When asked why residential design is so important, especially in the growing Greenville area, I can’t help but smile. Growing up in the upstate and now calling Greenville home, I have heard so much about Greenville’s past, and how far it has come in the last 20 years. The economy is strong, the business district is vibrant, and real estate is up astronomically. Because of these factors, residential design is even more important than ever; maybe more important than planning for commercial developments. 

Considering the growth of Greenville’s transitioning neighborhoods like Parkins Mill, it is important to maintain the architectural character of these communities. Studying the evolution of other cities with similar economic growth shows just how crucial it is not to lose the character of the residential communities in the midst of retail and commercial growth. Too often the livability of a city quickly becomes overwhelmed by the commercial and retail success of a local economy.  This has not happened in Greenville, and careful residential design is the reason. 

I’m going to be bold and say that the importance of residential design is that it improves daily living. Outside our workplace, we spend most of our time at home, and our surroundings have a large impact on our quality of life. Exceptional and carefully-planned architectural design captivates all senses: sight, hearing, and touch, and yes, even the sense of smell through proper landscape architectural design. By engaging all of the senses, Designed for Downtown, LLC creates a harmony of space that characterizes each and every piece of Greenville – with each neighborhood a little different from the others - that makes it feel so much of what it is. I constantly hear from out-of-towners and even residents why they love Greenville: It’s the character; Greenville is a growing and developing city that maintains the feel and charm of a quiet Southern town. 

As a design professional, it is my belief that a large part this feeling towards our city is the characteristic of our homes and communities. Downtown Greenville neighborhoods have all of the architectural styles and none of the ‘cookie cutter’ sameness of suburbia. This eclectic design is not as cost-efficient as a suburban subdivision, but the uniqueness of each downtown home helps preserve the warmth of Downtown Greenville.  That is better than efficiency. 

To preserve Greenville’s character is a mission that Designed forDowntown, LLC has enthusiastically adopted, and we hope to convey our excitement to the homeowners of the downtown Greenville community.  As Greenville continues to grow and neighborhoods begin to in-fill with home renovations, expansions, and new homes, we challenge each homeowner to reflect on what makes Greenville feel like home and how the decisions you make for your home reflect on Greenville’s character and, more importantly, your own. After all, your home is a personal expression of who you are, how you want to live, and where you grow and spend time with family & friends. It’s home.

This home's transformation was all about creating open living space and additional bedrooms for a loving and growing family. The homeowners purchased the home on a beautiful lot in the Augusta Road neighborhood. The yard was the selling point, while the home needed some updating and additional space. The before and after shots are quite amazing!

Before

After

You may not believe it, but the front facade footprint remained essentially unaltered with the exception of the extension of the far right wing of the house coming forward. We also added the second story and a new, classic wrap around porch. We also built out additional square footage at the rear of the house for larger, open living spaces and a new master suite. 

The existing footprint in black with the red highlighting new heated and non-heated square footage and the blue indicating the second story addition footprint.

Front Facade Elevation Sketch

First Floor Plan Sketch

Second Floor Plan Sketch

What makes this home so special are the fine tuned details and personal touches created by the homeowner to make the new house feel like home. Each room highlights a beautiful element that will tell a story for years to come. 

It all begins within the walls... literally. The homeowners began adding their personal touches before furnishing selections even began to take shape. Each room is defined by a special message and blessing; how much sweeter can that get?! These blessings may be concealed now, but these messages are personal touches this family created for the start of a new chapter and to treasure through the years. 

Written in the walls of the kids' playroom

It is important to understand each family and how they live their daily lives for the design of their home. For this particular family, the heart of the home centered around the kitchen. Each day ends with the family gathered around the table. Cooking and congregating in the kitchen for family dinner is a key element in the everyday lifestyle of this growing family, so making the kitchen the heart of the living space was a key design point. 

A large eat-in island creates a central workspace in the kitchen while opening up to the living room spaces.

The centerpiece of the kitchen is the reclaimed kitchen hood centered between two windows for natural light. 

Let's talk about this hood & the ceiling details! Here is where the characteristic elements begin to shine. All of the wood was reclaimed from the existing house rafters as framing for the second story began. These rafters were stripped and inlaid between the coffers and wrapped around the hood. 

The hood even has its own story. The corbels of the hood were found from an old, historic, victorian home. The corbels themselves were stripped to their raw, natural state and stained to create a beautiful piece of architecture. 

Antique corbels after being stripped of old paint.

Characteristic elements continued into the living room spaces. Reused antique furniture, like the family piano, and personal art pieces from close family friends highlight the living and sitting room spaces that lead out to the outdoor screened porch. The reclaimed beams continue into the living room to define the family room and sitting room spaces. 

The living room art piece above the mantel is a piece by Sarah Bowers, a friend and artist in the Columbia area. 

Even the powder bathroom maintains the character of this family's history. Both being from Charleston, a coastal made element had to be included in the ambiance of the home design. This powder bath is complete with a beautiful, handcrafted vessel sink made by an artist in Charleston, SC. 

The sink is framed by a custom cut marble backsplash and wall mount faucet. The vanity is a reclaimed furniture piece.

One of our favorite design elements of the home is the stairwell. At first, the stairwell began from the front door entry. We re-designed this element so that access to the upstairs living space can be accessible from both the front of the house and the rear. This double point of entry stairwell with artfully designed balusters creates a beautiful element at the foyer and entry of the home. 

No wasted space here. A perfect alcove under the stairs for the children's' reading time. 

The upstairs features open railings for the stairwell. 

The bathrooms maintain its own character with beautiful lighting fixtures and statement tile. 

And the design elements keep on going! 

Both the husband and wife completed residencies in their professional medical careers and this experience led to the design of a new space for their property. With the existing detached garage in place, an idea began to develop for an upstairs apartment space that could potentially become a rented apartment for medical students during their residency programs in Greenville and a future mother-in-law suite later down the road. We brought fun and innovative designs into this space for it's future inhabiters.

Access to the garage apartment remains separate from the house itself but also convenient for future needs. The apartment is accessed through the screened porch and back yard, utilizing stairs and a Trex deck that overlooks the yard. 

The floor plan provides a one bedroom/ one bath apartment with living space and a kitchenette. 

Kitchenette: Created with pre-finished, shaker style cabinets, laminate countertops, a large sink, and tiled backsplash. The lighting and decorative hardware accents create a fun and inviting apartment space. 

Cabinetry Details

All in all this home provides a new, modern living space for a sweet, loving and growing family. The design of the renovation created a larger footprint and incorporated key characteristic elements to make this house feel like home. We kept hold of the old and embraced the new!