From House To Home

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In a hundred years, this Newpoint homestead will take rightful ownership of its original voice. Owner Patty Ray started with the vision of an old restored ruin and built this new home with the idea that architecture, like fine wine, is much better with age.

The textured patina is enlivened by scattered palm trees, rambling wisteria, cobblestone pathways, and dappled sunlight that finds its way through the covered verandas. Natural elements are very much a part of the overall design.

Originally, Ray and her husband built an "old" carriage house on the lot, which occupies a narrow footprint on a bluff above the Intracoastal Waterway and offers beautiful views of the Beaufort River. And despite its cloistered ambiance, setbacks, zoning, and privacy from the neighboring homes were critical to the design.

The carriage house with its authentic tabby façade and 1,700 square feet of space was cozy and comfortable, but its location did not maximize the potential of the lot because it didn’t entirely capture the views. Eventually Ray, whose background is in interior design, formulated the idea of connecting the existing cottage to a new, larger home she wanted to build closer to the bluff.

Today, the "French farmhouse" that she christened Chez Ray sits in front of the carriage house and is joined to it by a loggia pathway that makes the entire space a refined compound of graceful proportions. The fluid spaces of the interiors are further enhanced by the mutable surroundings of wind, water, and passing clouds. In the distance, the old Beaufort swing bridge captures the spirit of an earlier time.

The new home is built on a narrow footprint, and there is only one area that is more than a single room deep. To enhance the scale, Ray arranged the rooms with an eye toward flexibility. The dining room could become a sitting area instead. The sun porch could be re-created as a home office. And framing the entire blueprint are French doors to provide an intimate accessibility to the exterior gardens. When the doors are open, the candles are lit, and the music is playing softly in the breeze, inside and outside become one in the same.

Even in the kitchen, there is a certain element of flexibility. Freestanding pieces replace custom cabinetry that many other homeowners insist on. Instead, Ray chose old furnishings, antiqued them, and arranged them so that the spaces are suitable for large gatherings or small. In this lovely "historic" homestead, nothing is static. Ray explains, "You can reinvent your house by rethinking your spaces. Space is just space, and you just rethink what you need in your life at any given time."

It’s as if they let the home come to life rather than imposing a life upon it…

Ray worked with an architect who is also a friend, and she feels fortunate to have been able to design as the project progressed. Her builder took the same approach, working out certain architectural details on the spot. It’s as if they let the home come to life rather than imposing a life upon it. As a basic framework, their idea was to create a home that would be equally suited for the French Quarter or the French countryside.

Antique timbers and old Savannah brick establish the worn, rustic ambiance, and such intimate details as copper flashing on the upstairs balcony create a tactile experience when the rain hits the roof, which is just outside the master suite. "This house is all about texture," explains Ray.

Lighting is another critical component, and Ray is a firm believer in lamplight as opposed to overhead fixtures. From the kitchen to the master bath, lamps provide a more gentle illumination that suits the sensuality of the home.

Ray would be hard-pressed to choose a single word to describe her home. "Welcoming" might work, except she is equally comfortable alone in the home. "Balanced" would do, but she likes to incorporate incongruent, unexpected elements. "Rich" is a nice idea, but the truth is the finishes have a certain whimsy that transcends luxury. So she has settled on "sensual" because the serenity of the spaces both inside and out makes this antique farmhouse on the bluffs of Beaufort "the sexiest place" Ray has ever been.