From House To Home

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When Norm and Janet Phelps were preparing for retirement, they had two criteria. Their home needed to be inviting to their children and grandchildren. It also had to be someplace they would really enjoy, even if that meant moving from Durham, North Carolina, to a different state.

In October 2003, they achieved both. They built their Lowcountry French home on Dataw Island near Beaufort, South Carolina, on two lots on deep water and a stone’s throw from two golf courses. The wide range of year-round activities is a definite draw.

They also “built the house big enough so when the children come, they take over the upstairs, and we have the main level,” says Janet, who is an interior designer.

Since their house has a pool and is on the Morgan River, she chose durable materials. “The entire main level has unpolished marble floors. There is nothing the grandkids can spill or track through that would ruin the floors,” she explains. “It’s very relaxed living.”

She also wove comfortable charm and sophistication into every room. While this was the seventh house the Phelpses have built, it was the first French design. For five years, Janet collected notes, magazine clips, and photos of things to include. Hutch Johnson, an architect from Durham, and Steve Walker, owner of Island Residential Construction, turned them into reality.

Timeless beauty is evident upon entering the home. Antiques happily coexist with a leopard-print stair runner. Bright white trim and wainscoting frame either creamy, pale yellow or rich, bold red walls. The study and the family room both utilize unstained Brazilian cherry wood on the floors and stained American cherry for the walls. Area rugs soften the spaces.

Special details, such as Janet’s signature fabric piping tucked between the dining room’s trim and walls, add another dimension.

Janet’s faux and mural paintings are also noteworthy. Examples include the walls in the kitchen and planting room, the ceiling in the family room, and the walls in the pirates’ paradise bedroom.

“We tell folks around here, you don’t want to sit too long in this house because you might get painted,” says Janet. “I really do love it. My husband is wonderful because he seems to like the same things I do.”

Personalizing the spaces with details offers points of connection. An example is the whimsical placement of one or more chickens in every room. This family mascot evolved from the chickens Janet’s mom kept after moving from the farm to the city. “Their eggs paid for her dining-room table,” says Janet. Personal stories such as this offer people a closer connection and make friends feel like family.

Making friends feel special is an extension of the Phelpses’ strong Southern hospitality, even though they are transplants.

“I love to entertain. I love big parties because I like to hire a caterer,” says Janet.

The big, bright kitchen supports large gatherings and intimate meals. Oversized chalkboards on the refrigerator and freezer doors hold lists, messages, or menus. When their grandchildren visit, the doors become large-print recipe cards or frames for original art.

The big, bright kitchen supports large gatherings and intimate meals.

The outdoor kitchen makes poolside entertaining a breeze. And the landscaping, by Nancy Smith of Beaufort Landscaping, does for the exterior what Janet’s design does for the interior.

“Every time you move you have to learn all new plants, trees, and flowers,” says Janet. “She made our house look fabulous.”

Whether dropping by for coffee or for an extended stay, Janet says people feel like they are getting away to another world. While it’s one they continue to share with family and old friends, the Phelpses are busy making new friends, too. They couldn’t be happier with their new home, due largely to the community.

“If you want a friendly place to live, it’s in Beaufort,” says Janet. “People are just so friendly here.”