We’ve often talked in the Comment Section about the state of design magazines today, how different it all is. I remember when I would haunt the bookstores, waiting for the latest issues. I knew exactly what day and time the magazines were delivered, and on those days, I would leave the store with both arms full of them. That all changed some years ago, when the economy slumped and advertising dollars dried up.
Back then, there was a deluge of failed magazines; it seemed like a different title or two would quit publishing each month. It’s gotten better today and even some design magazines, like domino, have started publishing again.
Yet, even the magazines that are still around seem different today. Is it me? I remember when I literally could not WAIT to read the next issue of Southern Accents. And that is no exaggeration! Today, I never have to wait to see beautiful houses. The internet is filled with millions of interior images on web sites and blogs that can satisfy that itch instead of magazines.
Another big difference today is the online magazine store - Zinio. I don’t read actual magazines anymore, I read them on Zinio. There’s no storage issues, and no paper waste; the only waste there is, is megabytes. I still have a small list of titles that I read each month. Top on that list of favorites and must reads is always Veranda. It’s like an old friend that never disappoints and editor Clinton Smith is to be thanked for that. I also give Clinton kudos for Veranda’s much improved web site. It is a wonderful place to lurk about on those long days in between their issues.
Veranda’s newest, their May-June issue, is about Historic Preservation, a theme they delve into deeply, with stories on houses that were renovated for today. There is one house in Montecito - I read the story twice, and couldn’t stop staring at the photos. Although the house is out of most budgets no doubt, it seemed approachable, with ideas you could make your own.
The Montecito house in Veranda this month – fabulous! The view of its original staircase is worth the price of the magazine.
And then there was that one house which really spoke to me and stopped me in my tracks.
It is the vacation house of jeweler Elizabeth Locke, and it is a beauty, a true example of historic preservation. It’s not surprising I would love the house, since I’m obsessed with Elizabeth Locke’s jewelry. You know her, with the fabulous ads she runs each month in Veranda? Her jewels are always so appealingly displayed on Fortuny fabrics. All the money in the world wouldn’t be enough to satisfy my lust for her jewelry! I would still want just one more piece!!
A sampling of Elizabeth Locke rings.
Her designs are based on the antique jewelry worn by the Greeks, Romans and Etruscans and she mixes cabochon stones and 19 carat gold with antique pieces like Chinese gambling counters, mosaics, Essex crystals, miniature paintings and antique Japanese porcelain buttons. Her pieces are works of art – there is no other way to describe them.
Gorgeous!
A collection of pendants made out of antique and collected one-of-a-kind pieces.
Myself? I love her turquoise. To die for!It goes without saying that the person behind these jewels must have exquisite taste. And she does. A true gentlewoman and born southerner, she and her husband live in Virginia on a 100 acre farm, Clay Hill. But it is the story of their vacation house that Veranda included in their Historic Preservation issue. And no, do not think ocean front type vacation house outfitted in blue and white striped fabrics!
No, not at all.
This is a house in Beaufort, South Carolina, a small, quiet town as southern as it gets. With the marsh in its front yard, the house was built in the 1850s right before the Civil War broke out. Dr. Joseph Johnson promised to build the largest, grandest house in Beaufort, and that he did. The house is over 11,000 sq. ft and has 23 rooms with 6 bedrooms, and a bevy of fireplaces for cool, winter nights. When the house was being built, the ship carrying the architectural elements the Doctor had purchased in Europe was stopped by the Union blockade. After the house was finished, with the Union army occupying the house, Johnson hid the family silver under the kitchen outbuilding which, by a stroke of luck, served as the morgue. This helped to insure the silver was left untouched. After the war, Johnson dug it up, sold it, and was able to buy back his own house. His descendants, the Porter-Danners, lived there until the 1980s.
In the late 1980s, the house was completely renovated and restored. It was for sale a few years ago when Elizabeth’s husband spotted its ad in the Wall Street Journal. They toured it on a lark. Upon entering the house, called The Castle, it was love at first sight for Elizabeth. Today, they spend their summers there – driving 9 hours to Beaufort where they relish finally having neighbors who have also become close friends. Locke’s aesthetic is both very southern and very American. Her houses are filled with American furniture, accented with pieces from England and Paris, but without being a slave to those countries. Her palate is colorful and warm – the walls of the Castle were already painted in her favorite warm caramel tones. She made a design decision that she wanted to keep the house clean and spare – no rugs, no curtains, no frou-frou. Instead, she lets the house speak for itself – and it does.
