HILTON HEAD HOME DAZZLES WITH ITS SWEEPING BEAUTY
It’s a majestic home with grand, sweeping views of Port Royal Sound, the Atlantic Ocean and the golf course at Dolphin Head in Hilton Head Plantation.
“We’re tucked away in a corner with a horseshoe driveway,” said Brandon Schaffner, son of homeowners Walter and Linda.
"The first thing you notice is the house,” said Brandon, who owns a design company on the island. “It’s so big and massive. It’s a very stately house, especially when all the lights are on. It’s very regal, almost like a statement, but it’s also very subtle.
“When you pull up, you don’t see the garden, the pool and the ocean – you see the house.”
The multi-million-dollar contemporary home at 16 Oyster Shell Lane, designed by Jake Lee, now retired, features water views from every room in the wide-open interior.
It’s as stately and subtle as a main house can be with 9,300 square feet of living space, five bedrooms and seven bathrooms. It was built in 1988.
The two-story, four-door garage Lowcountry estate, which is for sale, sits on 1.26 acres covering two adjoining lots. There’s a pool, a pool house and a wondrous expansive garden with a plethora of earthly delights of fruits and herbs.
The centerpiece of the open floor plan tracks to the state-of-the-art chef’s kitchen, where Walter does the cooking. He basically designed it for his culinary and convenient pleasures and to entertain friends and guests. Two Sub-Zero refrigerators stock what needs to be on the menu.
“My dad built the kitchen around cooking and entertaining,” he said.
Stunning cypress ceilings with rosewood inlay and a two-story stone and copper fireplace command attention for its detail and craftsmanship.
The layout of the home is sectionalized.
“The house has wings, sections,” Brandon said. “One is the living quarters with all the bedrooms. Another is the formal wing, and another is the kitchen and living room where most of the average everyday foot traffic is.”
Another wing is dedicated for entertainment with a pool table, media room and wine room that opens to the outside pool and spa and pool house.
Then there’s the “overly done” formal room for entertaining and parties.
“The house is really well balanced,” he said. “Every area offers something different. There’s always something to keep you entertained…a lot of things make this home special to me.”
Walk outside to the backyard and there’s a 180-degree panorama view of deep water, much to the delight of fishermen and naturalists. Broad Creek flows nearby. The home sits on a point, which adds to the visual impact with its unique angles.
Ironically, even though 38 trees, including two massive live oaks, were felled during Hurricane Matthew in 2016, their natural destruction made the waterfront views less obstructed and even more dramatic.
Catching an aromatic whiff from the backyard garden shouldn’t be surprising.
Schaffner is a long-time gardener.
“I’m really into gardening,” he said. “This property is really good for that. I put my mark on the property from all the plants we’ve put in here; fruit trees and a lot of herbs.”
Let’s start with the lemons: ponderosa for Jello and Meyer for cooking. Add a couple of avocado trees and a few persimmon trees. Don’t forget the banana trees that are “very good and very sweet.” Top that with some bay leaves, oregano, sage, thyme and arrange some perennials too for color.
Front to back and from side to side, this property dazzles with its natural and man-made beauty.
