Charlie

Nesting: Charleston Style

The weather is finally getting warmer, thank goodness, but what is a local to do during a not-so-rare-this-winter cold snap or rainy day? Lucky for many a home owner or renter, Charleston is filled with some of the most incredible private spaces imaginable. Here are some of our favorite hidden spaces in our city’s homes. Clearly these aren’t your average rooms, but the beauty of hidden spaces is simply that they’re hidden from the outside world. So whether it’s playing dress up in your jewelry box closet or sipping coffee in your favorite little kitchen nook, hide away Charleston.

Just don’t hibernate during boating season.

THE CLOSET

Welcome to every woman’s and fashion obsessed man’s dream: a closet that puts the famous “Sex and the City” closet to shame. Designed to resemble a big jewelry box, Terri Henning’s dressing room is 360° of mirrors (if it’s really a woman’s dream, let’s hope they’re skinny mirrors), retractable, angled shelves to display or hide the fashions of different seasons, matching silk lined hangers and drawers, a custom sliding white and gold ladder for those hard to reach places, a “slipper chair” to aid in the easy slip on of shoes, monogrammed “H” doorknobs and absolutely everything you could want via remote control: dimmers, music, curtains to let in or shut out the outside light.

And that’s just the hardware.

What the closet holds are the true gems. Treasures like masks from Venice, an original top hat from 1822 and clothes, bags and shoes, shoes, shoes. With meticulous organization at the heart of the design, Henning still manages to rediscover lost loves in the mirrored abyss. She pulls out a big bag of Armani makeup from 3 years ago and starts digging. Our photographer moves a handbag and she gasps. “Hello!!!” she gushes to the bag. Turning to our photographer, “Where’d you find that??”

THE NEW HAMPSHIRE ROOM

This is the room to prove you can transport yourself anywhere while still living in one of the greatest cities in America. So as their New Hampshire lake house was an escape from New York City, so now is their New Hampshire room from everyday life for John and Betsy Porterfield. The room is nothing like the rest of their decadent Wild Dunes waterfront home; it’s in a class of its own. The room is filled with favorite pieces from their old lake house and every single component has deep meaning and a story behind it. Like the oars from the first boat John could ever afford – bought from an old man who was the last living member of the “Darien Sunfish Yacht Racing Association” – that now hang on the wall, with prominent “D.S.Y.R.A” etchings.

It’s their “time out” room. Kids love it because it’s magical; adults love it because it’s unexpected. Whenever a house guest goes missing, it’s the sure bet of where to find them. The “worry basket” at the door entrance, into which you write and drop your worries before entering (a la Wailing Wall style), may have something to do with it. “It’s a place to forget about pressures and frustrations of life,” says the Porterfields.

THE CELLAR

What do you get when you add wine to an old, underground, water-filled cistern? One of the neatest hidden spaces in Charleston, of course. That’s what Charles and Celeste Patrick did by turning their SOB house’s old cistern into a wine cellar. Better than even the wines may be the entrance to the cool cave itself. Walking by, you wouldn’t notice. But if you looked closer, you may ask yourself, “is that a trap door to something?” With the push of a button, hydraulic lifts slowly raise the trap door James Bond style to reveal a dark wooden ladder that leads you down to paradise.

It’s been the scene of the crime for many girls nights for Celeste and her friends. It’s been a secret hideout for the kids. It’s been the cause of a broken toe (pre-hydraulic lifts). And it’s home to hundreds of wines, from rare and pricey, to everyday drinkable.

Good news, Charleston. The house is up for sale! For a mere $6 million, this house and enviable wine room can be yours. One tip: negotiate a stocked cellar.

Story by: Caroline Nuttall
Photos by: Karson Photography