by Joanne O’Sullivan . photos by Rimas Zailskas
A French count, buried Confederate gold and a trio of ghosts — the story behind Saluda Cottages is just as romantic as the Second French Empire façade of this landmark Flat Rock property. But it’s the home’s towering ceilings, original fixtures and many refined details that have inspired the minds behind the first-ever Flat Rock Designer Showhouse, to be held August 14 through 29.
The event, which includes tours of the property, a program and lunch with renowned garden designer Jon Carloftis, and a café and boutique, gives history buffs and design enthusiasts an unprecedented opportunity to get an inside view of the house that’s been called “the jewel of Flat Rock.” Proceeds from the Showhouse will benefit Historic Flat Rock, Inc., a nonprofit organization that works toward the preservation of historic homes, views and land in the Village of Flat Rock.
Count Joseph Marie Gabriel St. Xavier de Choiseul was the French Consul to Charleston at a time when the South Carolina city was one of the most important ports in the United States. Many prominent families of the city had summer homes in Flat Rock, and the Count, who had once been governor of Corsica, built Saluda Cottages here in 1836. (The plural name comes from the main structure’s numerous outbuildings and the property’s location alongside the Saluda path, now the Greenville Highway.)
Five years later, he sold the property to a Charleston lawyer, who then sold it in 1850 to C.G. Memminger, the future Secretary of the Treasury for the Confederacy. The house took on its current appearance when the Siegling family purchased it in 1887, adding the third floor and distinctive central tower and porte-cochère.
Cam Boyd, Jr., the current owner, grew up in this house, which his family purchased in 1952. His memories include rumors of Confederate gold buried somewhere on the property and a few ghost stories: the woman who rattles her keys and counts her silver, preparing for the arrival of Union troops; the “perfume ghost” whose presence was sensed by a sudden and inexplicable sweet smell passing through a room.
During his childhood, Little River Road wasn’t paved, and Carl Sandburg’s burro would occasionally escape from Connemara to wander into the Boyds’ fields. “It was a wonderful place to grow up,” says Boyd, recalling the Sunday-after-church potluck tradition that the whole community shared.
While those days are long gone, many of the home’s historic features remain, including heart-pine floors, majolica tiles and original mantels and hand railings. One of the home’s owners, says Historic Flat Rock President Galen Reuther, was fond of fine wood, and sent an assistant traveling around the world to find exotic species to use in trim and moldings. The three-story wrought-iron spiral staircase, installed by the Victorian-era owners, is thought to be one of only two of its type ever made (the other is in Charleston). The Boyds offered participating designers free rein to paint, refinish floors and even install new countertops in the kitchen.
“I’ve never been so excited about a showhouse,” says Susan Nilsson of Susan Nilsson Interior Design in Asheville. Growing up in Hendersonville, she remembers spending time in the home as the guest of Paula Boyd; in fact, Nilsson’s design for the dining room is inspired by a lobster dinner she ate there as a teen. Her vignette features linen walls and straw rugs, a chandelier and an antique-rosewood dining table set with Nilsson’s personal collection of blue-and-white Canton china.
Terry Gillespie of Hennessee Haven Design Group in Tryon says the first time she saw Saluda Cottages from the road, she stopped and turned the car around to get a better look. “Many years later, my dream of gaining access to this home is coming true with an invitation to participate in the showhouse,” she says. Gillespie’s focus is the women’s sitting room and two powder rooms. “While remembering the gracious lives of past owners, our intent is to mix and reuse traditional furnishings with modern accessories.”
Designer Bay Chamberlain of Your Space*Their Space will present a bedroom and a bathroom. The existing yellow accents in the bedroom informed the “light and cool” color theme of the room, according to Chamberlain. She chose antique furnishings and has commissioned a specialty painting by David Goranson. While conventional renovator’s wisdom says there’s usually a wonderful flooring find waiting to be discovered beneath carpeting, the designer reveals that this wasn’t the case with the bedroom. “We came up with another solution. Come see to find out what it is,” she teases.
None of the main rooms’ ceilings is lower than ten feet high, says Reuther. This provided designers with both opportunities and obstacles. But working with the home’s rich history and many unique features made any challenge worth the effort.
Outside, the grounds are also getting the designer treatment. The porte-cochère, porches and rear and front entries will be landscaped for the show, and tours of the grounds, featuring the property’s magnificent trees, will be available from a master gardener each Wednesday afternoon at 2pm. Among the highlights are seven trees on a national registry and the remains of a garden Boyd suspects may have been designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the genius behind both New York’s Central Park and the Biltmore Estate gardens.
After many years of sponsoring home tours, says Reuther, a designer showhouse is an ideal way to increase awareness and raise funds for Historic Flat Rock, Inc. A “season pass” will offer the opportunity to visit more than once during the two weeks that Saluda Cottages is open.
A house holding this much history takes time to savor and enjoy.
The 2010 Flat Rock Designer Showhouse will run from August 14 through August 29, 10am-4pm Monday through Saturday and 1-4pm on Sundays. Historic Flat Rock, Inc. will operate the Café Sans Souci catered by well known local chef Larc Lindsey, and a boutique on the property. Parking will be available on the grounds of Saluda Cottages, located in Flat Rock on Little River Road just west of Hwy. 225 (Greenville Highway). For ticket information, visit www.historicflatrockinc.org or call (828) 698-0030.
