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Not long after a New York attorney with Charleston roots decided to purchase a circa-1820 home in the Holy City as a warm-weather getaway, he had the good fortune to meet designer Betsy Berry through mutual friends. It was an instant meeting of the minds: “My taste truly aligned with his,” says the founder of B. Berry Interiors. “I’m not overly feminine and lean more masculine in my design, but I really love the tension between the two.”
The townhouse, in the picturesque South of Broad neighborhood, sits on a small street famous for the guinea hens that frequent the block.
Brie Williams
Antique demilune tables and a leather safari chair, both from 1st Dibs, add antique panache. The geometric Stark Carpet rug plays off the linear wall treatment.
Brie WilliamsSince her client entertains frequently, Berry wanted the home to be a welcoming retreat, eschewing any notion of a sterile bachelor pad. In the dining room, she introduced a Gracie Studio chinoiserie wallcovering with a sophisticated tobacco ground, then tempered that flourish by stripping the existing fireplace surround to reveal its striking original wood finish. “I like to show age in that way and thought it was a nice, masculine touch against the elegant wallpaper instead of a perfect, glossy finish,” she says. The furnishings keep fustiness at bay, with a clean-lined cerused oak table, leather-upholstered Gustavian dining chairs, and modern lighting.
A Gracie Studio wallpaper brings a subtly feminine touch to the dining room, contrasted with an Apparatus Lariat ceiling fixture. A Benjamin Studio oak table pairs with Chelsea Textiles leather chairs.
Brie WilliamsBerry focused on the dichotomy between old and new, especially important in houses of this age. “I love architectural interiors and bringing out their best is a major part of we do. When I’m working on a historic residence, I want to respect and celebrate the original moldings, fireplaces, medallions, and the like,” she says. “But I don’t want it to feel like a period piece or museum.”
For the chic, lounge-like den, Berry used a Phillip Jeffries wallcovering that resembles coffered wood in shades of blue and gray for visual depth. The custom French-mattress sectional is covered in a Rose Tarlow fabric; chandelier, Apparatus.
Brie Williams
The primary bedroom opens onto a second-floor piazza, a common architectural feature in Charleston. A Phillip Jeffries grasscloth, Husk, made from banana bark, adds luminous texture. Painting from George Street Gallery.
Brie WilliamsAnother tool in Berry’s creative arsenal is to use a modern wall treatment to offset a room’s formality while still highlighting its architectural details and high ceilings. In the living room, she designed a geometric pattern for the walls that was hand-stenciled by a local decorative painter. “I was inspired by the entrance halls of old European houses that have walls of cut limestone blocks in a running bond pattern, and I wanted that essence,” she says. The room’s palette of French gray-green, black, and a hint of chartreuse in the furniture and rug sprang from the wall design.
For the first-floor den, Berry sought an end-of-the-evening, cozy vibe in contrast to the adjoining light and bright kitchen and breakfast room. The coffered wallpaper design conjures the desired moodiness in shades of deep blues and grays, picked up in the French-mattress sectional and leather ottoman with a cerused oak base.
A space off the kitchen functions like a library, with original arched cabinets flanking the fireplace, contrasted with a more contemporary Eames Lounge Chair and monochromatic art. Paint, Farrow & Ball Wimbourne White.
Brie Williams
“All the pine hardwood floors are original except in the breakfast room, so we bridged the difference with a stenciled treatment,” says Berry. McGee & Co. table and chairs; Rose Uniacke pendant; Alan Taylor Jeffries art through The George Gallery.
Brie WilliamsThe designer employed antiques sparingly as a foil to more streamlined elements and to ground the spaces. The living room, for example, shows off 19th-century Hepplewhite-style demilune tables and a vintage black leather safari chair. Berry also sprinkled in gold 19th-century-style French mirrors for brushstrokes of old-world allure. For floor coverings, though, she opted mainly for neutral, textured solids. “This was not a home where I wanted to bring in antique patterned rugs,” she says. “I aimed for a cleaner, more masculine look for this client, so I focused on layering decoration on the walls instead.”
Nowadays, visitors to the home often question when it was built, a fact that Berry embraces. “I want it to feel murky,” she confesses. “It’s about diffusing the age with updated comfort and understated style while still paying homage to a grand dame of Charleston.”
A classic Cole & Sons cloud wallpaper takes center stage in a guest bedroom set off with trim in Farrow & Ball Downpipe gray. A modern tester bed keeps the compact room feeling airy. Visual Comfort chandelier.
Brie Williams
The original rafters in the third-floor guest bath impart instant character and a dramatic focal point. The rest of the room is quiet, with walls and floors painted in Farrow & Ball All White. Fritz Porter baskets.
Brie Williams
