IT WAS DECEMBER in Charleston's historic South of Broad neighborhood, and though greenery graced many of the classic Single Houses, one stood out.
Magnolia garlands looped along the double-story porch railings, wreaths were hung on the street-side windows all the way up to the fourth-story peak, and a glow emanated from a second-floor room.
Inside, a raft of candles covered the salon's coffee table, putting off a mesmerizing light that danced over fuchsia lacquered walls. The guests were moving too-a party was in full swing to celebrate the season and the completion of a historically sensitive renovation and redecoration of the 1788 home.
"The night was so old-school, with all that candlelight and with carolers singing outside," recalls interior designer Betsy Berry, who partnered with architect Eddie Fava to reshape the house just in time for Christmas. It perfectly suits the homeowners, their daughter who lives there, and their penchant for parties. Not quite as old-school was Berry's take on updating the structure.
"I love to respect the history of a home with a strong traditional layer tied into the architecture," she says. "But I also like to mix in modern pieces that feel youthful." As she and Fava gutted the closed-in kitchen, morphed the former carriage house into a family room, and added a small mudroom and powder bath, they kept (or replicated) the original walls, floors, doors, windows, and hardware as much as they could.
When it came time for furniture and lighting selections, Berry looked to her client's closet for permission to take risks. "I could tell she liked color. Her clothes are cool, fun, and playful with an edge. I pushed myself to make selections that I knew would be exciting," Berry recalls. Enormous bubble chandeliers; luxe velvet upholstery; two Gracie murals; and-oh, yes-those fuchsia walls all made the client light up.
This story is from the December 2022 edition of Southern Living.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 2022 edition of Southern Living.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Forging a Legacy - A Fredericksburg, Texas, couple is creating a new class of heirloom cast-iron cookware
When Jay Mallinckrodt pitched the idea of crafting cast-iron cookware to his wife and business partner, Heather, in 2020, she was hesitant. I immediately said no, she recalls with a laugh. But I finally agreed as long as we made something that we would actually want to use ourselves. Like many others during the initial throes of the pandemic, their multigenerational family operation, Heartland Enterprises (which specializes in machining parts for jet engines and gas and oil equipment), was seeing a lull. “No one was flying; no one was drilling, says Jay. So we had time to try something different.
A Butterfly Haven - In the Texas Hill Country, a conservationist is helping monarchs adjust to the changing world
Twenty-four years ago, Monika Maeckle bought a small property on the Llano River in Central Texas as an escape from fast-paced San Antonio. A journalist and marketing professional by trade, she didn't at first realize the value of the location on which she and her husband would later build their ranch. She also had no idea how this decision would eventually transform her life.One October evening a few years later, a friend invited Maeckle to their nearby house, which sat on a watershed with several large cypresses. All these butterflies dropped from the sky and started to gravitate toward the trees, she recalls. Stronger people who could swing a big 12-foot-long pole began trying to capture them, and we waited. By the end of the evening, we'd tagged a couple hundred butterflies, and I left there enchanted.
Oktober Feast!
While I respect your right to serve spooky food in October, you won't find any gory grub at my house this month. Instead, I'm hosting a gathering that's inspired by biergartens across the pond. The focus of the menu is a fondue made with Gruyère cheese and crisp Riesling-like beer-cheese dip but more elevated. It's served with a smorgasbord of dippers such as smoked sausage, grapes, apples, and a few amped-up store-bought snacks, like Mustard-Glazed Pretzel Bites and Smoked Paprika Potato Chips. (Just one taste, and you'll want to add this spice to every bag you open.) Pour yourself a Cider Shandy, and get ready for a good time. Prost, y'all!
The Roast With the Most
Embrace the changing seasons with a cozy pork supper
Roll With It
Company's coming? Bake a batch of these apple-stuffed delights
VIRGINIA PASTORAL
IN MIDDLEBURG, THE COMMONWEALTH'S MOST STORIED SMALL TOWN, OCTOBER WELCOMES A HOST OF TREASURED TRADITIONS
TAKING ROOT
Turn the season's freshest veggies-beets, parsnips, sweet potatoes, carrots-into colorful fall sides
THE FAMILY PLACE
When it came time for a young Georgia couple to make an 1800s farmhouse their own, they took it apart piece by piece-then rebuilt it into a home ready to welcome the next generation
Loving Life in Fayetteville
This Northwest Arkansas college town is easy to love and hard to leave
The Road That Raised Me
This lesser-known drive offers the most breathtaking views in the Smoky Mountains
