When we were down in Isle of Palms, we had the chance to visit my great aunt and uncle’s house for a tour. It’s such a lovely home that I asked if I could take pictures and share them on my blog and my aunt agreed. I think this classic South Carolina home is a great example of a style that has been curated over time. My aunt has saved and displayed family pieces in addition to things she has picked up over the years. And she displays it all in a way that feels both homey and stylish.
I love a classic southern storm door along with the soft green and cream color scheme on the exterior of the house.
My aunt added built-ins, a beefed-up fireplace surround, and converted a closet into a built-in wet bar to make this room suit their style better. The shelving also gave her space to display all of her treasures and collections. I love the way she mixes patterns against the soft neutral wall color.
They have many beautiful antique furniture pieces that are used effectively for storage.
Look at all of the goodies on that shelf! I enjoyed lingering to take it all in.
The charm of this house is also about the details like fluffy key tassels hanging from an antique key.
The artwork in the house ranges from family photos to framed antique pieces of paper, turtle shells to oyster plates, original paintings, to textiles. It’s a variety of interesting, meaningful, thoughtfully curated pieces.
This framed antique sewing bird caught my eye because I have one that is almost identical! I love it framed in a shadow box.
The guest room is just as charming with pretty blue fabrics and a collection of plates above the headboard. (You know I love that!)
The framed lace against the blue background is another interesting piece of art…
She has also hung antique family pieces, like a silver “purse” and shoe hook…
The little silver purse has a place for calling cards and two slots for subway money! Isn’t that so neat?
Another guest room features more family pieces as well as collectibles from the civil war. The “mess” of linens on the bed are antique petticoats and dresses passed down from family members.
The original portrait painting is of one of our ancestors and has been restored.
Framed indentures are framed and hung over the bed. I have a multi-page indenture I purchased from Julia and I’d love to frame a few pages of it when we land in our new house. It was nice to see how they look framed!
Instead of storing silver pieces in a drawer or cabinet, my aunt leaves them out on a platter to admire and pick through. She pulled the platter out and picked up various pieces to play a bit of a guessing game. I knew what most things were, but one had me stumped…
I guessed this was a pill crusher…
But, it’s actually a telephone dialer by Tiffany & Co! It’s for old rotary phones so women wouldn’t mess up their nails! Isn’t that a riot? My aunt said, “It’s the gift for the woman who has everything.”
Before we finished the tour of the house, she pointed up to the molding by the kitchen. “Did you see the mouse?” I looked up to see a little (fake) mouse perched on the edge of the crown molding. “Every house needs a mouse!” I’ve never heard that sentiment before, but now I feel like I *need* a mouse somewhere in my house just so I can point it out and say the same thing. Do you have a mouse in your house?
The garden is beautiful as well and I took some pictures to use as inspiration for paintings…
The garden is small, but every corner feels tended and welcoming. It’s definitely a place you want to spend some time.
As I’m thinking about our next house, which is just a dream at this point because we don’t know where we’ll end up, I found so much inspiration in this house. I felt encouraged to make choices that are even more personal and unique and to finally frame more of the things I have collected to frame.
I hope you also find some inspiration in this home tour. A beautiful home really is about displaying your own unique style. It can be both welcoming and elegant. It can be magazine-worthy and family-friendly. It can be traditional and timeless.
And it doesn’t have to look like any other home but yours.
58 Responses
What a gorgeous, gracious home! Don’t you just love South Carolina?
You should come to South Louisiana and spend a few days at Houmas House Plantation on the Great River Road. It is beyond exquisite. 40+acres of tropical landscaped grounds with many places to relax, paint, read and rest. Several world class restaurants, a gift shop you won’t want to leave, and one-half of it is books! The house is unbelievable of course. And the resident gardener/artist has a gallery on site and designs all of the many gardens. They have replicated Monet’s gardens and arched bridge! I’ve gotta quit, but I could go on all day. Don’t come in the middle of the summer though, you might melt.
I always say a home should tell a story- and boy does this home tell a story! I love love it all. I always like to walk into a house and be able to tell what they love, what they have done, what is important to them… A house feels like a HOME when it has those things… Everyone has a different “story” so each home should tell a different story. Not just what can be bought as a collection with endless money, but a LIFETIME of collections- big a small. Your Aunt’s home is sweet and cheerful and relaxing. Love it~ ♥
So warm and lovely. This home reflects a life well spent and joy. Love of past. Thank your Aunt for sharing her lovely home.
Pat
I see that ‘a sense of style’ runs in the family! Beautiful home.
