Home of Sally Thomas

This beach home, built in the 1930s for past family vacations, has quite the history. The original homeowner was Julian Price, president of one of the nation’s largest insurance companies, Jefferson Standard Life Insurance Company (later Jefferson-Pilot). 

And now, the oceanfront beach home in Myrtle Beach, purchased by Sally Thomas and her brother, Bryan, will serve as the vacation destination for a new era of family.

“It was very important to us to preserve the home’s original character and charm, while updating it for safety and functionality for our family,” says Thomas. “For example, it still had knob-and-tube wiring, original plumbing, and had gone through several additions over the years that left it feeling a bit disjointed. … We wanted to maintain the home’s warmth, coziness, and classic feel, rather than rebuild or raise it on stilts. That was key for us: we didn’t want to go up.”

The siblings worked with the team at Vivid Interiors, alongside the Nations Homes construction crew to make sure every detail was perfect.

“They truly grasped our vision,” says Thomas. “We couldn’t have achieved this without them. From start to finish, they were by our side for nearly three years.”

The clean, classy coastal design balances beautifully with the preservation of the home’s most iconic features, such as the original stone fireplace and the stone wall that separates the home from the neighbor to the north. Stonehaven was the home’s original name, and they proudly chose to keep that as part of its longtime legacy. The family looks forward to creating more memories here in the future.

“We also run a family business that employs five of our six children and both of our spouses,” says Thomas. “Most people are surprised to learn that we actually enjoy spending time together outside of work—but we truly do!”

Home of Dr. Gene & Beth Massey

Art collector Beth Massey worked with the design team at CHD Interiors over the span of several years, room by room, to painstakingly create masterpiece moments every step of the way.

“Every piece of art is hand-selected by my client. Art is very special to her and must evoke a certain feeling for her to purchase,” says Julie Schettig. “So I have used some of these special art pieces, such as her The Conference of the Birds, in her breakfast nook, as the room’s starting point of inspiration. The breakfast room chandelier, fabrics, and wallpaper were all selected to showcase her piece of artwork.” 

Another work of art is in Beth’s office, where the designer had their faux painter create a swanky, custom black-and-white geometric pattern on the existing dark cherry floor. A special added surprise? The custom pattern actually spells the client’s last name.

“At that time, she was not interested in changing all the floors of the entire house, but did not like the reddish tone of the existing floor, so I had my painter paint a geometric black and white pattern to disguise the undesirable floor,” says Schettig.

Just like every other room of the Massey home, Beth wanted her kitchen to make a statement, too – not cookie cutter – and it certainly does, with its showpiece, zebra-style counter tops and backslpash.

“In every room of her house, she wanted the space to be unique and different and not like everyone else,” says Schettig. “Her kitchen is a unique blend of dramatic black and white quartz with a gray-blue cabinetry color.”

Home of Kent & Mary Britt Abrahamson

The lowdown on this lovely Lowcountry home is that it’s a thoughtful blend of Southern comfort and charm settled on a large, wooded lot in the exclusive Prince George community with water views.

“We were looking to build an elegant, yet comfortable Southern Lowcountry classic home,” says homeowner Kent Abrahamson. “The home style was based on the [historic] Mansfield Plantation [in Georgetown, South Carolina], with the portico entrance, large porch, and supporting columns. The home also includes working shutters for historic reference.”

This custom-built home by Classic Homes truly captures the essence of gracious living, with no detail overlooked inside and out, from the long, flowing drive to the stately brick step entrance. Inside, more details continue throughout, including luxe molding and trim, coffered ceilings, pops of blue on the kitchen island, ceramicware and other cabinetry, and hardwood floors grounded with pretty, Oriental rugs.

“Our home features spectacular views of the lake, and each room is unique, offering a comfortable area to cook, eat, or relax,” says Abrahamson. “The main bedroom and bath really turned out wonderfully, with large windows facing the lake that, on lucky mornings, allows us to see great egrets through the morning mist. The main bedroom porch also allows easy access to the pool and hot tub. We added extra room to the bath, which is a big plus, and we added quartz accent walls that glisten in the morning sun.

“Working with Susan and Berkley White [at Classic Homes] made all the difference,” he continues. “They were exceptional. The process to build a new home within an exclusive area is very complicated, but they make it easy … and the outcome could not have been better.”

Home of Al & Terri Nardslico

The vision for homeowners Al and Terri Nardslico, owners of CRG Homes and several other local businesses, for their home in Myrtle Beach was to create a hyper-functional home without going overboard on size, based on efficient design.

“The plan was to avoid a big, heavy sheetrock structure and instead focus on details that make the house look impressive but balanced,” says Terri. “It also had to fit well with the size of the lot. Right now, my husband has a home office and a writing area, as well as a beautiful guest house for visitors.”

“Terri has a passion for quality materials and home design, which is evident throughout the home,” says Sarah Moniz with CRG Homes. “The architectural style is a contemporary coastal blend with heavy timber accents, vertical Hardi board siding, and modern black-framed casement windows. It also stands out as a showcase home on the inside, featuring cabinet lines by Inspired Finishes, another company owned by Terri, and many upgraded appliances, finishes, and fixtures throughout.”

This CRG Homes custom design/build project was a remodel in 2014, with improvements to the exterior and the addition of a three-car garage (plus laundry, outdoor shower and storage). Ten years later, CRG demoed the original structure and recently completed construction on the new house that serves as a secondary home and writers retreat for War of Fear novelist, Umberto Nardolicci. 

“One of the things I’m most happy with is the cabinetry,” says Terri. “It looks rich with a veneer finish, which is super strong and works well in our coastal area with high humidity. I also like that there’s a bathtub in the master bath shower, which saves space, adds function, and makes cleaning easier. Over the years designing several houses, I’ve learned what works and what doesn’t, but this project nailed it with those two features. … I’m also happy with the two-speed elevator.” 

The Houstons’ beach home on the east end of Ocean Isle Beach boasts unbeatable panoramic views, from the oceanfront marsh to the waterway.

“You have all the views,” says Geralyn Marshburn, interior consultant at J&K Home Furnishings. “That view is absolutely exquisite.”

The massive, six-bedroom, cobalt blue beach home shows off what Marshburn describes as an “elegant beach style,” with color shades mimicking the coast and light, bright, airy spaces.

“They chose mostly Lexington and Bassett furniture, so I would say more of a high-end elegant beach theme with the whites,” says Marshburn. “And then vibrant, bright colors as an accent in the rugs.”

Marshburn says that clients like the Houstons will come to her with their house floor plans, she then enters that floor plan into a software called Floorplanner to make sure what they are envisioning will fit and be aesthetically pleasing and walks them around to show them different furniture pieces, rugs, and more that will work with their vision.

“What was a lot of fun is that the clients have beautiful taste, and then we mimic that room to flow throughout the whole house,” says Marshburn. “They wanted to accent with a pop of color here and there, but their base style is the white backdrop with the furniture. It’s just a beautiful elegance, not beachy-kitschy. It’s very tastefully done – soft and beautiful.”