Take it outside: Bringing the beach home

The outdoor spaces at this Port Royal Plantation home mark the culmination of a design based on the beach.

Story by Barry Kaufman + Photo by Lisa Staff

A home is more than just four walls and a roof. In the hands of a designer like Denise Stringer of John Kilmer Fine Interiors, it’s a cohesive work of art, thoughtfully arrayed and defined, inside and out. The home of Trey and Kellie Bishop is an ideal example of that ethos. “When I’m on a project, I’m in it from the first shovel of dirt to the end,” she said. “That means working with architects, builders and homeowners to get everything perfect.”  That precise attention to detail and dedication to creating a whole-home experience shows when you head outside this Port Royal Plantation home and see how much wonder lies just beyond those four walls. 

Go with the flow

The orientation of the lot gave this home a second-story view through sprawling live oaks toward the ocean, but in arranging the furniture, Stringer had the inspired idea to orient everything away from the view and toward the home. 

“The Bishops do so much entertaining, and what this does is invite the party outside while allowing for great flow and interaction between indoors and outdoors,” she said.

Fire down below

When it comes to uniting indoors and out, the ground floor’s magnificent sheltered patio, which transitions from a sprawling game room, is a shining example of doing it right. A set of retracting doors open wide to the pool deck, while three TVs, a nearby fire pit and a bar allow for an outdoor get-together any day of the year. 

The jet set 

As an avid kitesurfer, Bishop is a fixture all along the shoreline of Hilton Head Island. When it came time to add the pool, he knew the perfect touch: A trio of high-powered jets that let him ride his hydrofoil from the comfort of his own home. And when the winds are right, a pathway just off the pool deck brings the beach just a few steps away.