Hilton Head Monthly Voice Voice of the Lowcountry 
To increase the comfort, beauty and enjoyment of a home, many owners turn to renovations. Sprucing up also adds value to a home by keeping it up to date. In this special section, we have before and after photos of real projects handled by businesses found right here in the Lowcountry.
When a Pennsylvania couple wanted to build a second home in Port Royal Plantation, the realtor who found a perfect half-acre-plus lot for them suggested they meet a certain architect—who in turn suggested they meet a certain interior designer.
Enter Kelly Caron, owner of Kelly Caron Designs and the 2016 LightHouse-award winner for “Best Interior Design,” bestowed by the Hilton Head Area Home Builders Association.
H2 Builders helps NY couple build Lowcountry house of their dreams
Gary and Gail Neumen are “100 percent” certain they’ll be moving into their new home in Bluffton in January, leaving behind their main residence, careers and life on Long Island, New York.
They will be trading Long Island’s south shore for other bodies of water — the 28-acre lake at Hampton Hall, plus the kidney-shaped swimming pool in the backyard of their new home. After buying and selling one lot in the community in 2015, the couple is finally ready to settling into the home they’ve built on the .45-acre lakeside lot hugging the 10th hole fairway of Pete Dye’s signature course that they bought in 2009.
In the good old days, interior cooling and heating were limited to a specific room or portion of a building with localized units. That worked out just fine, so long as the entire family didn’t mind camping out in the living room. Some could afford more than one unit. Most could not.
Sophisticated homeowners in the Lowcountry have never been beholden to the latest kitchen and bathroom trends. We know what we like, pure and simple. If it happens to be trendy, so be it.
Interestingly, the Hilton Head area has either been a trend-setter ahead of the national curve or behind it by a few years…if ever. Our trends with sustained traction either originate in Hilton Head or trickle down from Atlanta or other cities up and down the seaboard to our inviting shores.
THE INTEGRATION OF MANMADE HARDSCAPES AND NATURE’S NATURAL LANDSCAPING HAS BEEN TRANSFORMING LOWCOUNTRY OUTDOOR LIVING FOR MANY YEARS.
We have been moving our indoor comforts and amenities outdoors in rising numbers while watching the value of our homes increase, thanks to outdoor upgrades.
CUSTOM-BUILT HOME TAKES ADVANTAGE OF IDEAL FRESHWATER LOCATION
When the Hilton Head Area Home Builders Association hosts an event, it’s always a good one. The 30th annual Parade of Homes in late March showcased 25 exceptional residences on Hilton Head Island and in Bluffton and the extended local area. The builders crafted unique houses, and the public toured the homes inside and out for ideas and inspiration.
Court Atkins Group’s 501 South Studio team creates an inviting backdrop for the Artist Cottage at Palmetto Bluff
The new Artist in Residence program is a collaboration between Palmetto Bluff and Garden & Gun magazine that celebrates the arts, fosters creativity and offers a hands-on education. As part of the program, notable artists are invited to stay in the Artist Cottage in Palmetto Bluff’s newly constructed Moreland Village. Court Atkins Group’s 501 South Studio team was chosen to steer the interior design for the Artist Cottage, a project they considered a privilege.
Kentucky woman turns tiny treehouse-style home into sophisticated space
So what does a woman who was a born and raised in Kentucky and who’s been modeling internationally since she was 16 do when she wants a getaway beach home on Hilton Head Island? She buys a one-bedroom, 520-square-foot octagonal-shaped treehouse-style home built in 1976 in Sea Pines, naturally.
And then she hires Sharon Cleland at J. Banks Design Group to turn an interior mess into a “little jewel that turned out like a dream,” said Kelly Movshina, who moved from France to Aiken, where she now lives with her pilot husband and young daughter.
Hampton Lake home offers elegant style without the formal feel
When interior designer Kelly Caron goes to work at her studio in the Calhoun Street Promenade in Old Town Bluffton, she is surrounded by her work — literally. Her office reflects her creative sensibilities, full of warm tones and Lowcountry charm. Picture 200-year-old reclaimed barn wood flooring, shiplap wood board on the walls, soft colors and lanterns.
