Outdoor living in Charleston is something I’ve come to absolutely adore about calling this city home. Situated just off our screened in porch is a small, but sizable (especially for Downtown Charleston) garden, that we’ve come to adore. When we first purchased this home, the backyard was in quite a state. Overgrown bamboo, poorly placed plants, a broken water feature, rotting wood, cracked and chipped hardscape – the list goes on. Sadly it was unusable to us for years.
BEFORE
Like so many renovations, the interior of this home took much more than we originally anticipated biting off, so the exterior had to wait for a bit. The vision was always to have a functional + beautiful space, and ultimately we’re thrilled with how it all came together. From the custom garden shed, to the herringbone brick work, to the water fountain and a plethora of indigenous plants. It’s become such a lovely garden for our family + friends to enjoy day and night, and a design we hope withstands the test of time.
AFTER | The Making of a Historic Charleston Garden
Hillbrook Collections Garden Shed
When we initially dreamed up this space, we wanted to incorporate some type of purposeful structure for additional outdoor storage. Like many downtown homes, we don’t have a garage, which has proven challenging from time to time. Creating a space that could house outdoor lawn equipment, potting supplies, outdoor toys, etc. has been a game changer. While it needed to be functional, given the small space we had to work within, the building also needed to be beautiful! We opted to make it a real focal point of the space, rather than an afterthought. It also provides a good bit of privacy and blocks a not so pretty view of a neighbors’ car port. So, win win.
In researching our options, we looking into pre-fab sheds, building something custom on-site and then Hillbrook Collections. Everyone’s needs are so different, but for us Hillbrook seemed the best approach from a craftsmanship quality, timing and aesthetic perspective. Their customizable designs are absolutely beautiful, from shaker shingled roofs to shutters to verdi colored lighting fixtures. We could not be happier with how it all came together. For reference, this is a customized ‘Alison’ design that’s 7’x11.8′. We used my forever favorite – Louisburg Green from Benjamin Moore’s historic collection on the shutters and White Dove on the siding to match our home. Along with selections from their lighting line to complete the look and functionality of the structure.
However, one major hiccup in this process was access. With neighbors on all sides, we have very limited access to our backyard. Meaning, pathways are narrow with little clearance between houses and fences, etc. It’s quite difficult to get machinery, equipment and materials back here. We initially thought the shed could ‘easily’ be craned in over the back street of the home…which was not the case due to power lines. Ultimately (and rather hilariously) we ended up craning it over the front/entire home with a 40 ton crane. All of which blocked our street for about 4 hours and triggered a neighborhood wide alert of road closure for the day. The crane could quite literally be seen from any high vantage point in town hahaha. One of the most ridiculous things we’ve done on the home front, that’s for sure.
Looking back – could we not have just had something similar built on-site? Yes. However, it would have been with an untested concept. We would have worked with someone who hadn’t built a structure similar to this, and the idea of managing not only the design aspect, but also the project management aspects to ensure we were all on the same page, didn’t appeal to me. In hindsight, I’m not entirely sure what was the best approach, but she’s in and she’s beautiful so no looking back!
To conclude, we truly are thrilled with the quality and overall look, design and functionality of our Hillbrook Collections garden shed. Would recommend tenfold, and would love to work with Alison and her team again in future. With the hope that another property has better accessibility haha.
These stunning Verdi Green lanterns are part of Hillbrook Collections lighting offerings, and are also available for purchase on their own! We installed the Lancaster on the interior, which paired beautifully with the blue interior we had painted in Blue Heron DCR054 by Shwerin Williams (Charleston Historic Collection).
Our oversized terra cotta corner planters, along with the stone fountain were sourced through Campania. These were both styles I had previously seen (and loved) in person locally at Elizabeth Stuart. When we looked into the purchase + delivery process on all 5 pieces, it made more sense for us to order directly through our contracted installation crew. That way they could receive, hold and deliver based on their schedule. But if you’re not local, or sourcing on your own, you should be able to find a retailer near you that carries the line! Their products and attention to detail are next to none.
Overall Design Concept
We enlisted the help of local Landscape Architect, Elizabeth Pope, to bring our visual for this outdoor room to life. Symmetry, clean lines and beautiful flowers were high on my priority list. She was able to craft together a beautiful space (over the course of a few renditions and edits due to zoning constraints) that truly captured our needs as a family, but also something that suited the home and it’s 100 year history. We incorporated palm trees, lavender crepe myrtles, camellias, boxwoods, jasmine and knock out roses to name a few, to add life and color to the space. Along with a patina stone water fountain that provides not only a lovely sound throughout the day, but also endless entertainment for kiddos!
I think my favorite aspect of the entire space is the turf area we installed. And peek those scalloped edges! Elizabeth is incredible with details, and everything she presented was a yes, yes, yes. We were on the same page from the very beginning, which goes a long way with home projects. Turf was a necessity in this space due to our flood zone (sod is much harder to keep alive when it’s flooded with saltwater a few times a year) and lack of sunlight. Elizabeth also recommended an artificial lawn since it’s very low maintenance and less bugs – both of which were pluses for us with Clarke! We opted for a turf that had the highest ‘brown’ count and could not be happier with that decision. It looks very realistic and is so soft underfoot.
Contractors Used
I’m always hesitant to refer Contractors and Subs we use until we fully wrap a project. So much can shift from the beginning to the end of a project, and I want to ensure I’m only recommending individuals and companies who truly knock it out of the park. Thankfully, this project was a complete success all around! Granted, it did take MUCH longer than any of us anticipated, but a lot of that was a result of circumstances out of our control.
As mentioned, we enlisted the expert guidance of Elizabeth Pope as our Landscape Architect. She was key to bringing this project to life! Everything from the overall design and decorative elements, to functionality for our family and determining feasibility with our install crew. We worked in a lot of elements for a small space, so having a professional mange all of those things was really important to us. For the actual install of everything (demo, hardscape, turf, landscape, lighting, etc) we hired Artisan Landscape Construction. Their team was wonderful to work with – from initial walk-thrus to ongoing construction and changes. Kevin was our on-site Project Manager and was always communicative and responsive.
Would recommend either of these parties ten fold! Their work speaks for itself, but as a client, I can also say they’re a pleasure to work with.
Photos by Marni Rothschild Durlach
