Is it possible to live in the past when your future is in contemporary times? Just ask the newly restored ‘Guest Bedroom’ at Hobcaw House. Yes, the reply would be most certainly…yes!
Behind every beautiful interior lies an intriguing story. This one begins in the fall of 1931 amidst a flurry of South Carolina and national publicity. Bernard Baruch, Wall Street financier and advisor to American Presidents, was opening his newly built Colonial Revival mansion - Hobcaw House, which was replacing the Barony’s original plantation home tragically lost to fire before dawn on New Year’s Day, 1930. The Georgetown Times predicted that Baruch’s new thirteen thousand square foot Georgian-style residence would play host to luminaries of world society. Within two months of opening, Winston Churchill would arrive for a visit…launching this amazing story of romantic recovery!
Over the ensuing years other world leaders, Franklin Roosevelt , the Prince of Monaco, Polish premier Paderewski and a host of American senators, congressmen, cabinet members and generals like Pershing, Bradley, Clark and Marshall would come to enjoy the Baruchs famous hospitality, the Barony’s world-class sporting or just time away from the glare of public life. Visitors from the arts, entertainment and literary worlds were overnight guests as well and included author Jack London, LIFE magazine publishers Henry and Clare Booth Luce, composer Irving Berlin and many prominent women of history such as Mrs. Woodrow Wilson, Eleanor Roosevelt and Diana Churchill.
Fast forward through years of somber existence, repairs that were mounting and no illustrious quests but a staff that believed in miracles, to June 2009, when publicity again brought guests to Hobcaw House for a redemptive “debut.” This time, it was for the unveiling of the downstairs ‘Guest Bedroom,’ a first step in the long-awaited effort to restore Hobcaw House to its former glory. As in a fairy-tale, the decades of patient waiting and years of enduring faded fabrics, tattered upholstery and sagging wallpaper had vanished…the guest bedroom was a faded beauty no more! Fourteen months of planning, fundraising, research, budget restraints and a lasting labor of love could fill volumes in the story of Hobcaw House guest bedroom restoration but my account is, suffice it to say, is the short-story version.
Breathing life back into this beloved room required patience, a long hard look at original “Hobcaw Style,” marriage of available modern resources and a story-like approach in order to reveal the legendary people who had lived here. I focused on the Baruch’s sophisticated “lowcountry-sportsman” style of elegance and gave the room a refined feminine perspective to contrast nicely with the adjacent guest bedroom, FDR‘s favorite, which exhibited a masculine interpretation.
Valuable original furnishings, lamps, art and accessories definitely set the stage, but period-accurate reproduction textiles of the finest quality and design standards as originally selected by the Baruchs were its backdrop. Primary and companion fabrics were “aged” to avoid a newly-done look; wall and trim paint duplicated the exact style of the room in the thirties. A collection of delicate song-bird taxidermy ‘sculptures’ discovered upstairs provided the design inspiration. Keeping with the song-bird theme, custom pillows were created from a lucky-find, a Smithsonian Schumacher archival fabric “Volier” (no longer in production) that featured song-birds of the Carolinas. Schumacher has produced textiles since 1889 that have graced the White House, United States Supreme Court Chambers and countless distinguished homes throughout America. The bathroom shower curtain and window treatment were fashioned from song-bird fabric reminiscent of the period from Tibault, the nation’s oldest continuously operating wallpaper firm since 1886.
Learning that the Baruchs also favored the English Country look popular with affluent society of the thirties, drapery and coverlet fabric selected was a floral chintz pattern by the exclusive English fabric house, Beacon Hill. Its pattern, Ardwell Gardens acquaints visitors with the Baruchs Scottish heritage and the nearby beloved Fetteresso castle, where they summered. Other touches developed to give the room “past” while using modern materials included purposely under stuffing upholstered pieces so they wouldn’t look plump and new, selecting textiles not necessarily matching to suggest an evolved over time look, and using ivory underlay instead of the usual white to contribute to the “aging” of the room. Layers of wallpaper were removed, plaster repaired, rotten window sills refurbished and hardwood floors buffed to a “spit-shine,” to give the room a nostalgic glow, suggesting it had simply been awaiting the Baruch’s return “home!”
I must say, It takes a lot of work for something to look this undecorated and to use new materials to achieve an ‘’acquired age’ look. The project required the talents of many, including Judianne Schmenck, Development Director of Hobcaw, numerous skilled craftsmen especially Gayle Brown for her arduous reconstruction of Hobcaw original draperies and coverlets, and generous financial supporters who made it possible. It was an interesting, challenging and enjoyable experience for me as a designer and worth every hour of time I donated to this project. I sincerely hope you visit the guest bedroom and continue to support the exciting restoration efforts ongoing at Hobcaw House.
For more information on Hobcaw and Tour schedules please go to the Ecotourism and Heritage Site listings featuring Hobcaw Barony in the Lowcountry Companion or call Hobcaw Barony at (843) 546-4623 .
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