There’s cleaning your home, and then there’s get out the ladder and clean your home. Last week I did the latter (no pun intended). Every fan blade and fixture bulb at 635 got the 409…if you know what I mean. The one fixture that always blows my mind after a hot steam clean is that darn dining room chandelier. It spectacularly sparkles afterward. The photo doesn’t even begin to show its luster and twinkle. The crystals are magical in the facets. Especially when the afternoon sun shines through the windows. It can be mesmerizing! I could stare a bit longer, but I gotta get my walk in. It’s Tuesday, and that means it’s Beresford links’ maintenance day so walking on the cart path is okay. Have a sparkling day yourself!
Categorized in 635 IPD and Things
The photo tells it all. Just follow the sidewalk from 635 IPD around the corner to Delahow. Every morning and afternoon you’ll see the drop off and pick-up. Rain or shine, it’s the best, and most fun way to get to school. At least that’s what the kids tell me!
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There is nothing like watching something as big as the Super Bowl in a movie theatre style setting. A gigantic ClearPix2 screen + a CrystalView CV-720HD projector + all kinds of crazy surround sound = a super Super Bowl experience. You add to that custom theatre Irwin Seating loungers and rocker seats, and you’ll be experiencing a superbly super Super Bowl! Now, bring on the beer and nachos! (Click photos below for more info.)
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To me, a fireplace is art. Well it can be depending on the mantel. At 635 Island Park Drive, the four fireplaces are, in fact, art. Let’s start with the see-through fireplace in the Foyer and the Great Room. Both mantels are cast stone. Cast by artist, Dave Jackson, here in Charleston. His stuff is amazing. Plus, he’s one of the most interesting and creative artisans I met while building 635. Check his stuff out at www.stonecastinginc.com. I wanted one of everything at his place. He also cast Pierre Henri, our French warrior wall fountain in the backyard garden. His exquisite castings of chimney pots, fountains, benches, statues, etc. are, in a word, magnificent. 635’s massive Foyer mantel is true stone colored with recessed panels to tie-in with the room’s doors and archway trim. On the other side of that fireplace is the Great Room. This mantel is a smaller, more refined design with a bit of taupe added to the cast to give it a rich warm color. Originally, this room was to have a wood fireplace. But Dave said I’d regret it not being stone and, of course, he was right. It’s the anchor to the room in it’s rich color and adds warmth, and is just gorgeous. The Dining Room mantel (also with recessed panels to match the walls) was antiqued by SC artist DawnMarie Haines who, sad for us locals, has moved to Australia to be with a man. I mean really DawnMarie…what will we do without you! In addition, the Dining Room mantel recessed panels were antique-glassed by Charleston Architectural Glass. More incredible artisans here in Charleston. Gorgeous stuff. They also antique-glassed the panels in the Dining Room buffet and created the mirror hanging above the fireplace. www.charlestonarchitecturalglass.com. Finally, the Study mantel has both raised and recessed panels and is stained a rich brown chestnut to match the coffered ceiling and room trim. All four, of these custom mantels are art in their respective rooms. Truly an example of when form and function really come together.
Categorized in 635 IPD and Things
There are builders and then there are builders. We’d built a couple of homes in our day, but being new to the Charleston area, we didn’t know anyone personally who’d built a home. When we came upon 635 IPD (only the foundation was poured), we knew that it would be one of the finest built homes on the island. Why? Because of the name Simonini. Having spent many years in the Charlotte area, we knew of their stellar reputation for building higher end custom homes. And they did just that for us at 635 IPD. See, 635 has some pretty spectacular details that aren’t in the usual home. However, with Simonini, there was never a time during the entire building process where we heard a ‘no’ or ‘we can’t do that’. They just figured out how to get it done, and done right. Not only did they attend to every single detail, even today, they stand by their word. And that, my friends, is not common enough around here. Check them out. Their team here in Charleston/Kiawah is absolutely stellar. And even after the sale, we call them friends.