It’s always fun to see how someone’s personality plays out in their decor styles. Many great ideas shown in your relatives home. I’m going to steal the idea to shadowbox old lace pieces! I have a few pieces that need to see the light of day. Thank you for the tour!
Wow, all I could think about was “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” – I found so many similarities to your style and color palette. Strikingly beautiful and so many really nice ways of appreciating and displaying antiques.
What a lovely warm environment in your Aunt’s house. Beautiful and wonderfully curated and tells us something about the people who live and love in this home. Thanks for the peek.
So lovely and warm! There was inspiration in every room….Thank you
This is how a home should be, filled with treasures and loved things, making each home different. Make your home you.
Someone once told me that my upstate SC home looks like no other, and I pass along that compliment to your great-aunt. We Southerners love our “stuff.” Her home is warm and gracious.
My little ceramic mouse perches on the narrow molding of my family grandfather clock. I grew up with that mellow sound echoing throughout our home. And it still soothes my soul.
Thank you for sharing this- it is just beautful-and to think it is your great aunt and uncle that have appointed this home!
What a warm, lovely home…thank your Aunt for allowing us to peek. I would bet that your aunt is as warm and lovely as her house.
My house mouse is brass and lives on top of our grandfather clock.
So enjoyed this tour through your aunt’s lovely and warm home. Built-ins and molding add so much depth and interest to a home and your aunt has used the beautifully. I too have many things I have planned to frame need to get o with it!
Now this is my kind of house! Beautiful. And I too love this part of South Carolina.
What a beautiful home! I am so impressed with your aunt’s curation of such special things that are meaningful to her and the way in which she displays them. It certainly makes for an interesting and lovely home!
Thank you and your aunt for allowing us to see this beautiful house. I love how she showcases things rather than keeping them packed away or in a drawer. I’d love for her to come help me.
Charming! Yes, I have a mouse in my house. He sits with my books on in the bookcase.
It’s soo nice to see a HOME a beautiful one with memories and treasures..not staged and bare with no soul.I was a realtor for 30 yrs and retired 11 yrs ago..When I see listings of homes for sale..I knew that was the direction that was coming.Nothing anywhere.She has exqusite taste.Would love to know what she cleans her silver with..Marian..I see a lot of you in her style.
Your Aunt’s house is beautiful, warm and cozy. Tell her thank you for letting us see it. I don’t often linger over photos but her style and collections are perfect!
What a lovely home. Your great auntie sounds like a fascinating gal. I laughed out loud at the “mouse in the house.”
Thank you for sharing.
Lovely home. I too have 6 little mice sitting on my Hoosier. I did not know having a mouse in the house as a thing. I display what makes me happy. : ) By looking around my room , I must be giddy.
Oh my gosh, I have a ledge similar to that and always wondered what to put up there. Gotta go, I’m searching for a mouse!
Thank you!
And every traditional Southern home must have a porch with the ceiling painted a shade of blue! It’s the first thing I noticed. My own porch ceiling is painted sky blue…
Grandmillennial for sure and I love it.
I really enjoyed this. Please tell her thank you for sharing her lovely home with us. Definitely gave me some inspiration for ways to share my family heirlooms.
Yes. I do have a mouse in my house ?. I have an old pie safe that has a real mouse hole in the corner of the drawer. So of course I have a little furry mouse with his head poking out of the hole. He’s been in there about 40 years so he’s beginning to loose his fur. He is definitely a conversation piece. ?
Creativity and good taste must be in the genes! I especially love the silver display. Thanks for sharing…. Lovely “southern” home!!!!
I have a house chipmunk thanks to an old cat who kept bringing in alive chip pies to save in the laundry room for later play. My uncle thought it would be funny to hide the ceramic one in my house. Scared me to death when I found it. I miss that old cat but not having to run through the house catching chipmunks hahaha
Oh Traci! Thanks for the laugh!
I painted a mouse hole on one of the steps of my daughter’s room many years ago. Her bedroom was the bonus room over the garage and it had two steps to get into the room. I always loved that!
I know you were just delighted, as you would with any home that beautiful, but this is one of ‘your own’s home. I am sure both of you had the best time!
Please thank your aunt and uncle for sharing their home & life (thru collections) with your readers. And thank you for thinking of us!
I realized just how much of a minimalist I’ve become over the last couple years of staying at home. I’ve been such a huge collector for most of my life but started parting with them when Covid hit. My first thought in seeing your aunt’s home was “oh my so much stuff!” And my second thought was “oh my so many beautiful things!”
A truly lovely Southern home. It is most obvious that decorating talent runs in your family. Thank you for sharing and allowing us to tour her home.
