastal while using bold color combinations and textures to make this beach house anything but boring!
The architectural plan for the Showhouse is one of many beautiful ones from
Our Town Plans and is representative not only of the Daniel Island island community, but also of the greater Lowcountry community. To learn more about traditional Lowcountry architecture, visit my
post from June featuring the style.
I took a ton of photos on my tour, but will try to stick to featuring just a few of my favorite Showhouse finds for this post:
and
Surrounded on three sides by sweeping water views, this light-filled dining room is right off of the kitchen...and the Cooper River! I could spend all day sitting at that table:
design collaboration with Hoss Haley
The blue guest bedroom was my favorite of the three I saw, in particular the chairs with their baby blue stripes flanked by bold studs (but then again, everything is better when flanked by bold studs, right?):
The fabric on the chairs in the master bedroom reminded me so much of
China Seas Java Grande, but alas, it turned out to be a different--perhaps more affordable?--fabric:
painting by local artist, Cindy DeAntonio
The beadboard walls and framed nautical charts gave the living room a laid-back, beachy feel, while the stylish upholstery keep the room sophisticated. I often decorate my walls with nautical charts because they are a bit more unexpected then paintings and a wonderful way to show some local love.
As far as I am concerned, no home is complete without a bar! But it was really the beautiful, beachy built-in that I was after in this photo...
The house had lots of fun pairs of accent chairs:
I'm a little obsessed with apron front sinks, so I was beyond pleased to find one in the Showhouse kitchen:
And, as there should be in any Lowcountry home, there was almost as much outdoor living at the Showhouse as there was indoor living!
The front porch:
Upstairs porch:
Just a little terrace between the main house and the Carriage House. NBD:
This outdoor shower is quite the stylish way to wash away the salt and sand:
Cowart Services
Such a simple and beautiful way to style your soap! Definitely doing this in our future home:
Some beach reading?:
This little lantern hanging in the laundry room gave it a boost of sophistication to match the rest of the house:
If you plan to visit Charleston between now and October 20th, be sure to tour the Showhouse yourself! Tickets are $15 and proceeds go to the Greater Carolinas Chapter of the
National Multiple Scelorosis Society.
Enjoy!
Emilie
