Houzz Tours
My Houzz: Family-Friendly Style in a 1930 South Carolina Home
A warm wood-and-white palette turns this Colonial-style house in North Charleston into a cozy retreat
Kevin and Melanie, pictured with older daughter Penelope, lived in an apartment in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, for two years before moving into this North Charleston house with their two daughters. “I didn’t want to be in the middle of nowhere and secluded, but things were getting difficult with the kids and having to worry about noise because we shared walls and floors with our neighbors,” says Melanie, who has a blog called The Penny and the Pearl.
Moving 15 minutes away to North Charleston gave them the perfect blend of family and urban living. They love that shops and restaurants are within walking distance. After dinner, they like to take walks around their friendly neighborhood.
Moving 15 minutes away to North Charleston gave them the perfect blend of family and urban living. They love that shops and restaurants are within walking distance. After dinner, they like to take walks around their friendly neighborhood.
Before living in their 1,000-square-foot apartment, the couple lived in a 2,400-square-foot house. When they moved downtown, saying goodbye to more than half of their square footage meant taking a hard look at their belongings and doing a serious purge. “Marie Kondo says everything in your house should either be beautiful or functional, and bonus if it’s both,” Melanie says. Since going through that exercise as a couple, she approaches decorating as being guided by truly loving every item in their home.
Melanie, who attributes a lot of her minimalist habits to Kondo, says the experience changed their buying habits forever. “That first purge was such a shock!” she says. “Now we’re very particular and try to take something away whenever we add something new to our home.”
Melanie loves bargain hunting and found the orange upholstered chair at a thrift store for only $10. The living room opens to the laundry room, which doubles as a play area for the girls.
Console table: Celadon; side table: West Elm
Can’t Figure Out What ‘Sparks Joy’? Try This Question Instead
Melanie, who attributes a lot of her minimalist habits to Kondo, says the experience changed their buying habits forever. “That first purge was such a shock!” she says. “Now we’re very particular and try to take something away whenever we add something new to our home.”
Melanie loves bargain hunting and found the orange upholstered chair at a thrift store for only $10. The living room opens to the laundry room, which doubles as a play area for the girls.
Console table: Celadon; side table: West Elm
Can’t Figure Out What ‘Sparks Joy’? Try This Question Instead
The brown leather sofa is Melanie’s favorite piece of furniture. “It’s minimal, but the color is so warm and natural, and very kid-friendly because it’s super easy to clean,” she says. With two cats and their young daughters, she also loves that the love seat’s velvet upholstery is just as practical, durable and easy to clean. One of the cats, Toby, seems to agree on the quality of comfort.
Velvet sofa (discontinued) and Axel leather sofa in Saddle: West Elm
Velvet sofa (discontinued) and Axel leather sofa in Saddle: West Elm
The vintage light fixture is from the same era as the house but is not original to it. Melanie found it on eBay.
Bench: HomeGoods
Bench: HomeGoods
The Kiernickis eat all their meals at the dining room table and enjoy listening to records before bed. “The girls even have their own Disney records,” Melanie says.
Driftwood: HomeGoods; dining table: Nadeau; Pyramid dining armchairs in black: Modway; Draper media console table: Urban Outfitters
Driftwood: HomeGoods; dining table: Nadeau; Pyramid dining armchairs in black: Modway; Draper media console table: Urban Outfitters
Melanie uses these original built-in shelves to display glasses, liquor decanters and other sculptural objects like an old wood cigar mold and Himalayan salt candleholders. The cupboards below store candles, wine and extra glassware for entertaining.
To their surprise (and delight!), after knocking down their first wall in the kitchen, the owners discovered an original brick chimney, which extends to the upstairs.
“Kevin couldn’t wait; he took a hammer to that wall the day we closed,” Melanie says. Now it’s one of her favorite features in the house.
The couple spent seven weeks completely renovating the kitchen, all while working full time. They installed new cabinets, flooring, countertops and backsplashes. They also opened up the walls, added a cutout bar area between the kitchen and the dining room, and replaced the previous drop-tile ceiling.
The couple chose butcher block countertops, new light fixtures and open shelves for a modern yet rustic feel. The faux potted trailing succulent, while artificial, adds a hint of color to the all-white kitchen.
The macrame piece is by local artist Macramade by Marie.
Kitchen Countertops 101: Choosing a Surface Material
The macrame piece is by local artist Macramade by Marie.
