Charleston Style Homes Exude Southern Luxury

Stalking, specifically house stalking, is an ugly and unseemly term. But, that’s how this blog of mine started back in 2006 and I’d like to get back to what I am passionate about, unashamedly stalking houses.

Basically, I enjoy house stalking:

• new houses that are under construction from groundbreaking up to completion in order to view where and how all of the pieces come together to make everything work.
• move-in ready homes. They almost always have the fixtures and appliances installed and I also get to see different styles of flooring at this stage.
• designer-decorated (or model) homes, including landscaping and hardscaping ideas.

It’s all very, very cool and interesting to me and I have learned an awful lot over the years.

My house stalking recently brought me to The Grove at Cooper’s Point in the Smyrna Vinings area of Atlanta. New meshes with old in this eclectic part of town. The Grove is a small collection of large homes that sits atop a hill with views of the Atlanta skyline. These are Charleston-style homes with loads of square footage (5,000+), top notch craftsmanship and high quality materials.

If you’ve ever walked along the Battery in Charleston, South Carolina and then strolled through the nearby neighborhoods, this is kind of what you would see…sans Spanish moss and ocean spray.

The collection of 8 homes were constructed by The DuBose Companies and they start at around $1.5M. I can’t seem to hunt down a web presence for them, or this neighborhood, oddly enough. Probably because the neighborhood was constructed in 2007 -2008 but there were still two houses available at time of publishing.

Luxurious Features Abound

• Detached three-car garages
• Custom-designed kitchens with Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances
• Extensive molding throughout, floor-to-ceiling
• Elevator service to all finished floors
• Gated community with separate owner and guest entrances
• Premium wood flooring and natural stone materials used on all counters and floors
• Fully equipped media rooms
• Master suites…well..stay tuned. I’ll be putting another post out on the master suite and bathroom in the very near future.

The one home that I stalked was nothing fancy on the outside, although you could tell that something special was on the inside because of the quality of the materials being used on the outside, as well as the attention to detail.

The thing about house stalking is that there isn’t any ‘breaking and entering’ involved. It’s a simple matter of walking up to the front door, turning the handle and hoping for the best (an unlocked door). Thankfully, that’s what happened this time.

Once inside, the very first thing that blew me away was the extensive molding in the foyer (another post forthcoming). It wasn’t overblown, mind you, it matched the interior and the size of the adjoining rooms. There are 12-ft ceilings throughout, except for the garden level.

I did a small molding project in my own home (crown/chair rail/picture frame) and now I understand the complexity and precision necessary for a nice, tight fit throughout. Molding is probably the first thing that I notice when I go house stalking now.

The second thing I tend to notice is the kitchen. Two words…marble countertops. I don’t think I’ve seen so much marble since my feature articles on the English cottage.

I invite you to read my upcoming posts featuring some of the outstanding qualities and features of this fine home. Here is a sneak peek at the topics to look forward to:

• Master suite and bathroom featuring marble everywhere and huge dressing room/closet
• Outdoor fireplace and adjoining living areas
• Detached three-car garage
• Media room
• Natural stone materials
• Craft room and laundry room
• Custom kitchen /Butler’s pantry/ Catering stations