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Articles by Kendra Surface
Comfort & Joy
For some families house hunting in Charleston, South Carolina, this 1854 row home’s bitty kitchen and singular bathroom would have been nonstarters—or at least an invitation to call in the sledgehammers. Not so for preservation-minded Lowcountry natives Chelsea and Jack Handegan, who were so charmed by the original details (plaster cornices and ceiling medallions, five fireplaces, and heart-pine floors) that they patiently surrendered to its squirrelliest quirks.
An Open Invitation
IT’S A FAMILIAR SENTIMENT for all who travel: “What if I just move here?” After what started as a two-week trip to visit interior designer Louise Copeland and her family in Charlotte in 2020, Amanda Frank did just that with her husband, Grady, and their four children. Copeland had recently relocated from New York City to the Queen City, and it didn’t take much to convince the Franks to follow suit.
Oh, What Fun!
BEAUTIFUL SPACES FOR A BETTER LIFE DESIGNER Amanda Louise Campbell and her husband, Kevin, fell hard and fast for their 1967 brick rambler in Greenville, South Carolina. “It was the first house we saw,” recalls Campbell, who loved its easygoing layout and that the then owner had art everywhere—an atmosphere she knew she’d re-create with her own collection.
Social savvy: Vidya Gopalan
by Krisha Chachra | photographs by Olly Yung | prop styling by Kendra Surface It's unlikely that a girl born in Chennai, India, would become one of the most influential social-media creators in the U.S. But that's exactly what Vidya Gopalan, known on social media as @queencitytrends, has done.
A New Act in Old Village
It wasn’t love at first sight when Liz and Nate Hughey set eyes on the circa-1988 home nestled on Charleston Harbor in the Old Village neighborhood of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. “When we first saw this house, it was covered with metal hurricane shutters that we could not raise,” says Nate. “We could not even see the water views.” But Liz had a vision, and it was all about the location. This was a story the couple knew well.
A Designer Turned a Former Mill Into a Personal Sanctuary Original
The allure of a property is always that much more when it’s been home to somebody significant. Even if that somebody was a nondescript pig named Hamilton. “He did serve as the mascot for the local NHL team, you know,” chuckles interior designer Robert MacNeill, who insists neither Hamilton nor any of his predecessors had any influence on his and husband Paul Ingram’s decision to purchase said home in Raleigh, North Carolina’s Caraleigh Mills neighborhood.
Almost Heaven
With its sweeping sunflower fields and a spectacular view of Table Rock Mountain in the distance, Midway Farm in Pickens, South Carolina, is the stuff of bucolic reverie. But the 1870s homestead that came with the 105 acres wasn’t always so picturesque. “The house was in such disrepair,” recalls designer and homeowner Caroline Brackett.
This New Old House
MAKE IT PERSONAL As members of the Southern Living Custom Builder Program, New Old founders Mary and Troy Ludemann regularly work with Southern Living House Plans. They purchased Fox Hill (SL-1871) and collaborated with their firm’s in-house architect to tweak it to suit their needs, like nixing the original two-story family room to add a guest suite upstairs and relocating a fireplace from an exterior wall to the interior to allow for more windows.
Local Color
A 10th grade typing class changed Victoria Elliott’s life forever. “I didn’t fit in to the cheerleading crowd,” says Victoria, a Miami native. “I was all about health, fitness, nature, and growing my own fruits and vegetables. Suddenly, into my typing class walked this boarding student named Sharon from Jamaica. She grew up on a big farm outside of Kingston. She loved everything that I loved.
The Great Escape
A man cruises past in a top-down, vintage blue convertible—speedy enough to catch a breeze but not so fast that he can’t give a friendly wave. “That’s what it’s all about right there,” says Ed Mitchell, the president and a founding developer of River Dunes, a community just outside the fishing village of Oriental, North Carolina. Positioned where the Neuse River flows into the Pamlico Sound, this is a place where rest and relaxation come easily.
For Less Than $5,000, This Fresh and Frugal Laundry Room Got a Total Revamp
A do-it-yourselfer made her dingy little laundry room look brighter, happier, and surprisingly bigger by loading one wall with style and function and injecting some color. We independently research, test, review, and recommend the best products—learn more about our process. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission. With windows on three walls, you'd think Jenna LeBlanc's laundry room—a back porch that was converted at some point—would have felt a little more upbeat.
Renovation To Dye For
Overlooking the ninth hole of the Country Club of Landfall’s Pete Dye golf course is the two-story, 16,000-square-foot Dye Clubhouse. Built in 1988, it was the first clubhouse at Landfall. Nine years later, the newer one on the Jack Nicklaus course took over as Landfall’s main clubhouse and, in the years that followed, visits to the Dye faded. In 2018, damage from Hurricane Florence forced the Dye to close.
This Creative Couple Turned a Game-Room Corner into a Home Bar with Off-the-Shelf Lumber
To turn a corner of their game room into a well-stocked bar, a creative couple built a wine rack, countertop, and even stemware holders. By Kit Selzer and Kendra Surface February 15, 2022 Rather than fight or ignore the clipped ceiling in their Cary, North Carolina, game room, Zoe and Andrew Hunt took a different angle. They used the ceiling slant to their advantage, building in a bar unit that's a perfect fit. The wine rack shelves were tricky, Andrew admits.
DIY Projects and Tropical Colors Transform This Florida Home into a Stunning Vacation Getaway
A young couple spent two years renovating this Florida house, and the lessons they learned will last a lifetime. By Sarah Halverson and Kendra Surface February 09, 2022 Jenna and Lucas LeBlanc have many fond memories of the first house they renovated together — despite living in the Tampa, Florida, home while they worked. Eventually, they remade every inch.
Quick Updates Turned This Under-Utilized Closet into a Crafting Storage Center
A do-it-yourselfer transformed her neglected closet into a craft command center without using a tool belt. She kept the installation simple using freestanding furniture and stick-on wall organizers. By Kit Selzer and Kendra Surface August 03, 2021 Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission. The remedy for Tiffany DeLangie's "dumping ground" started with a new job title.
Perfect Harmony
Shane McAnally isn’t one to take things for granted. The host of Songland, NBC’s hit songwriting competition, is also a three-time Grammy Award–winning songwriter and producer who has notched more than 40 No. 1 singles (so far). But that career wasn’t made in a day—McAnally spent nearly 20 years chasing success in the music industry before ultimately achieving big breaks with hit songs recorded by Kenny Chesney, Sam Hunt, and Kacey Musgraves, among others.
This Blogger Honed Her DIY Skills to Achieve Her Dream Home on a Budget
Ursula Carmona's four-year remodeling project has done much more than create a beautiful home for her family. It has expanded her DIY skills, self-confidence, and comfort zone—not to mention her tool collection. By Lacey Howard and Kendra Surface January 11, 2021 "When you love beautiful things and all you dream about is designing a lovely home but you have no money to make it happen, you learn to DIY," says Ursula Carmona.
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