Click for info.
Categorized in 635 IPD and People
Love palms. Especially the Washingtonia variety. (I think I’ve made that point in previous posts.) So, when we built 635, we just had to adorn the backyard garden with some. And we did. In fact, the curve of the garden wall, is truly, a wall 0′ palms. Inside and out. That is, there are five shorter palms inside the garden wall and three taller ones outside around the curve of the wall. And boy have they grown! (There’s another hanging over the wall fountain, but that’s a story for another day.) So, this wall o’ palms has literally shot up these past 2.5 years. Why, they’ve grown nearly 2′. Most importantly, they have filled out and, in addition to their beauty, they provide quite a lot of privacy. As the interior palms grow, the ivy covered wall behind them shows more and more. And, in the summertime, giant elephant ears in a riotous variety of pinks, purples and greens pop out beneath the interior palms. It’s quite a site. I can only imagine in years to come what a treat it will be to have this wall o’ palms.
Categorized in 635 IPD and Things
The outdoor kitchen. It’s a must have for most homes. I mean who doesn’t like a nice juicy grilled burger? At 635 IPD, the alfresco kitchen is pretty fantastic. It was designed by Backyard Kitchens here in Charleston. It’s built-in to match the house exterior and hardscapes with its stucco and bluestone. But what’s built-into it is what’s important. First, can we talk about Big Green Eggs? We first learned about this amazing cooker on a trip to Tampa years ago to watch the Buccanners enjoy grilled Panther for lunch (no pun intended). Prior to the game we discovered this marvel of a grill at a party where the most delightful cedar planked salmon was smoked. I can still taste it <mouth watering>. So, for Christmas that year, I surprised Hubs with one. This thing is incredible. It’s a ceramic cooker that will blow your mind with what it can do. Need to roast oysters at, say, 700 degrees? The egg’s your tool. Bake bread, gill pizza, smoke a turkey? The egg. They call it the ‘worlds best smoker and grill’. We tend to agree. But…for convenience, the outdoor kitchen at 635 has a kick-ass stainless steel turbo natural gas grill. There’s a mouthful for you. Heats up in a jiffy! We use it at least a couple times a week. My biggest trick? Throw on a cast iron skillet to fry up bacon…quick. Imagine, no splattering or lingering bacon inside the house! Outside cooking is a must here in the Lowcountry. With nary a bad-weathered-day, we cook alfresco year around!
Click Egg for Info.
Categorized in 635 IPD and Things
Ahhh, the Lowcountry. One of the sweetest spots in the world to be able to call home. But if you’re from anywhere west of this tiny spot of heaven, you’d have to look at a map to see exactly how, ah, tiny this spot of heaven is. Not a lot of space, geographically that is. In fact, one of the things you’d learn on a carriage tour around the Peninsula is how the city fathers strategically planned exactly how to use this tiny spot of land. There is a distinct building look that is called Charleston where homes are built tall, deep, and pretty darn close to one another. And even though Daniel Island isn’t hundreds of years old (like the Peninsula), the island planners have emulated that Charleston look. Any resident will tell you that a key to living happily and peacefully, is, I believe, to reside on a corner. Why? Corner lots have breathing room on three sides. And that’s pretty special, particularly on DI where the broad sidewalks extend your property even further. See, a corner lot allows you to have front porches, backyard porches, and side porches! And let me tell you, it’s the side porches at 635 Island Park Drive that enjoy the most beautiful of sunsets and the loveliest of breezes. 635’s locale brings sunshine inside from dawn to dusk. The backyard garden thrives on the morning sunshine, the side porches adore the daytime brightness, and the front piazza sparkles in the afternoons. Yes, ask anyone on DI about a corner residence and they’ll confirm that unless you’d like living as the corned beef sandwiched by two slices of rye, standing on the corner is the best place to be.
Categorized in 635 IPD and Places
