Carolina On My Mind

I just returned from a fantastic vacation with my extended family to Fripp Island, SC. My sister and I took our mom on a horse drawn carriage tour of historic Beaufort, about 18 miles down the road from Fripp.

was looking forward to the visit to Beaufort as it has been one of those places I've been seeing featured in Southern Living, Country Home and Country Living magazines for the past many years AND Money magazine recently named it one of the top 5 or 6 cities in the country to retire.

Recently Diana Hudson reminded me it was also the site of the 1998 HGTV dream home, and she had discovered that the former dream home was on the market and could be fetched for a pretty darn good price sans its original furniture and home decor.

The house pictured above is not the former dream home, but it is a gorgeous old home that is typical of the homes spotted in historic downtown Beaufort. Travelling through this city gave me an appreciation for the old South. It's as though the town is "frozen" in a time of grace and beauty, where life was enjoyed at a slower pace, at least until the Civil War changed everything. Yet Beaufort has stood the test of time and has seemingly come full circle. Something about it invites you to slow down and take in the beautiful marshes across the Beaufort River, and look upward to the Spanish moss swaying in the trees.

As decorators, we often strive to create this same sense of classic, timeless design as portrayed everywhere in a city like Beaufort. And then you go there and it is just an effortless and natural thing.

It makes me think that some things just cannot be "done" again.

Beth Batke
www.finaltouchesredesign.com