My Houzz: Neutral Chic Style in a 1901 South Carolina Home
Gray, black and white combine with warm wood tones to create a fashion writer’s soothing downtown retreat
Margaret Wright
11. juni 2018
Photos by Margaret Wright
House at a Glance
Who lives here: Dannon Collard and Josh Heller and their dogs, Bailey and Shiloh
Size: 1,200 square feet (111 square meters); two bedrooms, 2½ bathrooms
Location: Charleston, South Carolina
Year built: 1901
As soon as Dannon Collard and Josh Heller bought their downtown Charleston, South Carolina, home, they added their DIY touches to it. The couple — she’s a makeup artist and fashion blogger; he’s a mechanical engineer — moved from a 2,000-square-foot home in the nearby suburb of Summerville to this 1,200-square-foot place. Both had daily work commutes that were longer than they liked, and they were eager to be within walking distance of, in Collard’s words, “photogenic locations, restaurants and friends.”
The 1901 house was in good shape when the couple moved in, but they wanted to update the style of the kitchen and bathrooms. “To us, doing it ourselves was a no-brainer,” Collard says. “We saved so much money, and there’s just this satisfaction and pride you get from doing it yourself.”
Keno Moroccan shag rug: RugsUSA; lucite chair: eBay; 2018 Stendig calendar
House at a Glance
Who lives here: Dannon Collard and Josh Heller and their dogs, Bailey and Shiloh
Size: 1,200 square feet (111 square meters); two bedrooms, 2½ bathrooms
Location: Charleston, South Carolina
Year built: 1901
As soon as Dannon Collard and Josh Heller bought their downtown Charleston, South Carolina, home, they added their DIY touches to it. The couple — she’s a makeup artist and fashion blogger; he’s a mechanical engineer — moved from a 2,000-square-foot home in the nearby suburb of Summerville to this 1,200-square-foot place. Both had daily work commutes that were longer than they liked, and they were eager to be within walking distance of, in Collard’s words, “photogenic locations, restaurants and friends.”
The 1901 house was in good shape when the couple moved in, but they wanted to update the style of the kitchen and bathrooms. “To us, doing it ourselves was a no-brainer,” Collard says. “We saved so much money, and there’s just this satisfaction and pride you get from doing it yourself.”
Keno Moroccan shag rug: RugsUSA; lucite chair: eBay; 2018 Stendig calendar
Collard decorated with a mainly neutral color palette of gray, black and white, with wood tones and leather upholstery as contrast. Brass finishes and pops of green from houseplants are also used throughout as accents. “When your house is black and white, you can focus more on the little details that stand out to us, instead of the paint color,” Collard says.
The couple enjoy using the living room as a place to host friends and relax after a long day. They drove three hours to buy the vintage Eames lounge chair and ottoman.
Brentwood sectional: Apt2B; Industrial storage coffee table: West Elm; Armstrong chandelier: Kichler
10 Style-Boosting Design Ideas for Your Houseplant Collection
The couple enjoy using the living room as a place to host friends and relax after a long day. They drove three hours to buy the vintage Eames lounge chair and ottoman.
Brentwood sectional: Apt2B; Industrial storage coffee table: West Elm; Armstrong chandelier: Kichler
10 Style-Boosting Design Ideas for Your Houseplant Collection
As with many old houses, air circulation was a challenge, so the couple added a media console with an electric fireplace to help keep the living room warm in the winter.
Fresno TV stand with gel fireplace: Real Flame
Fresno TV stand with gel fireplace: Real Flame
The upright piano once belonged to Collard’s great-aunt.
“We throw a lot of parties, and this is why we moved downtown, so we can always be around people,” Collard says. Their home has become a place for friends to gather before heading out to enjoy the downtown nightlife.
The bar cart is a fun addition to the living room, though Collard says they often end up using the kitchen’s built-in beer tap instead of crafting cocktails. “We really did intend to have and use the bar cart for its original purpose — a station to create drinks. Oddly enough, it’s never used for that. It’s mainly just there for decoration,” she says. “We’re either creating an elaborate cocktail that needs to be made in the kitchen or drinking beer from the tap instead.”
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The bar cart is a fun addition to the living room, though Collard says they often end up using the kitchen’s built-in beer tap instead of crafting cocktails. “We really did intend to have and use the bar cart for its original purpose — a station to create drinks. Oddly enough, it’s never used for that. It’s mainly just there for decoration,” she says. “We’re either creating an elaborate cocktail that needs to be made in the kitchen or drinking beer from the tap instead.”
Cheers to These 17 Creative Home Bars
Før-billede
Before. Collard and Heller worked together during a week off from work to update their kitchen and rearrange the layout. “That kitchen kind of raised the bar for the entire house,” Collard says. The space originally had dark countertops and silver hardware, plus a completely different layout.
After. The sink was originally where the oven is now; the couple added the peninsula. They removed some of the upper cabinets for a clean, streamlined look and added a 3-by-6-inch subway tile backsplash.
Xena farmhouse vessel sink: American Imaginations; Calacatta quartz countertops: East Coast Granite and Design; Samsung stainless steel electric slide-in range: QVC; Pente subway tile: SomerTile; Ruffner globe pendant: AllModern; find more globe pendant lighting
Xena farmhouse vessel sink: American Imaginations; Calacatta quartz countertops: East Coast Granite and Design; Samsung stainless steel electric slide-in range: QVC; Pente subway tile: SomerTile; Ruffner globe pendant: AllModern; find more globe pendant lighting
The kitchen “is where we spend the most time as a couple and with people,” Collard says. They installed a kegerator for Heller’s home brews and seasonal flavors from Brewpublik in Charleston.
