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"small palace" ingredients
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hen inspiration is required, stop, take a deep breath, and look around you.
“I was sitting on the beach in the
Carolina Lowcountry, surrounded by color chips and “shelter” magazines, in a search for a color that matched the sand around me,” explains Mark Woodman, Color Design Manager for Duron Paints and Wallcoverings. He found a match, and the color, Beach Dunes, has taken its place among the Company’s new color palettes reflecting the Carolina Lowcountry and the Colors of Historic Charleston.
With names like Creek Shrimp, Dried Hydrangea and Marsh Grass, the palettes, literally created from the Carolina Landscape, are generating enthusiasm throughout the U.S.
“Grace Chapel Green duplicates the color of the green shutters on Grace Chapel in the tiny Lowcountry town of Rockville,” explains Mr. Woodman. The colors actually exist in nature or the architecture, and are particularly well-suited to those building Carolina homes. For example, Yellow Jessamine is South Carolina’s state flower, and grows profusely throughout the region. Of course, it’s represented in the new Duron color palettes as well.
Visit our list of
Building Trend Resources
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e’ve found a number of trends in home building that seem a perfect match for Carolina living. Brick, for example, continues to have a strong presence, not only because it’s made nearby from Carolina clay, but also, many folks moving in are seeking interesting design, low maintenance and longevity. Brick offers it all.
Porches, screened, or open, retain immense popularity in the Carolinas, as do open air decks that invite star-gazing and bird-watching. With
alfresco living possible most months of the year, these outdoor rooms invite neighborly get-togethers, and expand the livable areas at relatively little cost.
On Bald Head Island, 20 minutes by ferry from Southport, NC, some building guidelines include requirements for porches that face those delicious ocean breezes, or rustling marshlands. In this New Urban design, porches harken back to earlier Southern communities where sitting on the porch was an invitation for strolling families to stop and visit for a while.
Inside Carolina homes, floor coverings include area rugs over gorgeous hardwood floors. “Hardwood flooring is
one of the few investments a home owner will make that pays dividends when they decide to sell,” said
John Woolsey, a Vice President with Anderson Hardwood Floors.
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Carolina’s newest homeowners are finding
that adding a ceramic finish increases durability and adds a beautiful look to wood floors.
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Columbia, SC, Interior Designer Richard Wright has served more than a thousand clients in Florida and throughout the Carolinas, putting him on the cutting edge of discovering new trends. “We’re seeing water features outside the dining areas,” he notes, describing how the sight and sound of hidden fountain heads spraying up just outside provide a lovely ambience for dining – especially with large windows that recede into the walls.
In addition to hardwood floors, he is watching a trend toward limestone and coral floors as well. And, media rooms are approaching ordinary in Carolina homes. “Families want to enjoy entertainment at home and furniture manufacturers such as InHouse, Pottery Barn and Lane are designing super comfortable lines for these specialized areas,” he said.
The trend continues for open spaces where entertaining and family gatherings flow naturally from eating to living areas, or to the porch. And builders are adding rooms that are flexible in their utilization, serving as an extra bedroom, home office, hobby room, or cozy den.
“Many people moving from the frost belt are changing from more compartmentalized living
to wide open space design, with open nooks and easy flow into dining areas,”
confirms Brian Gardner, Division President of D.R. Horton Home Builders. Architecturally, he
has observed people adding more amenities to their homes, with lots of solid surfaces
and appliance upgrades. “More often than ever before, we are putting fireplaces lower,
with a plasma TV and mirror over them,” he explained. Mr. Gardner believes the trend on
the coast remains toward single level homes, for future resale and retirement. He marvels at
microwaves being placed within reach of children, and kitchen islands larger than ever.
D.R. Horton’s Greenville, South Carolina market remains more two-story oriented, with brick as the popular material in construction. “Every town is a little bit different,” he admits.
“Irrigation systems have become very popular,” said Donna Sue Jones, who markets Centex
Homes in Columbia and Greenville. She sees more demand for Carolina homes with architectural
shingles, and fences with a wrought-iron look. “Anything low maintenance is popular,”
she laughed.
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“Many people moving from the frost belt are changing from more compartmentalized living
to wide open space design, with open nooks and easy flow into dining areas.”