Kitchen Countertops 101: Choosing a Surface Material
When the couple moved in, they removed the existing mirror backsplash in the kitchen for a cleaner look.
“My kitchen is bright, happy and sunny,” Melanie says. “I love the combination of the warm wood with all the white.”
The couple’s two daughters used to share a bedroom before moving into this house, so this was the first time that each girl had a space of her own. In Penelope’s bedroom, Melanie balanced an overall pastel palette with splashes of mustard and warm wood accents. The pink chair was a Craigslist find Melanie bought with her sister. “It was a set of two, and she only needed one, and it ended up working perfectly in Penelope’s room.”
Penelope has her own record player, which she uses to listen to kids’ music and vintage Disney albums.
Penelope has her own record player, which she uses to listen to kids’ music and vintage Disney albums.
Since Penelope was older, the couple decided to let her choose the wall color in her room. “Of course, she picked purple, which terrified me because I like white walls.” Melanie says. Her wrought-iron daybed is a Craigslist find, and the trundle bed below will come in handy for future sleepovers.
Wall paint: Silver Peony, Sherwin-Williams
Dreaming in Color: 8 Enchanting Purple Bedrooms
Wall paint: Silver Peony, Sherwin-Williams
Dreaming in Color: 8 Enchanting Purple Bedrooms
“They went from a tiny shared room with no closet to each having their own rooms and closets — we didn’t even know what to do with the space,” Melanie says. Modular shelves and bins keep toys and books tidy in Penelope’s room.
Branäs rattan baskets, spray-painted pink: Ikea; shelving unit: Nadeau; browse similar cubby bookcases
Branäs rattan baskets, spray-painted pink: Ikea; shelving unit: Nadeau; browse similar cubby bookcases
Low-hanging picture ledges display books while keeping them within Penelope’s reach.
Mosslanda picture ledges: Ikea
Mosslanda picture ledges: Ikea
The family moved into the house the night of Lucy’s second birthday, which was also when they transitioned her from a crib to a twin-size bed. “She loved her big girl bed!” Melanie says.
The room is a blend of vintage-inspired furniture with a subdued mint hue for the walls.
Bed: Celadon; Lily chandelier (discontinued): Pottery Barn Kids
The room is a blend of vintage-inspired furniture with a subdued mint hue for the walls.
Bed: Celadon; Lily chandelier (discontinued): Pottery Barn Kids
Melanie created a cozy corner reading nook in Lucy’s bedroom using a Moroccan-style pouf and a bed canopy.
Dip-dye bed canopy in turquoise: Target; browse turquoise poufs
Dip-dye bed canopy in turquoise: Target; browse turquoise poufs
This vintage armoire stores toys and dress-up clothes. A round jute rug helps soften the floor.
In the upstairs hall, the couple decided to reveal the rest of the rustic brick chimney.
The couple’s bedroom is airy and bright. “It has windows on two sides, and you feel like you’re in a treehouse,” Melanie says. While the headboard has a vintage look, she bought it new at a local design shop.
Bed and side tables: Celadon; suede tassel pillow cover: West Elm; bedside lamps: Target
Bed and side tables: Celadon; suede tassel pillow cover: West Elm; bedside lamps: Target
Melanie found this vintage dresser for their bedroom on Craigslist for $60, and Kevin drove two hours to just outside Savannah, Georgia, to pick it up. She is enamored of its tarnished copper detailing.
See more photos of this home
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
More home tours: Apartments | Small Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | All
See more photos of this home
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
More home tours: Apartments | Small Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | All
Who lives here: Kevin and Melanie Kiernicki; their daughters, Penelope, 4, and Lucy, 2; and their dog, Charlie, and two cats, Toby and Clara
Location: Park Circle neighborhood of North Charleston, South Carolina
Size: 1,450 square feet (135 square meters); three bedrooms, 1½ bathrooms
Melanie and Kevin Kiernicki’s home in North Charleston, South Carolina, came with all the charm of a Colonial built in 1930: gorgeous hardwood floors, arched doorways, crystal doorknobs and brass-plated switches.
The kitchen, however, was closed off, and the couple knew it would be the first big project they took on once they moved in. They added it to their list, along with scraping the popcorn ceilings in each room, including the living room, and giving the house a coat of fresh white paint.
Bookcase and coffee table: Celadon