Cheers to a Home Basement Brewery for Craft Beers
Cheers to a Home Basement Brewery for Craft Beers
The couple repurposed the existing cabinet frames to save money and added new Shaker-style doors, using an online tutorial and their own power tools. Heller made the new doors, and Collard painted the bottom ones in Magnetic Gray by Sherwin-Williams; new hinges and brass hardware were added. They splurged on new appliances, such as the Samsung smart refrigerator, which Collard says is one of her favorite new pieces in their home. She loves that she can order groceries on it and have them delivered to her door.
Carlisle chairs: Target; James side chairs: Home Decorators
The second bedroom is used as Collard’s home office. “It gets the most light in the whole house,” she says. “I get excited going there every day, and I love to people watch from my office and hear the bustle of the city.”
Wentworth TV stand: Langley Street, AllModern; find more midcentury modern-style media stands
Wentworth TV stand: Langley Street, AllModern; find more midcentury modern-style media stands
This clothing rack was a DIY project that Collard uses to plan outfits for her fashion blog, Like the Yogurt. It’s made with galvanized pipes, pine board and swivel casters at the base for mobility. The whole project cost less than $100.
How to make an industrial-style shelving unit
How to make an industrial-style shelving unit
This desk was also a DIY project. Collard made the legs using two-by-fours and sawhorse brackets and topped them with a piece of glass from a surplus store. She finished the wood legs with a rich honey stain. “It was super easy and cheap,” she says. The industrial-style stool is from a thrift shop.
In the master bedroom, Collard made the pendants with pieces from Grand Brass Lamp Parts. She says the hardest thing about making them was that there wasn’t a template or kit, so she had to come up with the design herself and figure it out as she went along, doing research online. She used brass for consistency with the rest of the house, but wanted a different look with the design.
Collard says the master bedroom design was “all about finding stylish and efficient ways to use the little space we had,” since the square footage was tight. One of their space-saving tricks: sliding containers under the bed to store their shoes.
Collard says the master bedroom design was “all about finding stylish and efficient ways to use the little space we had,” since the square footage was tight. One of their space-saving tricks: sliding containers under the bed to store their shoes.
The couple gutted their bathroom and built their tiled shower from scratch, which Collard says took months. She did the tilework and Heller did the majority of the plumbing. One design challenge they dealt with was that the 100-year-old walls weren’t plumb, or straight up and down, which kept the glass door from lining up quite right. “Demolition is easy, but plumbing, once you cover that stuff up, there’s no going back. You just have to pray!” she says. “It took months because we were so scared to move forward.”
Collard built and installed the wall sconce for about $50 after buying the parts individually online from Grand Brass Lamp Parts. She spray-painted a brass towel ring matte black.
Round brass wall mirror: Target; Hexagon towel ring: Urban Outfitters; browse more towel rings
Round brass wall mirror: Target; Hexagon towel ring: Urban Outfitters; browse more towel rings
In the guest bathroom, a claw-foot tub Collard bought on Craigslist replaced a standard shower. She had held on to the vintage tub for five years in their previous home’s garage. “Even though we couldn’t use it at the time, I was determined to get it because it was such a good deal,” she says.
Art: Sam Reuter; wall paint in High Reflective White: Sherwin-Williams; kilim area rug: Target; chrome curtain rod for claw-foot tubs: Zenna Home
Art: Sam Reuter; wall paint in High Reflective White: Sherwin-Williams; kilim area rug: Target; chrome curtain rod for claw-foot tubs: Zenna Home
“In every room, I go by the same modern design and color template: white, black, gold, gray, marble or cement and a touch of greenery or color,” Collard says.
The compact brick patio and outdoor space are used for hosting friends, dinners alfresco and DIY projects on the weekends.
Acapulco-style chairs: TJ Maxx; find more outdoor chairs
How to get rid of mosquitoes
Acapulco-style chairs: TJ Maxx; find more outdoor chairs
How to get rid of mosquitoes
Collard added the sidewalk-facing window boxes as a DIY project and had them filled by Angel Oak Nursery. It took her three attempts to put the boxes together, and she’s happy they’re up and blooming.
Exterior paint in Wisteria: Sherwin-Williams
See more photos of this home
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
More home tours: Apartments | Small Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | All
Exterior paint in Wisteria: Sherwin-Williams
See more photos of this home
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
More home tours: Apartments | Small Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | All
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White, white, white... Not my thing, but nicely done.
This was an ambitious project for this young couple. Many years from now they will look at some of their design and decorating choices and realize some of their mistakes. Unfortunately one mistake that I could not overlook was the kitchen redesign. They had a pretty good work triangle in the original design. By moving the sink, oven, etc., the work triangle is a mess. A person at the sink, which is jammed into the corner, is also on top of the stove and in the way of anyone cooking. A kegerator taking up a whole peninsula when they compacted the kitchen into nothing? I don't think so. Overall the concept of creating a light, spare feeling throughout the house was done well. The outside color is lovely - window boxes add a nice touch and should be added to all the windows to really create a "look".