Low Country Style

I want to live here!

Let me introduce you to an awesome architect firm in Beaufort, SC - just outside of Charleston. They are Frederick + Frederick Architects. Hubby works in the building industry so when we lived right outside of Charleston he came into contact with lots of great architect firms. I don't know if he ever went in this one, but I think I found them through others he did frequent. They have a great understanding of what true Low Country style is.

Now, I'm not a purist. True low country has a lot of wood walls on the inside and I'm not too keen on the darkness that gives. I like light, bright, and airy. The architecture, though, is just that. Houses in this true style are built to encourage cross-ventilation and good air flow in general. Big windows and doors, high ceilings, transoms, lots of fans and off the ground. If you've ever been to Charleston, you know why! It's HUMID and HOT in the summer. If you go visit and aren't used to it, it feels like you've arrived at the rain forest on the equator:) You do adjust to it, though.

This is one of their houses that I just love. The exterior is basically my dream home style - lots of big porches (screened and open), tons of windows and doors, metal roof, old brick and white mortar. The property IS my dream location with the marsh, the huge old oaks and Spanish moss (sigh!). It's called the Hood Residence.

I love this little courtyard and that monstrous screened porch.



How awesome is this porch? I'd be out here all the time. We'd never eat inside! I'd want my ceiling painted the traditional pale aqua blue.  See below for more info on this. Kind-of neat:)



I'm just guessing, but that color looks a lot like Fowler Pink by Farrow & Ball.
A good friend just painted with it and it's catching my eye.

I don't mind the wood so much here with all the natural light. When you live down here,
you do realize a room like this is a nice retreat from the summer sun and heat.

I have a thing for these old trees. I'd love to have one on my property.

Perfect place for a low-country boil and hanging out with friends. I love this space!

Alright. I've gotten my "fix" for today of low country life. Here's one more little tidbit you might find interesting. Remember above me commenting on how I like the traditional sky/aqua blue porch ceilings? How they came about is worth reading:

The African American language spoken in the "low country" of coastal South Carolina is called "gullah". "Haint" was explained as "haunt" or spirit -- and the story went that porch ceilings and wide overhangs on the exteriors of homes were painted a sky blue so that "haints", "haunts" or spirits would think they were the sky and pass right on through. This kept spirits from haunting or lingering around the home. There is no official "haint blue" color. The intent was to fool the spirits. via Mizblueprint

I've also heard it rumored that the color helps to keep insects and spiders away. Who knows?! Fun to tell regardless. Have a great day!

Miss Bee

Movin' on in!

Today is going to be busy! I'm getting my hair done in an hour and that makes me feel like a princess for the rest of the day:) It's nice to be pampered some...especially when you are the only girl in a house of men (even the dog!). Men aren't much into pampering...in case you've not noticed.

Then, it's to the garage to work on Smokey Bear and finish up two of my other pieces. Hopefully, tomorrow or the next day I can get a couple of them on here to show you some afters! I'm not sure I'll ever tackle another smokey piece. Talk about a chore! I love a good challenge and this has been a good one, but extremely time consuming...which is not something I have any extra of these days. In fact this looks a lot like me today:

Moving along. I figured today would be a good day to take you on into the family room of my house. We're getting more comfortable with each other which means you can come sit down on the couch instead of just standing at the front door looking in. Notice I said sit, not plop. You can plop when I start showing you the hidden dust bunnies and Goldfish crumbs:)

This was the view from the front door when we bought the house.

On to the living/family room (no one can agree on it's name around here). When we bought this house, the absolute first thing I did was rip off that ridiculous looking molding seen here over the fireplace mantle. What in the world were they thinking?! This is a testament to how I am willing to TRY just about anything involving some level of skill with my hands. Chemistry or math, not so much:)

I'd never done sheet rock repair of this magnitude. There was a TON of joint compound slathering and sanding going on in this room for the next two days (and sneezing, coughing, and washing of hands)! God was good to me. You can't even tell it was ever there now:) I also had to lighten up this gold wall color. It is now the same color as the foyer above the chair rail...my "happy accident" color. Closet match would be Behr's Sensible Hue.


See how much better it is WITHOUT that "architectural detail"? That's not something that will usually come out of my mouth!

 See the toy pail there? Moroccan, solid hammered copper. I found it yard sailing last fall for $5.00! Sold!

