Today I’m very excited to bring to you our first home tour here at The Crux. I’ve been on the lookout for the right home for a while, and when I connected with interior architect and designer Christyn Dunning of The Guest House Studio, I knew immediately I had found it. This chic coastal inspired Charleston home, built by Roy Mahshie Homes, is brimming with on point trends for 2016—from the fun living room accent chairs, the contemporary kitchen island, the oversized glassless lantern pendants, the natural fibre area rugs, to the shiplap walls and ceiling details.

When the home owners hired The Guest House Studios they were knee-deep in their build but struggling to make final decisions about finishing, flooring (oak hardwood with a grey wash), trim details, colours, etc. “Basically everything that makes a house a home,” explains Christyn Dunning. “They wanted their home to be very clean lined and timeless. They had already chosen the brilliant Yarmouth Blue by Benjamin Moore for the exterior, so we wanted to continue that colour throughout the home, but not overload it.” The execution involved keeping the house light, and most of the walls a white (Sherwin Williams – 7005 Pure White) or light grey.  “I wanted something that would last, which meant straight contemporary lines [in the fixtures and furniture], but warm wood tones and neutral upholstery.”

One of the best features is the custom mill work throughout the home. The kitchen cabinetry (below) and built in features of the living room space (above) are the first examples that pop out, but if you pay close attention to the photos you will note the exceptional detailing on the walls, ceilings, trim, baseboards, and crown moulding in every room. Even the stair railing and staircase walls are elaborately detailed in clean white mill work.

“A lot of the architectural details were actually the home owner’s ideas.  The husband had a whole list of ‘idea images’ he found on Houzz and wanted to implement almost all of them!  They aren’t huge fans of art so they wanted the architectural details to be the art.” says Dunning.

The dining room is very traditionally coastal, but maintains its fresh contemporary feel with bright fresh whites, pale wood exposed beams, and a farmhouse style dining table. The chandelier is a pure embodiment of the contemporary coastal vibe in the home; note the rope-like shell beading paired with antiqued industrial galvanized steel trimming. Doesn’t it contrast wonderfully with the sleek lacquered custom buffet?

I’m also enamoured with the chandelier pendants in the front entrance (below). While the lantern-style light is a more traditional piece, these fixtures are very contemporary. The soft metallic hue is soothing, and the bold oversized shapes and angles play well into the emphasises on strong geometrics in design right now. The lack of glass is key to keeping these fixtures looking fresh. The nearby blue lacquered barn door with contemporary-style hardware certainly doesn’t hurt either.

The front entrance also contains prominent use of shiplap, which has seen a huge sure in popularity in recent years thanks to shows like Fixer Upper. Shiplap is particularly much-loved in Charleston. The simple architectural detail is a great way to add character to a space. “Almost every new home in this area has shiplap somewhere in the house,” says Dunning. “My only hesitation for clients who want to use it everywhere, is that much like panel moulding was very big in the 70’s, in twenty years will they hate it?

Keep scrolling for more pictures from this home tour, and don’t forget to let us know what you think of this place!

Photography by Amanda Keough

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