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“We’re seeing several different trends in urban living,” says Neal Hanks, Jr., the second generation President of Beverly Hanks and Associates, which brokers properties throughout Western North Carolina. “Asheville’s downtown is very robust right now,” he explained. “At least a dozen condominium projects are under way, and the vast majority include rehabilitation of historic buildings.”
Another design trend that Mr. Hanks observes throughout the Carolinas is the Traditional Neighborhood Development style (also, called TND or New Urban) mentioned earlier. These communities come with a higher density and plenty of preserved green space.
“Empty nesters and retirees are particularly attracted to the New Urban design,” he said.
“It reminds them of neighborhoods from their childhood – the type of environment conducive for neighbor interaction,
making new friends…fitting in quickly.”
At the other end of the space spectrum, John Cone, Executive Director of the Home Builders Association of SC, observes many families seeking four or five acres, out of town, for privacy and recreation. This small estate living is a luxury most frost belt urban areas cannot afford, whereas in the Carolinas, land is abundant, just minutes from airports and metropolitan culture.
“In terms of construction trends, we are seeing more custom design of an entire house on computer,” Mr. Cone explained. “Then, panels, wall sections and roof joists are assembled in the factory, and delivered just-in-time, promoting specified quality and reduced waste.”
Steve Schuster is President of the North Carolina Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. He’s watching more people move back into the urban core. “My wife and I converted an old warehouse in Raleigh about twelve years ago,” he said, noting that, at the time, they were among the first residents to move back into downtown in more than 50 years. “Since then, we’ve gotten several residential projects underway,” he explained. These include an old Belk department store converted to 64 condominiums, and many other renovation projects in urban areas. “We’re recycling historic buildings for the character they provide,” he observed.
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Throughout
the
Carolinas,
"green
building" is
being
recognized
as a
critically
important
avenue to
protect the
region's
environmental
assets. |
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In fact, a recent article in the AARP Bulletin explores empty nesters who are returning to the city to be within walking distance of food markets, museums, bistros, entertainment and life-long learning centers.
In South Carolina, officials at the Noisette Company, recently announced that the Noisette Urban Alliance, a 15-member national network of corporate manufacturers, has been formed to assist in the sustainable redevelopment of the 3,000-acre North Charleston Noisette District. Member companies were chosen because they design their products and operations toward sustainable development principles, i.e., products that provide long-term comfort, durability, health and efficiency. Noisette CEO, John Knott, has recently been named “Environmental Champion for 2004” by Interiors & Sources magazine.
Throughout the Carolinas, “green building” is being recognized as a critically important avenue to protect the region’s environmental assets. The U.S. Green Building Council LEED Program (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) has 21 projects registered for LEED certification.
Go ask a home design expert about all the new options and you’ll receive a variety of answers that lead
down similar paths. Building trends in the Carolinas reflect the variety of towns and environments here.
It’s a sure bet that for those moving in, high quality, low maintenance, open space flexibility and “small palace” comforts are root motivations.
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Anderson Hardwood Floors
www.andersonfloors.com
American Institute of Architects
South Carolina – www.aiasc.org
North Carolina – www.aia-nc.org
Beverly Hanks & Associates
featuring properties throughout Western North Carolina
www.beverly-hanks.com
Centex Homes
Certified New Home Builders
www.centexhomes.com
Duron Paints and Wallcoverings
www.duron.com
Home Builders Association of SC
www.hbaofsc.com
InHouse Design Studio
Custom Designed Home Office Furniture and Cabinetry
www.inhouse.com
Lane Home Furnishings
www.lanefurniture.com
The
Noisette
Company
Sustainable urban redevelopment
community in North Charleston
www.noisettesc.com
U.S. Green Building Council
www.usgbc.org
Pottery Barn
For the Home
www.potterybarn.com
Richard Wright
Wright Interior Design
richusw@bellsouth.net
803.254.0715
Have you
have comments regarding this
article?
Email us: KPettit@CarolinaLiving.com
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Katherine O. Pettit has worked as a writer, magazine editor, printer and
public relations consultant. The Columbia resident has published
more than 250 articles in magazines and newspapers. Her writing
explores a variety of subjects including travel, lifestyles, business
and management.
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