I thought we would first tour her Beaufort house and then visit her Virginia farm, which underwent a large renovation a few years back.
And then, we’ll all head to Neiman Marcus and buy a piece of her jewelry !! I wish !! Mr. Slippersocks Man !! Do you hear me !?!?!
Here is the Veranda story about The Castle. And since this issue’s theme is Historic Preservation, I researched the house for its own history. Of course.
Enjoy!
The Castle – built by Dr. Joseph Johnson in the 1850s. The oak tree is older than the house by 100s of years. The house, cited on an entire city block, is behind the marsh, which acts as a kind of moat.
Researching the house, I found this photo showing the house before it was landscaped. Today, the bottom level is now finished out, and there are windows instead of being boarded up. Notice the trim around the top of the house – you can see where the house got its name The Castle from.
A 1930s photo from the same exact spot showing overgrown landscaping. Look how tall the palm trees are when there weren’t even any planted in the photo before.
The same view today, showing the windows in the basement level, and the landscaped yard with its parterre garden.
Today: Taken from the Elizabeth Locke Jewelry Instagram. The landscaped gardens at The Castle.
A very early view of the house showing men in boats on the marsh, a tributary of the Beaufort River.
In the 1940s, after the yard was cleaned up a bit. I love this view with the ladder – it looks like it’s for a tiny child against the huge tree.
The back side or the North side of the house – seen through the side fence. The original kitchen was located in the brick outbuilding, seen here. Kitchens were never in the main house in case of fire. And notice – the portico. The stairs are right inside the door at the back entry, shown here.
And in this photo – very interesting. Taken after 1933, you can see there was no portico, no stairs leading to the back door on the North side! Maybe there was a hurricane that tore it off? Or maybe it was allowed to rot away, judging from the condition of the house. But, today, it has been beautifully restored, as seen below:
From the back gate at the house, the North side – showing the back portico and door with stairs, now fully restored. The entire back porch and stairs had to be rebuilt.
A blurry picture of the original kitchen. To the right is the carport.
The space under the front porch. Past this, the basement under the house has been turned into living space.
At the front of the house on the South side, the gates with markers and lanterns. If the area seems familiar, it is down the street from Tidalholm where The Great Santini and The Big Chill was filmed; I blogged about it HERE. AND, The Castle itself was used in two films: Forces of Nature and Last Dance.
The house is T Shaped, a common style in the coastal region. With a long center hall, the rear rooms jut out to catch the ocean breezes and circulate air inside the house. The house was renovated in 1988 by the homeowner who was the Mayor of Beaufort. The next homeowner was Sam Beall III, the young owner of Blackberry Farm, who recently passed away.
The Back Foyer:
When you enter either the back door, on the North side, or the front door on the South side, the most beautiful double staircases greet you. They lead up to the second floor and down to the basement level. The large central hall runs straight from the front to the back door.
And on the second level, a skylight brings the sun to the interior central hall. American chairs and French chest.
From the Elizabeth Locke Jewelry Instagram, is this photo of the back foyer, looking towards the front foyer and living room.
I found more pictures of the back foyer and staircase from a movie that was filmed at The Castle:
1999: From the movie “Forces of Nature.” The central hall leading into the back foyer and double staircase. This owner had a center table in the foyer, just like Elizabeth. Most of the rugs and paintings and mirrors, etc. were the homeowners, not the movie production company.
From the movie “Forces of Nature” – on the second floor, looking the opposite direction towards the upper front porch. This owner had a large bookcase in the hall, which seems a bit bulky compared to the spare look that Elizabeth favors.
Here in a scene from the movie “Forces of Nature” – you can see that in 1999 – the balusters were still painted white. Today, they are black, which is really more dramatic and gives the house a bit of a contemporary look.
The Front Foyer:
The Library of Congress has a set of photographs of the house taken “after 1933.” Here is the front door off the grand porch on the South side. The doors to the left and right lead to the dining and living rooms. Today those doors are gone and the opening has been made wider. This crystal light fixture was still hanging here in 1999 when “Forces of Nature” was filmed in the house. And lastly, these radiators were removed and are no longer here.
Before: The double stairs. This must have been before the back porch was repaired and these stairs were rebuilt. These staircases are not quite as graceful as the stairs are today. Very interesting!
And from 1996, the movie “Last Dance:” You can see the front door, now stripped of its paint – and it looks stunning! I hope it still is this way!
In the movie “Last Dance” the butler opens the door and the visitor goes to the room on the right side, the living room.
