publisher's letter
Keeping It Local
T
hank you for picking up our latest issue of Charleston Home + Design magazine. If you are a property owner here in Charleston who has a passion for all things related to your home and you seek inspiration to make it the best it can be, then you're definitely reading the right publication! Everyone here at Charleston Home + Design considers it our job—our mission—to showcase the work of hundreds of local companies so you know just who to call when you're ready to tackle a project. That's our job, and our small staff works very hard to present a magazine every three months that's packed with quality content. You may have noticed NASCAR legend Ernie Irvan with his wife Kim on our front cover. After an illustrious career and two near-death accidents on the track, the Irvans have retired to Wadmalaw Island and built a gorgeous custom home. We take you inside so you can see how they live and how they play. After reading Editor-in-Chief Julie Sprankles' interview with them, you definitely get the sense that the Irvans are the type of down-to-earth people you could share a laugh with— whether you're a NASCAR fan or not. Just in time for spring, our annual outdoor living guide is sure to help motivate you to make the most of your outdoor space. And our annual bathroom product guide showcases the hottest selling vanities, countertops, tile, plumbing fixtures, and more (p. 81). We also talked to some of the most talented custom builders in town and asked them to show off the bathrooms they've created either from the ground up or through a remodel. As if that isn't enough, more inspiration is just a few page turns away in a story we call "Cultivated Cottage," in which Interior Designer Rebekah Carter of Red Element Design Studio stages a charming Cassique cottage
20 • Charleston Home + Design • Spring 2010
on Kiawah Island and nurtures the project to full bloom. In some of our other features, we take you inside AGM Imports and enlighten you on how best to choose natural stone from the thousands of slabs on display. We also look back at the highly successful Charleston Home + Design Show, which took place this past January 29-31 at Gaillard Auditorium, and show you the winning Celebrity/Designer Idea Room. Finally, we re-visit the bathrooms and outdoor living spaces of the Charleston Home + Design magazine Idea House. So we've definitely got a lot to offer you this issue and we ask only one thing in return. Our local economy has suffered over the past few years and that has impacted many of the companies you see within our pages. When you're ready to start your own home project, please call on some of these companies to do the work. And when you do, let them know you saw them here (they love feedback). That's all we ask. Enjoy our Spring Issue and we hope to see you at the Family Circle Cup on Daniel Island April 10-18, where we'll be greeting tennis fans and giving out free issues of Charleston Home + Design magazine at our tent.
Tim Barkley, Publisher