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Cottage Classic

Photography Julia LynnPhotos 21Issue April 2025
Restoring a century-old beach cottage is no small feat, but for Melissa and Jay Healy, it was a dream come true. Blending historic charm with modern comforts, their Sullivan’s Island home now tells a story of careful craftsmanship, timeless design, and family life in a beloved coastal community.Situated in Sullivan’s Atlanticville Historic District, this Middle Street cottage boasts several classic examples of the island’s architectural vernacular, including a wide center hall.Owners Melissa and Jay Healy were determined to restore as much of its original aesthetic as possible, including the wide front porch with original wooden columns. Prior to the restoration, the columns sat on contemporary slab and modern brick. Beau Clowney Architects and builder Greg St. Pierre were able to incorporate the original columns with a new front porch that looks as if it has been there for generations.An antique lantern over a vintage Crespi-style rattan table creates a focal point in the wide entry hall.At the other end, a club chair wrapped in Susan Deliss fabric sits in the nook created by the staircase. Here, Sarah-Hamlin Hastings designed built-in shelving to showcase art and decorative items.In the library, soft green walls (in Farrow & Ball “Treron”) provide a cozy backdrop for four Highland House chairs covered in a buffalo check fabric from Fabricut.A contemporary “Mantis” chandelier from Anthropologie and a French provincial antique chest pair with a charcoal study by Jill Hooper over the original fireplace to merge modern and traditionalThe fireplace backs into the kitchen, where the exposed brick chimney provides warmth and a unique architectural element. Cabinets painted in Farrow & Ball “French Gray” complement the “Wimborne White“ walls.The adjoining breakfast room features a custom banquette covered in fabric from Brook Perdigon Textiles and a Benjamin Paul Studio walnut table, topped by a “Lora” pendant from Lumens.On the opposite side of the central hall, the girls’ playroom features the home’s other original fireplace, highlighted with a white mantel. The room, with its en-suite bath’s beadboard painted in Farrow & Ball “Light Blue,” can double as a guest room.The expansive family room occupies the addition, where floor-to-ceiling windows and a vaulted ceiling create a light, bright space.Vintage pieces—such as a rattan game table, a 19th-century English pine mantel, and a long draper’s table—mesh with contemporary, family-friendly sofas from Verellen, a custom coffee table by Benjamin Paul Studio, and a whimsical abstract painting by Charlotte, North Carolina-based artist Ted Lee.Vaulted ceilings are repeated in the primary bedroom suite, where white pine paneling and a four poster bed from Crate & Barrel complete a simple but sophisticated space.The adjoining bathroom is part of an earlier incarnation of the home. Custom mirrors hang in front of the windows, and a soaking tub sits opposite a walk-in shower.The second floor, formerly a full apartment, has been reworked to accommodate two spacious bedrooms, one for the couple’s eldest daughter and the second as a nursery for their youngest. A playful Helen Prior wallpaper from Fritz Porter rises above restored beadboard in the first room, where a vintage wooden chest pairs with a Jenny Lind bed from Crate & Barrel.The nursery features a Jenny Lind crib and a daybed.A vintage bamboo desk and a bright yellow Ceraudo chair sit in the hallway near the entrance to a full bath.A new screened-in porch and patio in the backyard adds outdoor seating and dining spaces. Aged teak furniture is highlighted by green fabric from Serena Dugan, and a copper lantern sheds a cozy glow on evening gatherings.The deck leads to the dogtrot where the converted cobbler’s cottage now serves as a guest room/home office.A mudroom leads from the detached garage to a large laundry room/butler’s pantryAdjoining the kitchen and part of the addition, these spaces feature expansive custom cabinetry, providing ample storage for the family.

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Cottage Classic: A century-plus-old beach house on Sullivan’s Island received a thoughtful update for modern living
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