Home showcase: California Meets Carolina in This Palmetto Bluff House

A Lowcountry original with a California twist brings two design worlds together under one roof

Story by Barry Kaufman
PHOTOS by Anne Caufmann 

It’s not often that you find common ground between the architecture of California and the architecture of the Lowcountry. Here our homes are often rooted in the symmetrical formality of the colonies. There, an unbridled sense of experimentation is the largest common denominator, spiraling off into Mediterranean, Japanese and Spanish styles. Our high rooflines help guide the heavy rains of spring while allowing for soothing breezes throughout the home. Theirs stretch in an eye-catching mid-century modern inspired flat plane.

In short, we’re tabby. They’re stucco. And yet, these two ideologies share a few things in common, chiefly a knack for uniting indoor and outdoor spaces, a respect for the surrounding environment and a dedication to hospitality. And when they come together, as they did in the Palmetto Bluff home here, it’s a wonderful harmony of two very different approaches.

“The clients were a couple from California. She had a design background, and he’s an architect working on some amazing houses,” said Evan Goodwin with Pearce Scott Architects. “They knew and understood the process really well, which was great.”

Knowing that his Lowcountry home should have a Lowcountry style, he reached out to Pearce Scott Architects to guide his home’s design. Their coastal connection resulted in a home with contemporary yet warm style written in clean lines, open spaces and a bicoastal mix of modern and natural materials.

The height of hospitality

Perhaps the true hallmark of Lowcountry design, the soaring cathedral ceiling of the great room, allowed the architects to work in some natural elements that create a sense of place. 

“Our direction was really to create something clean, simple and contemporary but also warm and inviting and Lowcountry,” said Pearce Scott.

Creating that balance, they stretched reclaimed beams along the expanse of the ceiling, dropping a broad chimney of tabby down toward more rustic wood elements in the shelves and built-ins. The pitch of the ceiling was reduced from the broader angle of the exterior roof to accommodate a flat roof above the gallery hall, creating a dramatic sense of height.

“They wanted it to be super bright, so we had tall ceilings and windows throughout the house that really create this massive sense of scale,” added Evan.

Low-slung luxury 

One of the biggest factors guiding the home’s design was the unique layout of its double lot. 

“They bought it as a combined lot and wanted to take advantage of that, so it’s one story but it’s very wide – something to the tune of 130 feet,” said Evan.

The original plans called for a carriage house, but right away the team at Pearce Scott could see that the second story threw off the entire curb appeal of the property. They managed to find a spot toward the rear of the property that could accommodate the fifth bedroom, so the home maintained its beautifully low-slung profile.

“The whole idea was that they wanted it to be really wide so you could get the front gallery hallway running the entire length,” said Evan. “When you walk in through the mudroom, you see it all the way down to the primary bedroom, and they layered it with art along the way.”

Old World, new angle

Another element that pops up with regularity in Lowcountry design is the symmetrical kitchen mirroring the great room, the lines of the range hood standing opposite the fireplace mantle. That element is present here, but as with everything else, a closer look sees where a little West Coast experimentation snuck in.

“The plaster range hood has kind of an Old World European feel, even though it’s a very contemporary expression of it,” said Pearce.

The layout of the kitchen is boldly different from the standard Lowcountry design as well, with the center island rotated 90 degrees.

“The kitchen is a little bit atypical,” said Evan. “The island looks like it’s furniture, but it’s obviously built in, and the window it faces is its own feature. It opens up to serve as a pass through between the kitchen and the screened porch, where they have a pizza oven.”

Sanctuaries in scale 

Just as the high-pitched ceilings found their way into the great room and kitchen, Evan made sure that each bedroom enjoyed its own cathedral ceiling. 

“We did the same treatment with the box beams, but instead of going with a warm wood, we went with a neutral look to make them a little more subtle,” said Evan.

The extra height also added to the home’s overall sense of scale, while giving the room a way to capture the sights and sounds coming in off the water. 

“All the windows and doors are at 10 feet, and then you have the two-foot transom above that,” said Evan. “And the hoppers down below are all operable so you can get some nice breezes coming in.”

The primary suite enjoys the same vaulted ceiling as the other four bedrooms in the house, just crafted on a different scale. The ingenious design of the home allows for incredible privacy, with the primary bath and an office situated between the bedroom and the main house, and an outdoor fireplace that shields the primary bath from view.

“The primary bedroom has these killer views, and that fireplace creates privacy for essentially that entire wing of the house,” added Evan.

A peek of playfulness 

You are looking at one of the most intriguing bits of tile work you’ve likely ever seen in this magazine. Yes, it’s a little bit of colorful language, but it does speak to the wildly experimental California influence that found so many ways to delight in the home.

“They’re a fun couple. They’re always traveling the world, and they just collect ideas from wherever they go,” said Evan. “And it’s right out front, so if you’re standing on the front porch and the window is open, you can peek in and see that.”