RETIREMENT COMMUNITY APARTMENT GETS TOTAL RENOVATION FOR BOLD COUPLE

The odd-colored shag carpeting was the first sign of a bygone era. Long, lightless walls stretching from the small front door to the living room offered another clue to the apartment’s dated interior.

Interior designers Michael and Candace DeLoach knew the challenge was formidable for their clients at The Cypress retirement community on Hilton Head Island.

NEW KITCHEN AND BATH TRENDS TO ENHANCE YOUR HOME

Many homeowners find themselves eyeing their homes, wondering how to make their houses reflect their Lowcountry lifestyles.

One of the easiest ways is to redo a kitchen or bathroom, changing the color scheme, textures, materials, finishes, fixtures and hardware and adding furnishings, architectural details and smart technology. And while some trends come and go, many Lowcountry interior designers have crafted a coastal aesthetic with staying power — one that still embraces some of the design trends popping up around the country.

In the 1980s, Hilton Head Island boasted its own particular brand of architectural and interior design style: Heavy drapes dripping with Florida-inspired palm tree-and-bamboo motifs and a color palette dominated by lime green, lemon yellow, avocado green and harvest gold.

As the island grew and matured in the ’90s, so did its homes’ aesthetics. New homes and home renovations brought their own identities and personalities. Lighter hues and a mix of materials, fabrics and textures were increasingly being found under one metal roof.

BLUFFTON WELCOMES THE JOHNSONS

Since childhood, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Clark “Jey” Johnson dreamed of joining the U.S. Army. Before the beginning of his senior year in high school, Johnson drive miles away to find a recruiting station near his home in Independence, Iowa. He headed to boot camp in July 1996, after graduation, and the reported for duty in Schweinfurt, Germany.

PALMETTO BLUFF HOME REFLECTS LOWCOUNTRY BEAUTY

There are Lowcountry-style homes, of course, and then there are exquisite Lowcountry homes. These show-stoppers combine all of the signature elements of the antebellum period with precise craftsmanship, attention to detail and devotion to authenticity.

One particular house on Stallings Island Street in Palmetto Bluff is one of those homes.

PALMETTO BLUFF HOUSE IS HGTV’S 2018 SMART HOME

For 14 months, camera crews from HGTV slipped in and out of Palmetto Bluff, as the channel’s 2018 Smart Home took shape near Moreland Village. The home is finished now and one lucky winner will receive the keys to it in June, when the giveaway contest wraps up.

“Somebody is going to have this as their little hidden gem in the South,” said Tiffany Brooks, a Chicago-based interior designer who is also the host of HGTV Smart Home 2018.

CALM, GRAY NEUTRAL HUES ADD A SENSE OF BALANCE TO COLLETON RIVER ABODE

Cynthia Bailey loves empty space, a blank canvas to transform nothingness into a vision of colors, textures, light, balance and warmth.

“That’s a dream for me,” said Bailey, who owns CW Bailey Interiors in Okatie.

EVEN AMATEUR DECORATORS CAN DEVELOP A GOOD EYE

Some people are born with a great eye for decorating, and some, well, aren’t. Even if you don't have a natural knack for interior design, mastering a few basic techniques can go a long way. Below are some tips often offered by area pros. 

Welcome, 2018 and the interior design trends that the new year brings. Modern interior colors and design ideas this year reflect the universal impulses of people to have fun, nest at home and protect the Earth. 

Watching a bald eagle take flight, soar and dive in the hunt for lunch is exhilarating. The scene connects us to our environment and brings us close to the wild.