Home showcase: Southeast meets Southwest

Prepare for a slightly spicier take on Lowcountry luxe with this Palmetto Bluff home inspired by the rich textures of the desert.

Story by Barry Kaufman + Photos by Josh Gibson

There are countless ways to make a home your own. 

And while the right pairing of artwork and accessories, or an inspired use of hardware and materials, can put a personal stamp on a home, it’s a different undertaking altogether to put your stamp on an entire home from the foundation up. 

For David and Diane Kahn, that’s exactly what they did when they partnered with Court Atkins Group to build this stunning Palmetto Bluff home. From the initial sketches they knew that their home needed to stand apart and reflect their southwestern sensibilities.

“My mother owned a Southwestern art gallery, so I have a lot of authentic Indian pottery and modern Indian art,” said Diane. “This is our primary home, so we weren’t starting from scratch as far as our art and furniture.”

Creating that Southwestern look was about far more than just bringing in hints of turquoise. For Court Atkins Group it meant marrying together two entirely different aesthetics.

“There is a layering to this house where you get some of that Lowcountry simplicity and some of that Southwestern style,” said William Court. “There are the layered tones of wood and brick, but then there are transitional elements like the big windows that you wouldn’t necessarily see in the Lowcountry and a play of ceiling heights that you tend to see more in thick-walled Southwestern homes.”

Framed by light 

As a huge anchor to the home’s design, the kitchen sets the tone for the interplay between Southwestern and Lowcountry design. For Court, that tone is created by the wooden tones of the ceiling’s timbers and by the lush natural light streaming in from the wide window behind the sink.

“The single best thing we helped bring to life for the Kahns is the glass wall in the kitchen. There’s so often a desire with an open kitchen that’s set across from a fireplace to anchor the other side with a big range hood,” he said. “In this case we completely flipped that and ended up with the opportunity to bring that natural light in.”

For Diane the real showstopper in the kitchen is the richly veined quartzite counter on the center island. “It has those rich blue and cobalt hues, and it really calls out to the Southwestern colors that have little shocks of turquoise,” she said. “I give Interior Designer Adrienne Warner a lot of credit for that one, because I was initially kind of scared to go that bold.”

It paid off beautifully, with the colors of the stone mingling with the rich grain of the wood, all illuminated by a Southwestern-inspired window, drenching the space in natural light.

Vaulted harmony

In the great room, whose soaring vaulted ceilings rise above richly grained wooden timber beams, we see the juxtaposition of two very different architectural styles brought together in beautiful harmony. 

“The simplicity of the wood tone on the trim really skews this space toward the Southwest,” said Court.

And it isn’t just the trim where the natural accents of wood make a statement.

“I always wanted a reclaimed floor. It adds a lot of texture and character,” said Diane. “I asked the flooring guy (where it was reclaimed from), and he said he could tell me a great story about it being from a barn in Vermont, but the wood is from all over.”

Architecturally, the great room’s design allowed Court Atkins to get creative with the foyer. Not wanting to have guests step immediately into the living room, they set aside a space for a small foyer which created two alcoves. In one, a full bar allows for entertaining. In the other, custom cabinetry creates a cozy reading nook.

“That was a huge leap of faith,” said Court. “They almost nixed them; now they love them. It just creates a little more warmth and depth. You feel like there’s a lot going on.”

A view to savor

That interplay of ceiling heights, which Court used to magnificent effect to create cozier spaces in line with the Southwestern ethos, created in this sitting room one of Diane Kahn’s favorite spots in the whole home.

“I love that space. They call it a keeping room. The glass opens up from the porch so you can create one space,” she said. “It’s my morning coffee spot and a great place to hang out with company.”

It also enjoys a spectacular view of the inland waterway just beyond the back yard.

“They were blessed to pick a lot that faces mostly south,” said Court. “And with that ceiling height, everything plays well with the proportionality of the home they wanted to create.” 

A natural first impression

Even the home’s exterior gets in on the Southwestern look, eschewing typical Lowcountry columns of tabby or brick for soaring wooden beams. 

“Everyone has white columns on their front porch. Ours are a little more natural,” she said. “It’s about character, about being a little more modern and a little more industrial.”

It’s a subtle difference that has a huge impact.

“The columns are stained, they’re not painted. Everything else is painted, and that really does draw your eye to the columns,” said Court. “This was an intentional nod to the interior trim, so you’re drawing a little more of that character from the outside in and vice versa.” LL