Home tours in Charleston, S.C. - March 2024

Below are just a few of the photos taken from the home tour in Charleston. It is always gracious for homeowners to open their home and allow the public to take in their gorgeous interiors.

This trip is marked as surprising us with one of our favorite home tours. We both love to take advantage of these type of events. It not only gets one in to see what is behind the front door, but also gives so many opportunities to see what people are doing to their homes, both in decoration as well as in the architecture. Details always present themselves and we are keen to pick up on new ideas or unique ways to try something new in our own home. These homes are not in the order that we saw them, they are a combination of several. These are simply highlights and we felt most striking in unique decoration. And, although we were allowed to photograph the homes, we didn't want to be too imposing on the owners good graces. Each home was a period home in that they are original and date to at least a couple hundred years. They were scattered throughout the city and varied in style, size and grandeur. A few were noticeably original, such as the photo above with the fireplace still intact. Often times, with these old homes, the fireplaces may still be present but no longer in use. I believe this has to do with today's standards for safety, code and practical usability. The ones no longer working still possessed their charm and it was nice to see how the homeowner/decorator worked them into the scheme. A couple of the homes were on a separate tour and included insight from the decorator and/or architect that worked on the home. These two homes were spectacular and tricked out (as some would say) with special paint processes and wallpapers that were created using fabrics backed with paper to put them on the wall. This is a very expensive and time consuming technique. It isn't something we could do because it would require a professional and experienced person to apply the fabric. Still, it is something to appreciate and a detail not to be missed. Laquer is another finish that requires an experienced person to curate a worthy result. An example of this finish is in the photo above with the fuscha door and cabinet. My husband, Art, is standing in a charming attic room (bottom right) and it is wallpapered in a William Morris print. This is an English company and William Morris created wallpaper prints in the late 1800's. His patterns and use of color are timeless and his company just created a new book of papers in more current color ways. The offerings I saw at our design center are beautiful and my hope is to incorporate one in our main bathroom, once it is updated.

The gardens are another pleasurable way to depart from these homes. Each home had outdoor living spaces and we were not disappointed. I will share some more photos of those next time.

Remember, beauty is always in the eyes of the beholder. What one sees and appreciates, another might look the other way. These photos were ones that captured our attention and we could have stayed a lot longer!

Until next time, good on you! Jeanine