Room Reveal | Charleston Kitchen

ENTERTAINING

The kitchen is the heart of any home. Our Charleston kitchen is no different. It’s certainly not the largest kitchen around, but we’ve made it ours – a place of gathering, laughter + memories. I’ve enjoyed hosting monthly wine club nights with girlfriends, casual game nights, taco Tuesdays, and family holidays like Thanksgiving. I’ve learned it doesn’t matter how big or small your space is – there’s always room for loved ones!

When it comes to my approach on entertaining, I love mixing old with new. Whether it’s setting the table for a dinner party, a casual dinner for Sterling and I, etc. – I love layering family heirlooms in with gifts we’ve received from our wedding registry, collected during travels, or discovered while vintage shopping. I find mixing in a few eras gives your entertaining spreads more depth. A few current + accessible brands I’m always parroozing for fun items include: Amanda Lindroth, India Amory, Serena & Lilly, and Bed, Bath & Beyond for a great casual selection! And of course Etsy is a gold mine for beautiful, unique vintage finds.

CHARLESTON KITCHEN COUNTERTOPS + HARDWARE

When we purchased this home in November 2016, the Charleston market was ultra competitive. After ‘loosing’ two houses due to multiple offers {which inevitably ended up selling for over asking}, we went under contract on this home while it was still under construction. Site unseen, I might add! My in-laws visited the property for us multiple times and took extensive videos, so at the end of the day we were comfortable with the situation. Not to mention, we loved the downtown location.

However, being so far into the building process, we didn’t have much say in the finishes. When it came to countertops for our Charleston kitchen and throughout the home, we were able to select from a limited availability of granite countertops. While I would have loved to explore marble or quartz options, I’m so grateful we had a little say. But due to the build schedule we were provided with a few granite options they could accommodate, given the timeline at hand. SO, we went with ‘Ashen White’ granite, which paired beautifully with our Sherwin Williams ‘unfussy beige’ paint color.

I like to keep our countertops pretty clean and clear. Meaning, not a lot of appliances or gadgets. Other than a knife block, white Keurig and Nespresso machine, I only keep decorative {and multiple-purpose for functional when I can} items on the countertops. I’ve found my love of ginger jars to be a perfect fit for our Charleston kitchen! They bring beautiful color into this space, while added function storing k-cups and pods – things we can easily access every morning.

We did make some changes on hardware once we moved in. I attempted to communicate with the contractor ahead of the move so no hardware was placed on the cabinets, however that was lost in the shuffle. Therefore, when we moved in all our cabinets had brushed nickel knobs. Not terrible by any means, just not what we were going for. I enlisted the help of a local handy man to remove all the doors and install these beautiful brushed gold bar pulls c/o a company that’s no longer in business. However, Forge Hardware Studio is one of my favorite sources for modern hardware!

THE BAR

When we first purchased our home, this little nook was underutilized. The builder had installed two base cabinets and an industrial metal shelf at eye height. It wasn’t the best use of the space, so we decided to change things up to suit our lifestyle and needs. We insisted the help of a local contractor to re-purpose one of the base cabinets for a custom red wine rack. Which was complimented perfectly by a multi-temperature wine cooler.

Accessorizing this little bar area is always a work in progress. I love moving things around, incorporating sweet little items we collect during travel or displaying family heirlooms. This gold open shelving unit was the perfect addition to the space. Along with the brushed gold cabinet hardware, I wanted to bring warmth into this main floor. The open shelving has proven to be a great addition, as it’s functional for our lifestyle and decorative! I’ve also seen this same unit used in a powder bath and babies room, so lots of possibilities.