PHOTO BY OLIVIA RAE JAMES
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TravelToss Out That Guidebook: Follow This Designer’s Itinerary For Must-Visit Charleston Spots
Raised in Darien, Connecticut, Olivia Brock earned a master’s in historic preservation from the University of Pennsylvania before forming her preservation-minded design firm, Torrance Mitchell Designs, upon moving to Charleston in 2012.
Touting projects in the Lowcountry, Long Island, Connecticut and New York, Brock serves as trustee at both the Historic Charleston Foundation and Middleton Place and sits on the Palladian Circle Committee for Drayton Hall.
“I’m such a proponent of history and culture that these house museums are very important to me,” says Brock, who’s been heavily involved with the annual Charleston Antique Show for the past six years. Here, Luxe gets a glimpse of the Holy City through her historically sensitive lens.
STAY
Zero George: “The Zero George is one of few places to have the postcard experience in Charleston. The team at Easton Events, who operate the hotel, have done a beautiful job decorating it. The service is superb—my husband and I stayed there during one of our moves—and the location is especially convenient for seeing performances at the Gaillard or shopping on King Street.”
PLAY
Middleton Place: “Located on Ashley River Road, a winding route framed by live oaks and Spanish moss, it’s home to America’s oldest landscaped gardens. There’s a camellia walk, an azalea walk, a rose garden and a stunning landscape that terraces down to the Ashley River. Around this time of year, the greensward, which is the big lawn out front, is filled with spring lambs. There’s a stable yard with blacksmith demonstrations and horses, with pigs and peacocks never far. The restaurant serves organic produce grown on site, and the inn is perfect for staycations.”
EAT
The Living Room at the Dewberry: “I love the lobby bar because it isn’t necessarily what people expect of Charleston. It’s fun to post up for a few hours in the afternoon or meet people for drinks after work. You can get dressed up and not feel silly about it; at any moment it feels like a character from Mad Men could waltz in. They serve a cocktail called the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. It’s a rum drink, and it’s delicious.”
SHOP
Amanda Lindroth: “New to Charleston as of last spring, it’s a great pop of color on Upper King Street. If you’re throwing a dinner party and bored with all your napkins or need some new glassware, you can find them here last minute, along with fantastic rattan-wrapped hurricanes to toss palm leaves into. My friend Blake Sams, an insanely talented event designer, draped the fabric for the tented ceiling, which is phenomenal.”
Vieuxtemps: “This is my hostess gift go-to for Sferra cocktail napkins, coffee table books, beautiful objects and sometimes Christmas ornaments. The location on Lower King is quite convenient to my home on Water Street. I’m obsessed with china—I think it’s in the water here, something my Northeastern mom doesn’t always get.”
PHOTO BY THOMAS BEROLZHEIMER
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