Au Revoir, Summer
Au Revoir, Summer
Late summer has had a bit of French flavor at PWD Studio. Between travels near and far and enjoying the Olympics, we’ve been busy with the flurry of design and install activity that comes with near-end of summer. If you’re short on time, skip to the end for a fascinating, cliff notes-style history of a world-famous vacation spot, my most recent visit there, and what I took home with me.
PWD Updates
Hurricane Debby (or in French, Débora?) didn’t put much of a damper on our day-to-day. We hope the same for you! This month, we wrapped up a historic restoration downtown, started interior design projects in Mount Pleasant and New Jersey, and a renovation downtown. Here’s a preview of our restoration, which is set to premiere on our website this fall.
Plus, we’re making progress on our Design-Build project in Kiawah at 457 Caroline Shores. Watch this space for exciting updates we can’t wait to share!
PWD Watches
The Olympics in Paris, France of course! We did some Olympic-level multitasking in the office as we glanced at the games between meetings, visits, procurement, and proposals. Our favorites were synchronized swimming, tennis, track and field, pole vaulting, and watching Snoop Dogg’s reaction to the dressage competition.
Also, if you haven’t already seen it, we love this interior designer’s viral perspective on the Olympics newsroom set design.
PWD Loves
Newly opened, The Select in downtown Charleston- inspired by the 100-year-old eponymous French brasserie, Le Select, in the 6th arrondissement. The list of things we love starts with wisteria and chainmail-adorned pendants hanging from the ceiling and ends with the lobster wedge salad with bacon jam.
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In design news, I recently dropped my eldest off at college in Texas. While there, I had an extended stay in the Dallas design district, avoiding Debby, and was able to attend its amazing stretch of design showrooms. Here are a few unique design details I can’t wait to incorporate in upcoming projects.
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PWD Travels
Finally, the French trifecta comes full circle. We took our summer vacation to Saint Barth, a collectivity of France (meaning “semi-autonomous French region”) in late July.
On a snorkeling trip in a quiet bay, I noticed a variegated fieldstone manor tucked into a valley. Design is everywhere, even on vacation...as Diana Vreeland once said, “The eye has to travel.”
A celebrity vacation spot, I saw my fair share of extravagant villas, but this was different- secluded, with a storied aura. Later, I opened a local magazine to find a story about the preservation of the Rockefeller Estate, and photos of fieldstone arches under a sun-kissed sea-grape tree looked back at me. The Rockefellers, in Saint Barth, who knew?
But of course, business magnates need R&R, too.
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David and Peggy Rockefeller arrived in 1957 (Why? We’ll return to that). After purchasing 130 acres of land, they built a 10-bedroom home and protected most of the remaining acreage from further development. Damages from hurricanes in 1995 and 2017 left the property in disrepair, worsening since.
Cut to 2023, when the property was purchased for $136 million- the most expensive private residency in the Caribbean. The buyer, Adam Sinn, has made the declaration to “restore it to its former glory” and “bring back a piece of history to the island”.
Taking a chronological step back, the Rockefeller’s arrival was in quick succession of Rémy de Haenen being the first person to land a plane on the island, airport not even included- that came later. Quickly, De Haenen bought a rocky parcel of land (reportedly for $200) with dreams of a hotel. You may know it now as Hotel Eden Rock.
The island’s first hotelier, and later its mayor, attracted international attention for his imaginative hideaway on a mysterious island, encouraging an influx of ritzy and notable figures. Et voilà, the Rockefellers.
We had the pleasure of staying at a villa managed by the Eden Rock property. Cocooned by coconut trees and hugged by a sparkling turquoise coastline, everything was pristinely beautiful and the attention to detail was unmatched.
An infusion of island-themed decor, heavy on the creative use of natural materials, re-introduced a feeling of whimsy into my design planning and makes me sad to see summer go.
If you ever find yourself in this serene pocket of the world, which I strongly encourage you to, I think you’d love:
- To day trip around the east side of the island, visiting the beach at Grand Cul-de-Sac and the cliffs of Toiny, via Moke or Mini Cooper
- Snorkeling in the bay of Colombier
- The boutiques & shopping at Gustavia Harbor
- Nikki Beach Saint Barth for lunch or the best party on the island
- Shellona for the best restaurant with a view
- A casual meal and design inspiration at Eden Rock’s Sand Bar
- Dinner at Bonito in Gustavia
Bonne journée,
Patti