Charleston has long been a favorite destination of Claire Theobold, who’d spent a lot of time there with her friend Victoria Baran. “Victoria is one of my closest friends—we’ve known each other for more than 20 years,” notes Theobold. “We both trained as architects, although our careers ultimately took different paths. In fact, it was Victoria’s family, who have long had a home in Charleston, who first introduced me to the city.”
Before she bought this 1940s Cape-style home, Theobold already knew where she would turn for furnishings. “I had admired Michael Mitchell’s beautiful shop for several years, even before I moved to Charleston. I remember thinking that if I ever bought a home here, I would inevitably find myself making many purchases there,” she says. “One Sunday afternoon, I wandered in while admiring a chandelier that now hangs in my kitchen. Michael introduced himself, invited me into his fabric showroom, and before I knew it, I was leaving with not only the light fixture but also a pair of fabulous swivel chairs. We immediately connected over our shared love of design, and as my renovation progressed, bringing him onto the project felt like a natural next step.”
Mitchell tells a similar story: “Claire told me when I met her that she always came into my store and knew when she bought a house here that she was going to want me to do it—and she had never even met me yet. I used to be in and out of New York myself, and she had an apartment in the West Village. I toured that apartment years ago, and together we sort of earmarked things we knew we were going to bring to Charleston when she moved permanently.”
Theobold, who grew up in Darien, was drawn to this house for two reasons: “First, its exterior reminded me of the classic New England Cape homes for which I’ve always had tremendous nostalgia. I love its understated elegance and the way it appears so modest from the street. Visitors are often surprised to discover there’s even a second floor,” she notes. “Second, I fell in love with the marsh views and the neighborhood itself. It’s a peaceful pocket of Charleston that many visitors never even realize exists, yet I can be in the heart of King Street in just a few minutes.”
The home has wonderful bones, but it lacked a primary suite, and the layout wasn’t taking full advantage of the views or natural light. “There was also a deteriorating deck at the rear of the house that I immediately envisioned as a sunroom,” says Theobold, who turned to Baran for architectural expertise. “Victoria is immensely talented, and I always knew that if I built or renovated a home here, I would want her involved. While my own architectural background gave me a strong vision for the house, her thoughtful planning, exquisite detailing, and ability to translate ideas into beautiful spaces gave the home its sophistication and elegance. We spent countless hours refining layouts, architectural details, materials, colors and lighting together.”
A 1950s Murano-glass chandelier illuminates the dining room, where chairs and windows are dressed in Schumacher fabrics. The carpet is from Stark.
In the living room, Hickory Chair swivel chairs flank a Susan Hable–designed coffee table. The painting over the sofa is a commissioned piece by Ricardo Mulero called Low Country.
Kitchen cabinets are finished in Farrow & Ball’s Chine Green, and the pendants are from Visual Comfort.
The chaise in the sunroom is where the homeowner does much of her knitting and knitwear pattern design work.
Green Phillip Jeffries wallcovering lines the walls and ceiling of a guest room, while a deer head from Antieau Gallery adds flair, and the sconces are through Urban Electric.
Orange trim adds a bright note to the son’s room.
The primary bathroom is lined in a Farrow & Ball wallpaper, while the window is dressed in a Schumacher fabric.
Farrow & Ball’s Imperial Purple was used on the custom dressing-room millwork.
This 1940s Cape-style home was originally built for J.Oscar Hughes, a collector and dealer for Haverty Furniture Company, which had a store on King Steet. The recent renovation of the home was executed by Unique Constructors, and the landscape design was by Lush Scapes.
Theobold’s main ask was for a gracious primary suite and reorientation of the home toward the water to maximize the views and the light. “Claire wanted a plunge pool, garden and dining area. I presented three options for the site and program,” says Baran, whose eponymous firm is based out of New York City and Charleston. “She selected a combination of two, which included a primary suite that spanned much of the existing second floor and over a lanai, and the guest wing on the first floor. The addition achieved this exceptionally special view, from both her bedroom upstairs and the best guest bedroom in Charleston, in all four seasons! The renovation included a new kitchen and dining area that connected to the lanai. Lastly, she wanted low maintenance of design, construction and materials.”
Artwork and furnishings were added from her previous home, and Mitchell layered in the decorative elements that brought everything to life. “This is a classic little cottage. It is quirky and well collected, it is pattern heavy. Everything is special in its own right,” Mitchell says. “I think I gave her back something that reflects her style and her lifestyle. She didn’t give me a lot of direction other than just do your thing. I just went wild and had fun doing everything!”
“Michael has a remarkable ability to make a home feel authentic to its owner rather than decorated for decoration’s sake,” says the homeowner. “His talent for upholstery, window treatments, furniture placement, and unexpected touches—such as extending wallpaper onto ceilings—added warmth, personality and cohesion throughout the house.”
Personality abounds from the living room—where a painting by another friend, Ricardo Mulero, hangs over the sofa—to the kitchen with rich green cabinetry and an eye-catching large-scale ceramic tile floor. “Victoria and I discovered it at Garden State Tile,” says Theobold. “The product is aptly named ‘Parquet,’ and we were immediately drawn to its graphic pattern and timeless character. It gives the kitchen tremendous visual interest while still feeling appropriate to the architecture of the house. Since welcoming a new puppy a few months ago, it has proven to be as practical as it is beautiful.”
The chaise in the sunroom overlooking the pool and marsh is where Theobold, a master hand knitter and knitwear pattern designer, does much of her knitting and design work. “The light changes throughout the day, the marsh is constantly alive with birds and wildlife, and there’s something incredibly peaceful about sitting there with yarn and needles in hand while watching the tides come and go,” she explains.
A guest room lined with green Phillip Jeffries wallcovering is filled with original art and unique pieces. “I was in Santa Fe, New Mexico, when I walked into a gallery and saw this deer. I started talking to the gallerist about how I absolutely needed it for a client,” notes Mitchell. “I texted Claire a picture of it, and she had been negotiating the price on the exact same piece! She bought it the next day because we were both laughing at how we had both been fighting for this thing without even realizing it was for the same house!”
The homeowner notes that working with Baran and Mitchell was truly a dream collaboration: “What made the project especially successful was that each of us brought different strengths to the table, creating a home that feels both highly personal and beautifully cohesive.”
“You’ll see some of her Connecticut roots in the design,” says Mitchell. “She is the definition of understated yet sophisticated, and that’s what I find this house to be—with a touch of quirkiness. From the very moment I walked in, I thought it just had the most incredible energy, it felt happy and at peace. The rooms were drenched with light; the house feels like joy.”
“This project really captures the best of living in Charleston,” says Baran.
