Originally built in 1843 to service the adjacent William C. Gatewood House, this carriage house is located in the heart of the historic district of Charleston, South Carolina, on one of its most elegant streets. Because it was built with a more utilitarian, vernacular character than the Main House (for which we won an AIA Award for Historic Preservation), we designed the interior with the same simple finishes and vernacular details as the adjacent kitchen house, which stands between the main house and the carriage house near the rear of the property.

Reclaimed heart pine floors were installed throughout the restored house and original wood plank doors, as well as new board and batten doors, were fitted with wrought iron strap hinges and wrought iron hardware typical of the time period. Antique wood mantels from the 1840s, discovered and salvaged by the contractor, were fitted to the existing hearths, bringing an appropriate yet elegant simplicity to the first floor living room and second floor sitting room.

We took a similar period-appropriate approach to the design of a new staircase, a new kitchen and three baths, which fit seamlessly within the historic fabric of the house.

The final step in the restoration process was to reconnect the entire property after its subdivision nearly 100 years earlier. A newly formed opening in the brick wall that once separated the two properties provides a perfect opportunity for garden entertaining but is still private enough for houseguests.