Pumpkin We Must

Mums and pumpkins in South of Broad, Downtown Charleston

Classic and confident orange, calm and inconspicuous sage, modern and minimalist cream - these are the colors of the season. With their pleasantly round and delightfully irregular shapes, pumpkins rarely fail to elicit joy in me.

My pull toward pumpkins started early this year. Charleston, South Carolina's summers are oppressively hot. By late August the sunshine feels not unlike the spotlight in a nineties-era crime drama interrogation. Where was I at noon on Sunday, August 18? Seeking the cool breeze of our 23-year-old (and seemingly immortal) HVAC system, cuddled up with one of the many fall-themed books I've binged in the last month.

While my husband and close friends mourned the end of summer, I secretly lit woodfire scented candles and shopped for clothes I couldn't afford much less WEAR for the next three-ish months. Then last week a work trip took me to Nashville, TN, where my mom lives permanently but a lovely cold-front was passing through temporarily.

Comfortably wearing my favorite sweater, I took in the familiar sight of her apartment. When suddenly, I clocked something orange. And then the flood gates opened: decorative pumpkins large and small in every corner, fall inspired floral displays, and all manner of autumnal knick-knacks with solid use of the word "fall." As Charlie XCX wisely sang on the hit album Brat, "I guess the apple don't fall far from the tree."

And that's how I found myself with a cart full of pumpkins and a smile this weekend. Because, pumpkin we must.

All shapes and sizes South of Broad

A Home for Our Books

Our office has been a journey. Two weeks after closing I started peeling off wallpaper while Poole and his dad demo'd the shed consuming our backyard. I didn't know at the time it would take months before the office would be furniture-ready. Once Poole and I realized just how long it takes for amateurs to update an entire house, we shifted our focus to spaces we needed to live in.

The office and the goals we had for it continued to play on my mind. We needed it to house a growing book collection (currently stuffed into a guest room.) But none of the bookshelves I saw appealed to me or fit our budget.

Inspired by airy bracketed shelves on Pinterest, I started examining the pile of salvaged 2x10s from the shed. They were not cute, but they were free! Luckily, one of the tools my father-in-law gifted us was his old orbital sander. After hours of brushing and sanding and more sanding, they looked decent.

To finish the shelves, I used a white semi-transparent stain and polyurethane. I'm not going to go into details about this process because there are abundant resources on the internet with better tips than I have.

Now, with books on display and a fresh coat of white paint, the office is ready for furnishings. I am in search of the perfect mid-century mod desk, hopefully I'll be sharing it with you soon!

Guest Bath: Phase One

My husband, Poole, doesn't have a ton of opinions on the design of the house. Many of his off-the-wall ideas he knows will never be incorporated, but he has made a few requests that do make it to the "big dance." He's determined to fill the house with plants to the point it feels like a jungle. He also did not want to give up his world map shower curtain. Well ladies and gentlemen, meet our guest bath! 

The space was awkwardly large and decorated with elephant wallpaper. Unable to change the layout, we focused our efforts on cosmetic changes that would bring the space up to date.

First, and most challenging was selecting a new vanity light. The electric box was centered over the vanity, so I needed to find a light long enough to partially cover two vanity mirrors. Lights that size are expensive, and it was difficult to find something both large and stylish in my price range. Hello, Etsy! There, I found this sleek brass fixture, just under $200 and it is everything I hoped it would be.

At this stage, I started toying with the idea of an accent wall - I found an inspiration image on Pinterest with a green accent wall and a large map. Well, we have a large map shower curtain. Perfect!

I looked through so many different greens and settled on Sherwin-Williams Rosemary. It was a good complement to the colors in Poole's shower curtain, but if the shower curtain were to meet an untimely demise the color could stand alone. 

Moving on! With the bathroom painted (thanks to my very sweet friend Sarah who helped) it was time to select mirrors. I landed on these simple brass-colored ones from Target, and we continued the brass theme with a new hand towel holder, toilet tissue holder, and towel hooks.

A trip to Hyam's was all we needed to jumpstart the jungle vibe. We selected a bamboo palm and a snake plant, which we placed in a modern white planter.

The bathroom still needs some finishing touches and we don't have nearly enough plants to fill its generous proportions but we're no longer actively steering guests away from it. 

The Wedding

Poole and I are taking a break from house projects this weekend to celebrate our first wedding anniversary! So will you indulge me in a quick stroll down memory lane?

Our wedding was originally scheduled for April 17, 2020, at The Parsonage. The pretty-in-pink 1846 historic home long served as the residence of the neighboring church's pastor. It still belongs to St. Johannes and has been painstakingly restored. Picture 50 close family members and friends mingling on an open-air piazza while live bluegrass plays - dreamy, right?

