JV Design Style

The end to the most perfect trip! 🌺

The details are starting to come together, and this is one of my favorite stages of a project. The bones are set, the big decisions are behind us, and now we're in the quieter work of layering in everything that makes a house actually feel like home.

The new stair runner is in, and the carpet in the living area is down. Both are doing exactly what good flooring should do, which is to set the tone without stealing the show. Texture underfoot, warmth underneath everything else, and a quiet foundation for all the layers still to come.

We also swapped out the spindles. The originals were cheap metal, completely out of step with the age and character of the house. Replacing them was one of those changes that doesn't shout, but it dramatically elevates the entire staircase and brings it back in line with the architecture.

I can't wait to show you how this ties in with the rest of the design. For now, a little preview of what's ahead.

Perfectly Painted by

Charleston is full of beautiful things, but the American College of the Building Arts might be one of the most remarkable and quietly extraordinary institutions in the city. It's the only accredited college in the country offering degrees in the traditional building trades, and walking through the studios reminds you just how rare and important that is.

Stone carving, timber framing, architectural carpentry, forged iron, plaster, masonry. The kind of craftsmanship that built this city, and the kind that's increasingly rare anywhere else. Every carving begins as a drawing. Every tool has its place. Students are trained not just in technique but in the history and language of architecture itself, the same knowledge that restores Charleston's historic buildings and shapes new ones with integrity.

As a designer, I think about craft constantly. The hands behind a carved cornice, the skill in a forged hinge, the care in a plaster ceiling. To know there's a place in Charleston dedicated to keeping those trades alive, and training the next generation to practice them, feels like something worth celebrating.