This is a hard room to shoot with my mid-line camera. That's another thing on my "list" to upgrade soon.

The bamboo matchstick blinds were on clearance for about $5.00 a piece! The lamp was a brass Goodwill find I painted black years ago and the curtains were more of my remnant finds. Those green pillows on the sofa were what I impulsively matched for my dining rooms walls - so uncharacteristic of me to do that with color!



These colors are more accurate.

See the little white wine table and brown chair on the right? Those were my grandmother and grandfather's. The Barcalounger we bought (discounted floor model) for me to sleep in during the last stages of my second pregnancy. It's now "Daddy's Chair". The little table on the left was an outdoor plant stand I screwed a scrap piece round cutout on and spray painted white.

The little telephone table behind the sofa was my grandmothers and the lamp shades were clearance finds for about $5 a piece. I love this seagrass rug. I had it custom made about 7 years ago at a company in Charleston, SC for $600. It's 10'x14' with a thick urathane backing and it's been put to the test! Did you know you can steam clean these babies? I would know:) Three boys and two dogs have each made their presence known at some point.

That ottoman was my second attempt at furniture making (first was a round ottoman on casters). It's made from a board, foam bench pad, batting, remnant fabric and fence post caps! My kids LOVE this thing. I made it when it became obvious the glass topped coffee table was a disaster in the making with boys around:)  It's been laid on, jumped on (when they didn't think I was watching!), played on, etc. It's sturdy to say the least. That poor sofa was our first furniture purchase 11 years ago as newlyweds. It's been a work horse and has held up remarkably well. I still love the color of it. It's a olive khaki green and very versatile. It is time to retire it though. I need a microfiber one these days  - or I could do like "Ma" on Everyone Love's Raymond and just get me a plastic couch cover!

Loved that show:)

Hope you enjoyed your visit. I did! Let's do it again soon. Need any help getting off that sofa? It's a great napper:)

Miss Bee

Goodbye, Sweet Chandy!

Have you ever found a piece you REALLY didn't want to let go of? I have. This was my latest.

Meet Chandy:

I went in Goodwill one day and saw this sitting there for ...(Ready?)... SEVEN, that's $7.00!!!!! I couldn't get to it fast enough! I was even ready to yank it from someone else's hands if they dared pick it up before I got to it. It was in great shape, albeit a little dusty and dirty. I actually had a lady come up to me after I got it commenting on how she wished she'd seen it (don't even THINK about it!).

The funny part is, I can remember as a child going into a house my grandparents had just bought and it was full of these old metal tole chandeliers. I distinctly remember them or my mom commenting on how ugly they were and how those had to come out! Amazing what cycles around in fashion and style. Check out out these details:

Want to know why I grabbed it so fast? Check out these pics I have in my files:

Love this room!
Massucco Warner Miller Interiors via Decor Pad

LOVE this room as well!
Elizabeth Dinkel via Decor Pad

via Lonny Magazine

Margot Austin via Decor Pad



via Coastal Living



Anyway, I took Chandy home and cleaned her up. I gave her a new coat of "Heirloom White" spraypaint,  checked out the wiring (perfect condition) and did a photo shoot. Last week I sold Chandy to a great gal in Florida who actually wanted it so bad she had her sister meet us at the airport to get it and hold it for her! Thank you, Tracie:) I want to see pictures of Chandy in her new home. She would have looked gorgeous over my bed or in my closet!

Miss Bee

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A little Inspiration

Today was a long one, but good. I got a lot done. I'm frantically working on about five pieces all at the same time. Is this a sickness with us DIY types? It's rediculous! Take a look:

Smokey Bear

Gorgeous Chinoserie Mirror

Quatrafoil Accent Table

French Mahogony Side Table

Old Shelving Find for Booth

"Smokey's" nastiness coming off!

Antique Camel Back Sofa

Old Rolling Double-sided Shelf for Booth

 So with all that going on, I'm beat. I also am in need of a little inspiration for tomorrow. Here are a couple of my pics out of my file that I felt drawn to tonight:

"Camilla" -greys, whites, texture
B.E. Interiors Photography

"Wood Grain" - Texture and Pattern
B.E. Interiors Photography

"White Azaleas" - Color and Light
B.E. Interiors Photography

Here's to sweet dreams and awakening inspired tomorrow!

