7 Design Cues to Take From This Charming Charleston Inn
Post House Inn brings grandmillenial-meets-modern charm to Mt. Pleasant, the quaint town located between Charleston and Sullivan's Island. Originally built in 1896, the inn hearkens to pubs in the heart of English villages that lack lobbies, but have charming rooms above.
Thanks to Post House's owners (and designers) Kate and Ben Towill, the inn is also a source of design inspiration. Because it's located in a historic residential community on Charleston Harbor, the Towills wanted to give the inn a chic coastal vibe where anyone from couples to families to solo travelers can feel welcome. "You want the touch of an antique dresser, but then you want a gorgeous white hotel robe to put on. That's how we do a lot of our projects," says Kate. "You want something to feel like it's been here for a long time, but don't want it to give you a feeling of discomfort."
The inn has seven rooms, each one with its own personality. Here are design cues from each one to bring home with you.
Vintage-Style Wallpaper Creates a Historic Feel
Whether you live in a historic home or not, you can emulate that feeling by using vintage wallpaper. That's what Kate did when she opted for "Willow Boughs" by the late-19th century designer William Morris who was known for his detailed naturalistic patterns.
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Add Height with Window Treatments
Use window treatments to make a room feel lofty. Room 2 has windows on three walls so it makes sense that the previous owners used it as a breakfast room. When the Towills converted it to a bedroom, though, they adorned the windows with sheer linen curtains. The windows already had the benefit of being tall, but, if you're looking to make a room feel airier, place your windows' hardware a bit higher above the window. "It definitely gets your eyes to go right up," says Kate.
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Incorporate Clean Lines to Break Up Pattern
So as not to compete with the antiques and "Meadow Sweet" wallpaper (also by William Morris), the Towills grouped together a trio of smaller scale prints in clean, modern frames. "I think your eye needed a place to rest," says Kate, and the modern frames allow you to quickly see what's inside.
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Play Up Your Windows
If you have a room with windows that reveal a beautiful view—whether that's a cityscape or your backyard—take a page from Room 4 at the Post House Inn and let the windows have the starring role. To do that, Kate used a District Eight bed, known for its low height and funky incorporated side tables, painted the room in Farrow & Ball's "Light Blue", and kept the decor minimal.
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Paint Everything One Color
By painting the entire room—including the wainscoting—in one color (in this case, the now retired Castle Gray by Farrow & Ball) Kate was able to create a striking, contemporary vibe that's also cozy. "Sometimes if you paint the ceiling and all the weird, wonky walls [in different colors], you just feel like it's enclosing you," she says. "But I love that color because it felt more like there's no distinction of anything, and it feels pretty cozy and special when you're inside."
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Mix Design Styles
Don't feel like you have to confine your room to one design style. In Room 6, Kate effortlessly blends traditional and mid-century modern decor with the use of an earthy color palette and allowing certain furniture pieces, like the classic 1950s-style coffee table, to shine. "We even have little blinds, in the dormer window that are like a walnut as well. That walnut, mid-century dark wood goes so well with the 'Meadow Sweet' wallpaper," she says.
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Go Bold with Color to Add Interest
One way to make a minimalist room more interesting is to use a statement piece of furniture in a bold color. Kate did this in Room 7 by making a plush bed in a deep red with clay undertones the centerpiece. Above the bed is a trio of reddish-brown prints of faces painted by Charleston artist Carrie Davis.