A 1950s ranch house in South Carolina with an enveloping feel
When you think of the architecture of Charleston, South Carolina, it is likely that grand 18th- and 19th-century buildings come to mind: Doric columns, filigree ironwork and wide porches built to catch the breeze. The traditional mid-century brick ranch house owned by Dave and Jen Dawson, founders of Charleston-based lighting company The Urban Electric Co, may feel outside the vernacular but it, too, has a story rooted in time and place.
The neighbourhood, developed 70 years ago, is one of charming, low-slung brick houses, bordered by Wappoo Creek. The buildings are a prime example of the American mid-century connection to the Bauhaus movement, uniting art and functional design, and bringing modernism to a city usually identified with a much earlier style. The Dawsons’ business also sits squarely at the intersection of form and function – modern designs with references as diverse as South Kensington Tube station and early Charleston gas lanterns.
The couple lived round the corner from this house when their son Jack was little. He would ride his bike round the area, often stopping to say hello to the house’s previous owner, June Bradham, whose dog he used to walk. When June decided to move, she contacted the Dawsons and said she would love to sell to them. ‘We jumped at the chance,’ says Jen. ‘We’d always loved the house. It sits on a sort of bluff, 12 feet above sea level, which, for Charleston, is rare.’
Dave and Jen are happy to admit that they did not have a background in design when they launched Urban Electric in 2003. But as it grew, they became keen students. They took to the house renovation project with similar gusto, assembling their dream team of architect Daniel Beck, designer Allison Abney, builder Nick Grossman and landscape architect Glen Gardner, to work with them to create a home that is, in their words ‘easy’ – easy to spend time in, easy to entertain in, easy to enjoy life in.
They credit living in the house for seven months during the planning stage as critical to the project’s success. ‘That time spent interacting with the space changed the way we approached it, especially in terms of the flow and the materials we chose,’ says Dave. ‘We enlarged and reoriented the kitchen by 90 degrees when we realised the existing set-up wasn’t working. We had to take quite a detour around a peninsula unit in the old galley kitchen to get to the rest of the house. Now it all makes much more sense.’
From the outside, the house looks virtually unchanged, but inside, every single surface has been touched in some way. The house was in good condition, with period elements including poured terrazzo floors. These were lovely but, the Dawsons concluded, unforgiving. They decided to replace them with wood parquet, which, Jen says, they ‘placed right over the terrazzo – if a future owner wants it back, it’s all there’. The original kitchen had a small skylight, which was substantially enlarged and enhanced with panels of leaded glass, providing the structure and additional height from which to hang a pair of Urban Electric’s distinctive ‘Kronam’ lanterns.
At the start of the decoration process, they pulled references from places they love to visit, including Hotel Sanders in Copenhagen and Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles. Dave admits, ‘That all went out of the window as the project began to take on its own personality.’
There was a generous collaborative spirit among the team and the owners, with ideas from everyone. ‘For example, the carpenters came up with the idea of trimming the bar doors in brass,’ says Dave. Missy Hulsey, a veteran employee of Urban Electric, came to the project to help identify which of the company’s lights might be best in the spaces. Working alongside Allison, she became known as the ‘tiebreaker’ – a useful second pair of eyes for decision making.
American single-storey architecture lends itself well to bringing the outside in with large expanses of glass. In the dining room, access to the garden was improved by replacing the old doors with new glazed ones running the length of the room. Reeded wooden panels were added to the walls to give texture and interest.
The entranceway is lined in Iksel’s ‘Japanese Cranes’ wallpaper, giving the space an enveloping feel. ‘This was the first thing Allison brought to the project,’ says Jen. ‘It reminds us of the wildlife we see in the creek; it sets the scene.’ The entrance gives way to the sitting room with its distinctive recessed tray ceiling. Here, Allison used a colour palette influenced by the late California-based, English designer Paul Fortune – nuanced shades from nature or, as he described it, ‘no blaring trumpets’ – which the team returned to again and again. The wood-panelled den is perhaps the place where the mid-century roots of the house are most on display. A long, low cabinet is built into the wall, complemented by a vintage Karl Springer table and a set of Franz Schuster chairs, placed in front of a painting by Charleston artist Fletcher Williams III.
In the kitchen, a large wooden dresser by Jaworski Woodworks looks as though it has always been here. The smallest room in the house, the snug, with walls battened in Scalamandré linen-mix velvet inspired by 17th-century verdure tapestries, is where Dave starts the day with coffee. It is also where many parties end.
Outside, the aim was to consider how the landscape and house might share a language that felt consistent with the architecture. ‘Many people thought we should tear out the pool, but we felt it was typical of a house of this era,’ says Jen. ‘So we restored it – even down to a special stone edging we had made.’ A prized ginkgo tree towers above it, a present from the house’s original owner to his wife.
Jen explains that what united the hotels that had made it onto their original mood board was a quality of atmosphere. ‘We’ve got that here now,’ she says. ‘It’s in the quiet details – a trim on a door, an interesting surface, or an unexpected corner to tuck away into.’
‘When the renovation was done, two people I really admire in the business came to see it and asked us if we had been to Villa Necchi Campiglio,’ says Dave of the house in Milan designed by Piero Portaluppi. ‘That felt really good. When we invited June back to see what we’d done, she said, “This is how this house was always meant to be.” That was, really, the best praise of all’.
The Urban Electric Co: urbanelectric.com
Daniel Beck Architecture: danielbeckarchitecture.com
Allison Abney Interiors: allisonabneyinteriors.com
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Tim Williams3/11Panelling and parquet are a warm backdrop for a Harvey Probber sofa in Schumacher green chenille and Milo Baughman chairs in Claremont chartreuse velvet, on a Crosby Street Studios rug.
Tim Williams4/11Fletcher Williams III’s Untitled, 2020, is showcased behind a Karl Springer table from Gerald Bland and Franz Schuster chairs.
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Tim Williams7/11CFA Voysey’s ‘Passion Flower’ on the headboard is balanced by geometric patterned bedding from Leontine Linens. A vintage bouclé chair partners a mid-century cabinet with a Søholm Stentøj lamp.
Tim Williams8/11Made by Stratton Creek Wood Works, the oak basin unit is topped with Calacatta Monet marble.
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Tim Williams10/11‘Bananier’ wallpaper from Pierre Frey enlivens a mix of art and a sofa in Schumacher’s ‘Marco’ rosewood linen in the guest cottage.
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