I enjoyed the tour of your aunt’s beautiful home. It was very nice of her to let you share your photos with us. The front of her home is lovely with that beautiful front porch and each room is carefully decorated with her favorite things.What a treat to enjoy!
Always enjoy seeing unique, eclectic home. Thank you.
We didn’t have a mouse in our house, but rather a little bird that was perched over the kitchen window. The little bird would always inform my father if we had misbehaved during the day while he was at work!
My brother and I would later find out that my mother would tip my father off by telling him of our misdeeds in Armenian! The both spoke it fluently and used it many, many times to convey things that “little ears” might not be old enough to hear!!!
Can’t wait to see where you land!!!!
What a lovely home! I’m sure there were many stories you heard about her collections. A mouse–yes. I have a pair of sleeping hand painted ceramic mice who reside in separate corners of a bookcase.—Love them!
Such a beautiful home and in a way I can see it’s influence on your own style! Love the silver collection especially
Thanks for the house tour, I could spend hours just walking around looking. My Dad was from Charleston and that SC style of homes has always been my favorite. Seeing all the pretty things she has displayed has inspired me to take some of my family things out of boxes and put it where it can be seen and handled. Good luck on your move!
What a beautiful home! Thank you so much to your aunt for letting you share it with us. Have you ever heard of Robert Thompson? He was a British furniture maker who carved a mouse onto nearly all his furniture and church work as his trademark. It is beautiful work.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Thompson_(designer)#:~:text=Robert%20(Mouseman)%20Thompson%20(7,mouse%20on%20almost%20every%20piece.
WOW!! Incredible! I noticed a ship on the mantle just like yours!
I loved the beach painting in the blue bedroom, and the cowboy portrait in the living room (?) Having a mouse in the house – cute idea. Wonder if it warns away the real furry ones, or if it makes them feel more welcome? 😉 A cricket on the hearth for good luck would be optimal, too!
I love your great aunt’s home. It is just lovely! I was excited to see the little silver purse on the chain. I have two and have never seen them anywhere else. One of mine is round and was designed as a compact. The other one is lined in silk and has some old calling cards in it. Do you know what time period these are from?
Thanks again for another great post!
omg…i have moulding just like that! Now I have to look for a mouse to put up there. This place is amazing. Love it!
Enjoyed seeing your great aunt’s lovely home. And yes, my house has a little mouse! I believe it is just like your great aunt’s. He hangs out in my kitchen perched on an old stained glass window. ?
Beautifully Southern! Thank you for sharing this gorgeous home. You are definitely related! And yes I have a mouse in my house, that is very real and not welcome!
So many cozy and charming details both inside and out!!! Thanks for sharing!
Last fall while my mama was recovering from surgery, she got covid. She wasn’t sick, but she quarantined herself so my dad and sister could still work etx. While sleeping in the guest bedroom, she painted a sweet mouse (rat?) above the door of the closet! It’s a storybook mouse if I ever saw one. I still waiting to hear what his name is.
Thx for sharing the collected home of your aunt!!
What a fun tour. Thank you for sharing!
Love that you shared this…just wonderful!!!! Now we need a source for that little mouse, I adore that little touch of whimsy!!!! Thank you for sharing..
What I love is that it is easy to see just what your aunt likes and collects and displays, and she has fun arranging them all.
A beautiful home! I’m looking forward to seeing where you land and how you turn a house into your new home. I do have a mouse, its on the tall clock in the foyer. Was a joke gift to my mother at her bridal shower, sixty-three years ago. When my granddaughters come over, they always look for it, it moves around. 😉
What a lovely home with a soul.
Your great aunt’s home is beautiful! She certainly has an artistic eye and I love how she’s incoporated so many family heirlooms. Just lovely! Thanks for sharing.
What a beautiful home! I sometimes think I have too much stuff in my builtin bookshelves, but when I saw your Aunt’s, I said “nah!” Thanks for sharing.
That’s so similar to your taste, some great fun things. I see someone has already mentioned the Mouse Man in the UK. I’ve seen his work in a few places, mostly churches like York Minster and I think you’d like his story.
I was concerned to read about displaying an indenture because I only know them as slave contracts and I feel displaying one would be wrong. Are yours property rather than people?
Oh yes, indentures are just contracts and they are all sorts. For property, marriage, etc. My old indenture isn’t related to owning people.
What a gorgeous home! Love all the details. I can see that collecting and decorating runs in your family. Just lovely! Yes, that is a hoot about the telephone dialer. Who knew? LOL!