Text: Margaret Zainey Roux
Photos: Julia Lynn
Interior designers find inspiration in many different forms. Some derive it from a piece of art or a textile, while others glean it from a color or destination. But according to Margaret Donaldson, it can also come from the intangible.
“My clients’ home is inspired by memories—those they’ve made and those they look forward to making in the years to come,” says the Charleston-based interior designer and founder of MDI Luxury Design. “When their children were young, they frequently vacationed on Johns Island, and it became a very special and sentimental spot. As empty nesters, they couldn’t think of a better place to start their next chapter and to build a new home that feels both familiar and fresh.”
A Johns Island Home Inspired by Memories and Joyful Living
A Johns Island Home Inspired by Memories and Joyful Living
A Johns Island Home Inspired by Memories and Joyful Living
A Johns Island Home Inspired by Memories and Joyful Living
A Johns Island Home Inspired by Memories and Joyful Living
“It’s the perfect statement space,” Donaldson says of the bar painted in Benjamin Moore’s Adriatic Sea. She pulled the hue from an accent fabric in the adjacent great room.
Working with Donaldson, architect Marc Camens and Epic Development Group sited the 5,500-square-foot structure to capitalize on the sweeping Atlantic views. Inside, a wide-paneled entry leads to the great room, dining room, and kitchen bound by floor-to-ceiling curved windows that frame the pool and peaceful ocean waters. The open, sunlit rooms are warm and intimate enough for two but spacious enough for the revolving door of family and friends who frequently visit.
The furnishings throughout the interiors are equally as versatile, thanks to their clean profiles and transitional styling. In the great room, Donaldson sourced a sectional sofa featuring rounded corners that echo the curve of the windows and cradles the body in comfort. The sprawling upholstered piece is serviced by a pair of circular oak coffee tables that nestle together to offer ample surface space for resting tired feet or cold drinks. A custom templated area rug corrals the streamlined and sophisticated arrangement and subtly suggests a boundary between the great room and the adjacent kitchen, which is anchored by a stunning mosaic backsplash that adorns the range wall. Its abstract wave motif fosters a sense of movement amidst the symmetrical cabinetry and nods to the whitecaps that roll along the shoreline.
To forge cohesion among these open living spaces, Donaldson opted for sandy white walls and blonde, white oak flooring. The neutral notes create a calming backdrop for wow-worthy light fixtures made from such unexpected materials as alabaster clusters and florets of saddle oyster shells. They also set off the cool but vibrant hues that Donaldson says her clients are drawn to. Custom case pieces, including the cerulean sideboards that flank the fireplace in the dining room and the royal blue vanity in the powder bath, satisfy their craving for color in tandem with pillows, accessories, window treatments, and wallcoverings in bold shades of blue, green, turquoise, and teal. Playful artwork sourced on and around the island adds another layer of interest and packs even more punch and personality into the interiors.
“It is important to us that every inch of the house expresses our clients’ light-hearted nature and joie de vivre,” says Donaldson. “The cheerful, colorful pieces that we curated embody who they are and what matters to them the most: family, friends, and fun.”
