Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Lovely, lovely Charleston


My firm has been working on a delightful project in Charleston, SC. Our darling client used to live in Princeton,N.J. She first moved to historic Charleston and we completely did her home on one of the most well-known streets there, Church Street. It was such a rewarding project. Beautiful lush silk draperies in every room, old Southern charm dripping everywhere. It truly was a favorite.
Not long after living in the eye of the public, with tourists longing to sneak a peak into the lush living room, she and her husband decided that living in the historic district was not conducive to family life, play dates, and privacy in general. They sold the house in 2 weeks (we shed a tear or two) and purchased an equally exciting home right on the beach of Sullivan's Island. Enter Black-eyed Susan. We quickly put our sadness from leaving the historic house behind us and began to get visions for the new beach house.

Our client is as easy going and agreeable as you can imagine. We had total creative license and she rarely (actually, I can't think of one thing she said no to!) disagreed to any proposed direction. Yes, it was a dream job.

In the last few months, we have been working on the outdoor living spaces. This is some serious living space! The interior color pallet is soft watery aquas and mild chartreuse green, very soft and unsaturated. Many of her photos can be seen on the screen in my retail store. Because the exterior "living room", lounge areas, kitchen, and fireplace gathering spot are such an extension of the home, the colors we have selected are a variation on a theme of the interior.


This is a rough collage of the fabrics, paint colors from the interior, and outdoor trims that we will using. The vision is exciting!



Exterior living space viewed from the pool. (Note two floors of scenic vistas).


View from the exterior living spaces looking out onto the beachfront.



Meet Robert Chesnut! He's a real character. He surely would not approve of this photo, as he is much more animated and charming than this photo suggests! Robert is the landscape architect on the project. To say that he is the most entertaining artist would be a true understatement. I'm quite sure that it won't be long before he has his own TV reality show!!
Stay tuned for more on this project and Robert Chesnut, I promise you'll be entertained.

9 comments:

michelle said...

I dream of having a beach house... and soft watery aquas seem perfect. Oh, to go to sleep to the sound of the ocean!

I am definitely looking forward to hearing more about Chestnut Productions.

shannon said...

Watery aquas and chartreuse?!...BE STILL MY HEART!

What a great project! And to be in Charleston! I love it there!

You're a lucky duck!

charlotte said...

Can I sign up for a Charleston house designed by Black-Eyed Susan?

Lee said...

I absolutely love Charleston. Rob and I were there two Novembers ago for our anniversary. It is breathtaking. We walked all of Charleston I think because it was magnificent. I left there with my southern drawl. It is infectious. The people, the food the architecture is to die for. I say BES + Charleston = Masterpiece.
Excited to see more. We have a beach house in Cape May. I absolutely love it. I also used faint hues of blue and this wonderful Benjamin Moore color called. Barley. It just yells the shore. Lee

JENN in Beautiful Bucks County PA said...

Susan -
I'm sure you felt right at home being back in "southern charm land"; especially with your artistic palette in hand. You are just so amazing! Do we also get a glimpse of the Charleston home? Oops - maybe I missed it.

I’d love to be “Susan for a Day” – maybe you could have a contest?
Hugs - Jennie

Jill said...

The house looks amazing, and I'm sure the inside will be stunning when you're done with it.

Bond Girl 007 said...

Oh wow. This is a beautiful home, and all the possibilities...oh wow...and the views. I can't wait to see your magic unfold. This Mr. Chestnut seems serious...I would also like to see how he comes through with the hardscape!

emily said...

I love Charleston! I'm with Michelle on loving the sound of the ocean and the feel of the ocean breeze when it's cool at night. *sigh*

Your project sounds so beautiful, and I'm excited to see how it progresses. :)

Denise said...

Oh--take me back to Charleston! *sigh*