Despite the hours and hours of planning, there are a few unexpected details we stumbled upon while Building Spring Island. Most are fairly simple and might go unnoticed, but here are a couple worth mentioning. First, SOUND ABSORBING FLOOR BOARD is a real thing! I belong to a family of stompers – they are notContinue reading “Unexpected Tips for Better Home Building Outcomes”
Tag Archives: south carolina architecture
Screened Porches
At the top of our priority list in designing the floor plan was a screened porch. Both Todd and I grew up with them and quite simply, nothing duplicates the magic of a porch. Not even the magnificent floor-to-ceiling windows our architects incorporated along the entire west-facing elevation. Porches blend the outdoors with the indoorsContinue reading “Screened Porches”
The Beauty of Tabby
One of the first Low Country materials I became enamored with is TABBY. An early form of today’s concrete, tabby is made taking oyster shells – visible everywhere you look in the local marshes – crushing them and mixing in lime and water to make a soft paste that is poured between wood forms andContinue reading “The Beauty of Tabby”
What Exactly is “Low Country”?
IMPLICATIONS FOR HOME DESIGN I won’t pretend to be a knowledgable historian or anything but an interested new-comer when it comes to the concept of “LOW COUNTRY”. I grew up in the midwest, went to school in New York state, dabbed my toe in Dallas for a hot minute, then circled back to Chicago forContinue reading “What Exactly is “Low Country”?”
Low Country Inspirations
When selecting materials for the house, I made a commitment to study and be inspired by South Carolina’s incredible natural beauty. It wasn’t hard to do, given how breath-taking it can be when caught in the right light and allowed to marinate a bit in your mind. Here are a few of my favorite pairings.Continue reading “Low Country Inspirations”
Mudroom Fever
I always enter through the MUDROOM, so I’ll start the tour here. My inspiration pictures for this small, simple space were surprisingly complex and numerous but can be boiled down to these priorities: 1) LOW COUNTRY VIBE 2) TEXTURES and LAYERS 3) NATURAL LIGHT And here’s the result: Some key details that were important toContinue reading “Mudroom Fever”
RE-PURPOSE SAVANNAH
What’s old can also become what’s new, and re-using materials from local buildings that are being taken down is such a cool way to not only lessen what gets sent to landfills but to also capture a bit of local history for your own. RE-PURPOSE SAVANNAH is just the organization to help us do this.Continue reading “RE-PURPOSE SAVANNAH”
Haint Blue
Coming from Chicago, I can safely say I’ve never heard of the color Haint Blue. Well actually, it’s not a specific color, rather it’s a hue or a shade of color. I think. Regardless, I am obsessed with it. Take a sweet little robin’s egg and blend it with the iconic Tiffany blue box, andContinue reading “Haint Blue”
First step – build the team.
TEAM MEMBER #1 = THE ARCHITECT. Working with an architect is an exercise in collaboration. It’s a bit like dating. They need to get to know you, and you need to get to know them. Finding the right fit isn’t automatic. Multiple considerations have to be taken into account — overarching design philosophy, working methodology,Continue reading “First step – build the team.”
Building Spring Island 