Instead, we ended up eloping in June due to the pandemic. The lovely folks at the Parsonage were more than accommodating, so I still got to have my garden nuptials! A few other special vendors, photographer Elizabeth Ervin, floral designer Britt Fowler (Arôme), and Paper Dolls Hair & Makeup helped us feel like a proper bride & groom. Our dear friend Paul Geier officiated while Betsey, his wife, filmed the ceremony live on Zoom for our families. 

I love looking back at these photos and remembering a perfect day. Apart from the obvious personal joy of marrying my favorite person, the photos also fill me with pride from a design perspective! 

This was the first opportunity I'd had to plan an event my way. I spent a great deal of time thinking about how the different elements would fit together when brought to life - right down to Olive's bow (a choice I agonized over!) Some decisions were obvious, I knew I wanted a minimalist Jenny Yoo gown. Others were not, and only a small snippet of the original plan actually happened! But looking through the photos today, I can't imagine it any other way. 

All photos by the amazing, Elizabeth Ervin!

The Kitchen: Phase One

I live in the kitchen, it’s my favorite place to be and preparing dinner is how I unwind from the day. When we closed on the house, I knew it was going to be one of the first spaces to tackle. 

Olive and I looking around on closing day

Hiring a pro to gut our kitchen would have been great, but it wasn’t in the cards for us. So, hands got dirty! If you look closely at these photos, you can see there is gold wallpaper in our kitchen and dining room.

The wallpaper did not fit the modern, minimalist style I most connect with and thus it had to go. However, it didn’t go quietly!

There are two methods of wallpaper removal that have been recommended to me: pressure sprayer and steamer. I used the pressure sprayer method in the dining room and kitchen. In my experience, the pressure sprayer is more effective in removing the wallpaper and glue completely but EVERYTHING gets soaked in the process. It took a ton of time and was very wet. My nails were ruined, but it made a world of difference.

The next step was paint. I love white walls, and believe they make beautiful canvases for whatever art, furniture, or textiles you bring in! I chose a very white-white (Sherwin-Williams Pure White.)

The kitchen, at this point, was looking better but still didn’t make sense to me. We had a warm, almost mediterranen-style tile, with a black countertop. Instead of the dramatic contrast you’d expect from the black with white cabinets, the flooring had a dulling effect. The room was confused. 

I needed to fix this (on a budget) and, luckily, there is a solution that exists for just this circumstance: Rust-Oleum Home Floor Coating. Yes, I painted my floor! But first I cleaned it thoroughly with a degreaser and used a hand-sander to go over every inch. I did two coats of charcoal base coat, and two coats of the matte clear top coat. (I watched the DIY Mommy’s tutorial, very thorough instructions.)

The floor paint flipped the scales in our kitchen! Immediately, the room was more cohesive and played perfectly with our black fireplace surround. 

I brought in a couple rugs, both to elongate the life of the floor paint in a high traffic zone and add a little more visual interest to the space. I adore the circular jute rug - I love that it infuses natural warmth into the area. Once we arranged our favorite wares, my beloved Le Creusets (in Flame | Carribean) and our record player, this kitchen became a reason to smile!

It was our first triumph and the visual progress we needed to keep chugging along. Our kitchen still has bumps and bruises, but these inexpensive changes have made it feel like home.

Phase Two: I can’t wait to purchase a new chandelier for over our table, and I will be painting the cabinets and replacing the hardware. I also need to paint the trim and crown molding. 

The Home

In August 2020, Poole and I began searching for our first home in Charleston, South Carolina. The market was hot, the listings were scarce, and the buyers were motivated. 

The avenue of oaks.

We had fallen in love with the highly-coveted neighborhood across the street from our apartment. On every run, I trotted down the oak-lined streets searching for listings. Passing by the 1950’s bungalows and spacious waterfront homes, I daydreamed of our own little space in the eclectic mix.

So many pretty homes!

What we ended up with in March of 2021 was not what I had envisioned - not even close. There were pink and red walls, various styles of animal-clad wallpaper trim, and a bathroom the size of a sprinter van. But for whatever reason, this 2003 3-bed 3-bath surrounded by concrete spoke to us.

I think it said to Poole, “It will only take a half-hour to mow the yard.” 

To me, it said potential: room to grow, freedom to design (perhaps make a few mistakes) and overall an opportunity to leave something better than the way we found it. It had also been listed for a long time - too long - and that was a bargaining chip we needed!

As we work through renovations, I wanted a place to document the progress and the time it takes to DIY this thing. Warning: it will not be pretty for a while! But with Poole, some amazing true-blue friends, and my contractor father-in-law maybe, just maybe, we can make something special.

Taking down the shed in the backyard.