Friendship and family intermix

at this Kiawah Island, South Carolina home, where two families share the cottage as a second home.

The longtime friends use it year round as a gathering place, but, with the two families’ sizes and styles, they realized the 1970s home needed some updates. They turned to Cameron Schwabenton, designer and chief of Cameron Stewart and The Mommy Pop Shop, to create spaces that were colorful yet also comfortable and adaptable to groups of various sizes and ages.

The families also wanted to maintain the lived-in feel of the home that had facilitated so many of their cherished memories. “While the large scale of the renovation essentially created a new home, they wanted to honor the home’s past three decades and the times they had spent there,” Cameron says.

With her expertise in historical architecture, Cameron was perfectly equipped for the project. “The sense of place and respect for a structure’s architecture heavily influences my interpretation of a space’s interior design,” she says. She used a full arsenal of design elements—fresh coats of paint; new and antique furnishings; a variety of textiles, window and floor coverings and art—to breathe new life into the residence, while keeping its familiarity and homeyness. “The design was more understated in feel,” Cameron says, “almost like I hadn’t been there at all.”

FOR THE LOVE OF NATURE

With the island’s mild climate and the families’ joint love of nature, the screened porch was a very important spot. Cameron treated it as an “outdoor living room” and filled it with natural wood elements and plants. These accents artfully blur the line between inside and out, while a color scheme of cobalt blue and mustard yellow energizes the room and inspires inhabitants to bask in the sunlight that comes streaming in through the windows.

The redone ceiling, which features a mix of wood finishes and painted surfaces, lends interest to the space, while drawing the eye upwards. For both families, seating was a huge priority for the porch. “We wanted as much seating as possible for a full house,” Cameron says. She designed an inviting layout of comfy chairs and a sizable sofa, all placed to encourage the families to read, play games and do art projects on the large coffee table. To accommodate any weather fluctuations and up the porch’s comfort factor, Cameron also added a ceiling fan for warmer days, to replicate off-the-water breezes. “This porch can be used year round,” she says. Sitting in the room, people can watch the palm fronds dip and nod with the breezes and get the full feel of island life—all while protected by the screens.

FOR THE LOVE OF LOCATION

The main living room, with its beam work and high ceilings, exudes a coastal vibe. “The beams give a cool, ship-like feel,” Cameron says. “We intended to paint them, but after consideration, we decided they should be left natural so we could fully enjoy their beauty and craftsmanship.”

With her appreciation for the ways architecture ties into localities, Cameron notes that the beams, which connect with the natural cypress finish also found on the kitchen island, add a regional touch to the room. “Cypress is indigenous to the South Carolina low country,” she explains.

She wove this geographical story throughout the living room: She found an antique fish trap from a Toogoodoo River plantation a happy home over the front door and left the existing fireplace, which is made from historic Charleston bricks, as the focal point of the room. Lots of bookshelves and plentiful seating give the space the dual purposes of quiet time or conversation, while tying into the room’s sense of local history.

FOR THE LOVE OF DINING

Since family and friends frequently gather in the dining room for good meals and conversations, its details were especially important. A custom walnut dining table was designed with both width and height considerations. “It was specially created with a recessed apron to accommodate the many tall family members,” Cameron says. “And it also has the flexibility to add three leaves for large gatherings.” Antique Windsor chairs encircle the table and a copper-finished chandelier is suspended over it, highlighting the table as the central emphasis of the room and the place where family and friends linger long after the last dish is cleared away.

Adornments add visual interest to the rest of the dining room, including a collection of antique baskets originally used for herb harvesting. Drawn to their texture and warmth, Cameron hung them on the wall. She also oversaw the restoration of a Jenny Lind bed, which she placed near the stairs to function as a bench. The reupholstered bed is festooned with pillows featuring Schumacher and Sister Parish fabrics and a handprinted Indian textile, which was inspired by the families’ trips to India.

With these structural and design changes that highlight the history of South Carolina and the memories already shared for the past three decades in this residence, the heartbeat of the home has grown even stronger.

CLASSIC APPROACH. The dining room is the ideal blend of coastal and classic details, while personal touches give it a sense of connection. For example, the Windsor chairs, which bring the families around the table, were from a friend’s antique shop in...

|ABOVE| EATING LOCAL. To give the kitchen a fresh look, Cameron assisted the homeowners in selecting new stone, tile and paint options that paired with the woven rattan stools and the custom island. The island is made from local cypress wood with a...

|TOP| KIAWAH LIVING. The mild island setting is perfect for a screened porch and dictates an upbeat color scheme that’s as invigorating as the outdoors itself. Cameron turned to a mustard-yellow and cobalt-blue color combination, saying, “Blue is a...

YOUNG AND CHIC. This bedroom, used primarily by the grandchildren, is one of Cameron’s favorite spots. “In lieu of bunk beds, we made custom twin beds with a trundle bed. The window seat is even large enough for sleeping!” Cameron says.

MODERN MIX. A combination of factors makes this upstairs bedroom a serene retreat for one of the homeowners’ daughter, who likes it in part because it’s next to the rooms often used by her children. The Indian-inspired headboard is by John Robshaw,...