HOME & GARDEN
FEBRUARY 2019 / SOUTHERNLIVING.COM
16CALM, COOL, COORDINATED
The home’s open floor plan is the
crux of its appeal. Bartholomew
wanted visual cohesion, but she
was careful to keep the look from
going too one-note. Case in point:
the gathering room, where she
deliberately set off the space with
a nubby grass cloth wallcovering
(Cowtan & Tout’s Mecox in Sand)
that imbues the area with coziness
and highlights the exterior brick
applied around the fireplace as
well. Marble would have looked
too formal, and tile would have
felt too sterile.S
OOTHING: When decorator
Sarah Bartholomew thinks
about Palmetto Bluff, South
Carolina, that’s the word that
comes to mind. And who
could blame her? From
the majestic coastline to the
gas lamp-lined streets, the picturesque
enclave emits gentle relaxation at every
turn. Therefore, when clients asked
her to twirl up their newly constructed
home, that single word—soothing—
became Bartholomew’s design mantra.
“I wanted to replicate the community’s
overall feel throughout the interiors,”
the decorator explains.The bones of the home—the
Southern Living Lowcountry Farm-
house (Plan SL-2000)—gave her a
good start. The 2,754-square-foot
home, designed by the Court Atkins
Group in Bluffton, South Carolina, is
rooted in the Lowcountry vernacular.
“The main goal here was to create a
relatively timeless look, with classic
Southern elements such as a gracious
porch and a wide central passage that
allows for pleasant cross breezes,” says
William Court, lead architect on the
design. While genteel, the home is far
from straitlaced thanks to farmhouse-
inspired finishes such as rough-hewnRelaxation Technique
Mix plush seating with
calm colors and tactile
accents like grass cloth
wallpaper to create a
restful space.