Waterfront House

“It’s wonderful when our clients get excited about their new home, but nothing feels better than having them come back to tell us they’re still in love with it years down the road,” says architect Steve Herlong, founder and Design Principal of Charleston, South Carolina-based architecture and interior design firm Herlong Architects. The practice specialises in Waterfront Houses, which seems only fitting given that water is the dominant element of the splendid natural environment surrounding Charleston, where lakes, small islands, marshes and rivers create a precious ecosystem inhabited by the unique local flora and fauna.
Numerous holiday homes have been built close to the edge of this nature reserve, almost all of them positioned on the banks of a waterway. The house we look at here is a former 1950s ranch renovated by Herlong Architects as an exclusive Lowcountry-style residence with a contemporary feel, and above all tailored to the needs of the owners.
“We always work closely with the owners,” explains architect Steve Herlong. “Each of our projects is the result of a shared creative process and always involves the valued contribution of our clients. Our goal is to achieve a seamless blend of form, function and style that creates a truly timeless home where people can gather and live out their passions and dreams.”
The house standing on the banks of James Island Creek certainly deserves its description of a “dream home”. Surrounded by a lawn, the pure white waterfront house has a distinctive pagoda roof that stretches across the façade to form a shaded porch, while old oak trees border the property and partially hide the view of the river.
The ground level of the two-floor building is occupied by the living area, consisting of a large kitchen, dining room and conversation area alternating with more intimate lounges and reading rooms. The owners’ bedroom is also located on this level, while the first floor is entirely reserved for guests to allow for greater privacy. Throughout the home, large windows look out onto the landscape, like canvases painted with views of nature, whether this is the river, the forest or a sunset.
The interior has a complex spatial layout with circulation routes that offer interesting views of the various rooms. The choice of materials also helps to bring a sense of movement to the spaces in the home. The floors and walls are clad with wood, stone and facing bricks in an alternation of colours and textures that creates a sense of harmony and elegance. While the effect is that of a country house, the country style itself is mitigated by the choice of discreet, understated solutions that also ensure the functionality of the rooms. A case in point is the large master bathroom, where the Stoneline porcelain tile collection from Marca Corona has been used for the floor covering. The natural look of the stone-imitation surface and the choice of the colour black create an extremely harmonious overall effect without sacrificing the practicality and durability of ceramics.