A 1990s Beach House on Kiawah Island Gets a Sophisticated Refresh

Saw palmettos and live oaks swath the expanse between the dunes and the rear of the house.

The sun-soaked crow’s nest deck, with seating from Janus et Cie in a sky blue Schumacher fabric, is a prime perch for watching the Atlantic waves roll in.

The foyer strikes a grand tone, thanks to decorative glass panels and an array of antiques that lend gravitas, including an urn-topped pedestal from John Rosselli Antiques and a Louis XVI carved console from Patina Collection in Naples, Florida.

The dining room is wrapped in de Gournay’s Sans Soucis wallcovering and crowned with a champagne-hued chandelier dripping with rock crystals. A pair of aqua lamps from Ainsworth-Noah punch up a sideboard and Greek key-bordered mirror.

The spacious living room is washed in natural light and a sand-and-sea-inspired color palette. Contemporary takes on classic forms, as in the French limestone and forged iron coffee table and Formations obelisk chandeliers, impart a current edge.

The living room is equal parts cozy and cosmopolitan. An Afghan rug grounds the space.

Designed in collaboration with Matthew Quinn of Design Galleria Kitchen and Bath Studio, the kitchen is invigorated with a movement-rich tile that rises from countertop to crown molding.

Walls of windows framed with peacock-and-paisley-print curtains by Nina Campbell are the stars of the breakfast nook. Bamboo-inspired side chairs in the softest blue and a scalloped ​​rattan hanging light by Soane Britain add a dash of whimsy.

The home’s prevailing soft blue hues take on a more masculine energy in the study, which architect Jonathan LaCrosse encased in paneling and trim based on his study of mid-18th-century Georgian examples.

Blue nasturtiums by Waterhouse Wallhangings climb the walls of the powder room, where Porta Romana sconces replete with glass petals echo the polished botanical effect.

Sky blue Casa Branca poppies shine in a bedroom, covering drapes and headboards, while walls are wrapped in Phillip Jeffries Bermuda Hemp grasscloth in a frosty blue.

Topped with a trio of diminutive landscapes, the same Casa Branca print covers walls in the fetching guest bathroom.

The primary suite hall is illuminated by Vaughan bamboo lanterns sourced through Ainsworth-Noah and draped in a parade of curtains in Sunsilks fabric finished with a medallion trim by Travers.

The primary bedroom dials up the elegance, with monogrammed bedding from Leontine Linens surrounded by Fortuny fabric draped from the canopy. A paneled painting by Gwen Wong frames the bed.

With two college-age daughters, the family needed a welcoming space for a bevy of friends. The bunkroom delivers, with shades and shams covered in John Robshaw’s vivid aqua block print and a chic game table from Suzanne Kasler’s collection with Hickory Chair.

The main guest suite is covered in an aqua damask print by Brunschwig & Fils and appointed with an inviting sofa nook framed with rattan sconces from Soane Britain and a Paule Marrot print featuring a wreath of daisies.

Rattan and coral hues mix pleasantly in a guest bedroom, where Kasler applied two rosy Casa Branca fabrics—a print inspired by 16th-century Italian damask on the drapes, and a powder pink, wicker-like pattern on the slipper chair.

A cushy bench from Kasler’s collection with Hickory Chair adds an additional layer of comfort to a guest bedroom.

The pool deck, revived by Land Plus, is a beachfront oasis. A pair of sleek McKinnon and Harris chaises sit atop new hardy concrete pavers by Hartstone.

Sometimes all it takes to reveal the sparkle of a timeworn treasure is a bit of polish. Such was the case for a 1990s beach house on Kiawah Island, South Carolina, purchased by a family of four. It checked many of their boxes: sweeping Atlantic views; a lush, private mid-island location; and a traditional layout with first-floor living spaces and bedrooms above. All it needed was a little refinement for its new inhabitants. Having worked with Atlanta-based designer Suzanne Kasler to update their 1930s home in Indianapolis, the owners jumped at the chance to enlist her team for another transformation.

Though its setting was idyllic, the home’s architecture bore the hallmarks of its era: angled walls, overdone decorative columns and arches, and dropped soffits that disrupted sight lines and wasted space. “With the setting directly overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and the vegetated dunes, it could be easy for some to be distracted from the architectural calamity,” says Atlanta-based architect Jonathan LaCrosse, who Kasler tapped for the project. “The team Suzanne pulled together, well, we weren’t
so distracted.”

Kasler and her team—including senior designer Wright McCurdy—along with LaCrosse, Matthew Quinn of Design Galleria Kitchen and Bath Studio, who collaborated on the kitchen, primary bath, and closet, and Paul Kunitsa of Apex Contractors, reintroduced order and symmetry by squaring off walls, reorganizing windows to maximize ocean views, transforming two underused common areas into bedrooms with baths, and installing all new molding. The result was a clean-lined, classically grounded backdrop suited to gracious coastal living.

Atop this fresh canvas, Kasler and her team worked in lockstep with the clients to achieve their dream of a comfortable yet beautiful and sophisticated beach home. “The client loves design, and gravitates toward that foundation of tradition but is still fresh and young,” says Kasler. One of the homeowners’ first fabric selections was the peacock and paisley Nina Campbell print that graces club chairs in the spacious, light-filled living room and curtains in the cozy breakfast nook. “Suzanne loves the white space in it,” says McCurdy. “It doesn’t feel heavy, and the color palette complements the view, pulling in the sandy hue of the dunes and the blues and greens our client gravitated toward throughout
the house.”

The dining room shed its distracting columns in exchange for a soaring de Gournay wallpaper decked in tropical blooms and palms—a print that captivated the client from the start. The primary bedroom features another example of her taste and decisiveness: azure and white Fortuny fabric that cascades from the four-poster canopy bed.

A small study, paneled in white oak stained a beach-appropriate golden tan, was a must for the clients, who desired a chic space for guests to find quiet on the otherwise open main floor. Upstairs, a multitude of guest rooms wrapped in pretty wallpaper, soothing pastel palettes, and well-appointed beds all but envelop visitors in a calm that can only be achieved in a beautiful room by the sea.

For all its polished elegance, the home remains deeply comfortable. The screened porch off the kitchen has become the family’s favorite gathering place. “Friends call it the ‘gravity trap,’” says the homeowner. “We sink into the sofa and have a hard time leaving.” With the Atlantic just beyond the dunes, it’s easy to see why.

INTERIOR DESIGN Suzanne Kasler, Suzanne Kasler Interiors, (404) 355-1035; suzannekasler.com ARCHITECT Jonathan LaCrosse, J.W. LaCrosse Architect, (404) 723-1844; jwlacrosse.com CONTRACTOR Paul Kunista, Apex Contractors, (843) 312-0369; apexcontractorschs.com LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Land Plus, (404) 238-9595; landplusassociates.com CABINETRY DESIGN Matthew Quinn, Design Galleria Kitchen and Bath Studio, (404) 261-0111; designgalleria.net