Miss Bee

Woodland Night Scene Mural

When we found out we were moving here for my hubby's work, about 3.5 hours away from where my boys had spent the first few years of their life, I had to get creative to keep the oldest from being too bummed out. His best buddy lived right across the street and they played on a near daily basis in our front yard. So, being the stupid intelligent, creative mother that I am, I told him we would decorate his new bedroom however he wanted. I was trying to get him excited and focused on something good about the move. Lesson to the wise: Careful what you promise! My sadistic sweet five year old then announced he wanted his entire room painted to look like he was outside camping in the mountains! (Imagine me turning pale and backpedaling fiercely!)

Now, I was taught that a man or woman is only as good as his or her word. Someone should be able to always count on you to keep your word without having to have a "contract" to make you do it and I live by that. So, I was stuck. Lucky for me, we first moved into a condo for about six months while land hunting and drawing up house plans. I had some time to brainstorm how I was going to fulfill this promise I'd stupidly made.

When we bought this house, my big boy's room and was GIRLIE! I was quickly informed he was NOT sleeping in a girls room. So, guess what the first thing I did before even moving in was? I sat in this room and stripped wallpaper (all that wall color is paper) off with Downy April fresh to the point I can't stand the smell to this day! We ripped out all the carpet in the house and replaced it. It was also drenched in Downy! UGH!



You can't see the beautiful palladian window top with this valance.

 Next, I put a preliminary coat of paint on the walls and called it a day until we could come up with a plan. He was insistent on having camouflage. I have a serious aversion to the stuff. I grew up associating camo with hunting and military - nothing wrong with either - but I was surrounded by it. Outside those two contexts, I don't want to see it. (There is something about a man in uniform, though!) Small mountain town with a military college and Army Ranger station. I saw it constantly and was determined my boys were not going to have it anywhere. Never say "Never". I knew I was in trouble when it came into "vogue" a number of years ago and was even pink. I tried every angle to get around it with no success. He's very determined.

So, after weeks of hunting for a "tasteful" version we found a comforter I could work with. Now, I am just going to say up front, that I would love to have every room in my house look model perfect, but there is a limit to how much of that I am going to do in my boys' rooms. I don't want them to feel like they live in museum and have no say-so in their spaces.

Next we pow-wowed on ideas for a mural. "We" spent hours hunting for inspiration pics and coming up with ideas until we could come to an agreement on what he and I would be happy with (since I was going to be doing all the work). This was the end result:



Some things here would be different if I was staging the room, but this is where my big boy lives and this is how he likes it:)




I love this navy color on the three surrounding walls. It's Benjamin Moore's "Midnight Blue".
The top above the plate rack is the lightest color on the same card, "Glass Slipper". Awesome color!

 See that old school desk in the corner? That was one of my first projects years ago. You should have seen it before! Too bad I didn't get a photo of the horrid yellow/green/etc. paint that had been carved into by kids over the years!

And here is it. It spans the entire wall. It's painted in five colors off that same card: Midnight Blue, Blue Spruce, Water's Edge, Santorini Blue, and Brittany Blue - all Benjamin Moore colors mixed in Behr Premium Plus Ultra Paint/Primer.

Originally this Buck was a Doe. But, I was informed I should have a male with two females,
so "she" was anatomically corrected to become a "he"!

I am still not totally done with this room.  I need to finish the second coat of navy in the tree tops over the deer. Yes, that was two coats of paint on every single part - all done with tiny brushes! We are going to make a gallery wall over the bed for all his sports and school pictures in white frames. Trophies are slowly surrounding the room on the plate rack. The curtains were an unbelievable find...at GOODWILL! I nearly choked with excitement when I found them. They were custom made 11 ft. lined chenille with a navy/khaki bullion fringe. I took the fringe off and hemmed them. They are perfect for letting the window show during the day, and can be drawn at night so the "boogey man" can't see in the top window (they also insulate great in winter). Would you believe I only paid $3.00 for them?! You can't even get a yard of good fabric for that! The bedroom furniture was my grandfathers that I've been waiting on the day I could use somewhere:)

I am quite happy with how it came out and actually discovered how much I love painting silhouette style murals while doing this. I did learn to paint them on a canvas, though, not on sheet rock. That way they can be saved, removed, etc. Guess when we move, I'll be cutting down some sheet rock and taking it with me (wink, wink)!

Miss Bee

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