A Columbia, South Carolina, Home Blends Classic Architecture with Warm, Inviting Southern Style

When it came to the style of the home, Knight was drawn to classical architectural principles, a touchstone of her practice. “My initial inspiration was Tudor in terms of massing, but I wanted it to have an eclectic and Southern accent,” says Knight. Her atypical Tudor includes a front porch, Doric columns, and arched details. (Knight also has a great appreciation for Mediterranean architecture from her time at the University of Miami). “I knew I wanted a brick house and was inspired by the historic warehouse buildings in downtown Columbia, where I spent a lot of time before I started the plans. I appreciated the expression of detail through the manipulation of brick, which I expressed with our home,” says Knight.

When it came to the interiors, Knight aspired for her home to exude warmth and friendliness, but she was also interested in a balance of formal and informal elements. “I wanted the design to work day in and day out but to feel dressed up depending on the entertaining occasion, whether it’s a formal dinner party or holiday gathering,” explains Knight. The dining room shows off this approach with artful aplomb. Pickering added a classic crystal-laden chandelier but tempered it with a more contemporary cream-colored rug and dining table. The sophisticated deep-hued wall color pairs with a more lighthearted feathery Lee Jofa fabric to dress the windows. Pickering also used his passion for contrast in other rooms. “When the ceiling is a neutral color, I like to use an overhead light in a dark finish as seen in the library,” he says. And leather sofas in the living room were joined with curvaceous armchairs in a dressier Colefax & Fowler stylized acanthus pattern in silver.

“When it came to the palette, we started from the outside in. Once a steely blue was chosen for the exterior windows, it made sense to bring that color into the décor, so variations show up in the dining room walls and as trim in the breakfast room and library,” says Pickering. While the pair agreed on some moodier colors, the palette shows off lighter shades when they made sense within the whole. “The neutral living room is in the center of the house, so it provides a serene pause to appreciate it before entering the more saturated tones in adjoining rooms,” says Josh. “The spaces would not be as meaningful if it was color upon color upon color.”

In addition to the thread of steely blue, warm wood treatments also link the downstairs living spaces beginning in the generous entry. “Early on in the process, I decided I wanted to follow the architecture on the outside of the house inside, so the vaulted ceiling in the entry nods to the front gable,” explains Knight. She also wanted the first impression to be inviting and hint of what’s to come, so a native South Carolina cypress was chosen to wrap the walls and ceiling. “I went with a clear cypress instead of a knotty one to keep it from feeling too rustic, as we wanted that whole dress up, dress down attitude,” she notes. Warm wood also appears as beams on the living room ceiling, molding in the kitchen, and the breakfast room ceiling. Knight also included it in the well-appointed outdoor living room.

While the rooms are not overdesigned or too precious—they certainly show off individual flair with finishing appointments such as the painted leather deer paneled screen in the dining room or the bold camellia painting by local artist Angela Hughes Zokan over the fireplace mantel. The entire presentation engenders a warm caressing embrace and speaks to the location and a love of Southern hospitality.