A Palmetto Bluff Home Reimagining Lowcountry Design.
An 11,000-square-foot waterfront retreat blends classic Lowcountry living with unexpected materials, handcrafted details and modern architecture.
Story by Alea Wilkins
Photography by Kelli Boyd
Key Points
● An open floor plan connects the kitchen, dining and living spaces to the patio, creating the seamless indoor-outdoor flow central to Lowcountry living.
● Rustic masonry, hand-hewn beams and handcrafted details bring Old World character to the home’s modern architecture and contemporary furnishings.
● Unexpected architectural elements, including thick-walled openings with chamfered edges, give this Palmetto Bluff home a distinctive sense of place.
Some things are expected in a Lowcountry home: bright interiors, woven textures and coastal motifs that reveal a confident sense of place. It’s a look that has long defined local homes, creating a regional aesthetic that’s recognizable from the front door. For a young family’s Palmetto Bluff vacation home, Court Atkins Group dared to break from tradition.
“It was one of those rare opportunities when we get to really rethink what’s possible,” says William Court, founding principal and lead architect on the project.
Set along the waterfront of Wilson Village, the 11,000-square-foot retreat interprets the region’s design through a fresh perspective, one that honors its setting while challenging what Lowcountry living can look like.
Seamless indoor-outdoor living
Essential to the Southeast’s way of life is its emphasis on indoor-outdoor living. As the homeowners built their new getaway, they wanted to embrace the Lowcountry’s al fresco style.
“There are some things that are very specific to Lowcountry homes — a sort of casual, open living,” Court says, pointing to the great room that connects cooking, dining, lounging and entertaining in one glorious, multipurpose space. The room further opens to the patio, establishing a seamless flow from interior to exterior that revels in its setting. Interior design director Deborah Van Plew believes that connection is what makes the home so inviting. “It really does feel like an extension of the home from the inside to the outside,” she says.
To make that transition more luxurious, Court took the ordinary entryway connected to the garage and turned it into something special. Glass doors and siding envelop the space in its surroundings, while oak cubbies make storage convenient and clutter-free. “For the most part, our clients don’t experience the formal foyer, so we wanted to create something unique for the family as they arrive,” he says. With the improved passageway, the family can walk in and out without interrupting the view, turning everyday movement into an experience of its own.
In the back kitchen, glass-paneled cabinetry and a cozy corner desk deliver on both function and fashion. An in-wall coffee maker, complete with a retractable drawer of brewing essentials below, makes every cup a morning ritual.
Old-World character meets modern design
While the home’s floor plan embraces classic Lowcountry principles, Court Atkins Group sought to create a new, original take on local living. To achieve it, they went old school. In the award- winning kitchen, rustic masonry pairs with sleek countertops for an unexpected contrast. “That stone in the background looks like it was hand-laid in a monastery 1,000 years ago, but then you get the cleanliness of the new surfaces,” Court says.
For the great room’s light fixtures, Van Plew was drawn to a similar blend of traditional and contemporary styles. Overhead, hand-hewn beams evoke Old World simplicity, while bold, abstract chandeliers appear undeniably modern. “The space doesn’t get too bogged down in the expectation of what it should look like,” she says of the combination. “It kind of kept it fresh — a little on edge.”
Balancing past and present, the home’s unique style is perhaps most apparent in its architecture. According to Court, the home’s structural weight and detailed edges capture the most attention. “People who come into that house are always shocked by these beautiful, thick-walled, cased openings that have unique chamfered edges,” he says. “That was completely new to Palmetto Bluff when we were developing it.”
Tucked behind the great room’s fireplace, the affectionately nicknamed “vibe room” turns down the brightness. Its plaster walls, darkened to a moody charcoal hue, create the perfect hideaway for both cozy catnaps and elegant nightcaps.
Celebrating the beauty of imperfection
Despite its bold blend of styles, this home’s true defining characteristic is its willingness to embrace imperfection. “So many homes that we create are all about creating a sense of perfection,” Court says. “This had nothing to do with that.”
Throughout the great room, notched wooden ceilings and a brick fireplace lend homespun character, while in the kitchen a trio of hand-blown glass pendants celebrate the irregularities of locally crafted art. “They sit a little cattywampus, and they have different little dents, so everything felt like it was touched by hand — sort of perfectly imperfect,” Van Plew says.
That authenticity is what makes the home so remarkable. Where minimalist interiors favor the stainless and symmetrical, the design of this home takes pride in its irregularities. To Court, this makes the expansive residence feel personal and lived-in. “This wasn’t about being super austere or all white or clean. It was really about bringing more materials into the palette rather than reducing them,” he says. “It makes the home feel more intimate and livable.”
A fresh take on Lowcountry tradition
At its core, the home remains unmistakably Lowcountry. Its open floor plan welcomes the outdoors in, its interiors are warm and inviting, and its charm feels earned rather than manufactured. However, its departure from tradition sets it apart, blending pieces across time periods and aesthetics for a look that’s truly its own. Handcrafted elements build on that distinct personality, embracing the beauty of imperfection for a home that feels fresh and familiar at the same time. Court believes that balance is what gives the home its lasting appeal. “I think it just goes to say, even though this is a modern home, it still has life in it. There’s a timelessness to it,” he says.
Together, it’s unexpected in the best way.
