Holiday Coastal Cottage

"Make no mistake about it", says Beaufort, South Carolina, architect Cooter Ramsey of Allison Ramsey Architects, "entertaining was a driving factor, absolutely."Cooter designed the Holiday Coastal Cottage in Port Royal, South Carolina, just down the road from historic Beaufort. Surrounded by coastline as pictured above. Port Royal made a charming maritime location for our first Holiday Coastal Cottage. Veteran Lowcountry builder and developer Chuck Ferguson of The Meridian Company placed the home in his new 14 acre Old Shell Point community. It will eventually be surrounded by a range of house designs that accommodate about every element of comfortable living, but without wasting a single foot. "Our whole premise ia a better small house," says Chuck. "we beleive in spending the time and money on things you touch." So, thanks to Cooter's design, Chuck's craftmanship, and sponsors who provided materials and furnishings to realize the vison, our 2,600-square-foot cottage lives twice as big. Interior designer Linda Woodrum, based in nearby Hilton Head Island, embraced the less-is-more theme.

The Exterior

In coastal storm zones, opt for industrial strength confidence with German made Henselstone window and door systems. The 5 chamber steel reinforced windows give the impression of painted wood without the maintenance. And, you give up nothing in design for all that protection. The windows are also available in wood or aluminum-clad.

For distinctive lighting, evoke tradition with Carolina Lanterns. These handcrafted historical reproductions used at the font of the house are natural copper with brass fittings and tempered glass. They will work on either natural gas or electricity. Plus Carolina Lanterns has the capability of etching designs into the glass. Our Holiday Coastal Cottage lanters showcased the Meridian Company Logo.

The Meridian Company's construction team made the outdoor kitchen countertop and cabinetry from Azek. It's durable in even the harshest weather.

The Kitchen

The kitchen was designed with seperate refrigerator and freezer units from GE Monogram. Having plenty of space in teh two units, both within easy reach, makes party preperation a breeze.

The Carerra Marble countertops from the Meridian Company suggest that even in an informal setting, our kitchen exudes elegance.

The distinctive fixed lighting in the kitchen and dining room and throughout the house, are an important part of the overall design of the home. And we almost always opt for dimmer switches. The whole feel of a room can change using this one simple feature

The Dining Room & Laundry

The Meridian Company used interior pocket doors from the kitchen to the dining room, laundry room and study to compliment the dramatic Henselstone doors that open from the kitchen to the courtyard. Pocket doors allow for creative use of space when entertaining and work well in smaller cottages, saving floor space when they are open.

In the Laundry, the stylish energy and water saving General Electric washer and dryer combo are conplemented by the Meridian Company's cabinetry painted in a punchy teal. The laundry room is just off the kitchen, where complimentary cabinetry was stained a rich black walnut.

The Study

Authentic Pine Floors, finished in tea chestnut with Trip Trap oil, connect a new house with an old tradition. The reclaimed wood could well have come form South Carolina pine forests of another generation.

Key to making the most of small spaces is to design with multipurpose in mind. This cottage has no space-wasting hallways. Rooms flow directly into one another. This study shown below connects the kitchen to the master bedroom while also opening to the courtyard and the back porch.

The Master Bedroom

With its reclaimed authentic pine floors throughout, darker wood accents, and solid feeling Henselstone windows and doors, "I got a very masculine vibe from the house," says Linda. That allowd her to bring in more feminine elements, such as luxuriuos linens from Yves Delorme.

The Upstairs Bedrooms

It's the unseen details that make a difference. The home features cedar closet liners in the upstairs bedroom to protect against insets and mildew.

To make the most of the small footprint of the lot, the house is two stories. Chuck calls it a "story and a half" to stress the efficiency of using what might be considered expanded attic space.

Two of the Hennselstone windows here tilt or swing open gracefully so that even the second floor can feel a part of the courtyard party. The in-swing opening function of the windows, a distinct Hennselstone feature, allows for easy cleaning (no ladders to those second floor windows) amd also allows for bug screens on the outside of the windows (typical out-swinging) windows prohibit the use of bug screens).