Herlong Architects

Herlong & Associates staff designed this small space, which is about 200 square feet, excluding the bathroom and kitchenette.

Just because a space is small doesn’t mean it has to be cramped, crowded and cluttered. When designing a small space for a house – whether it’s a powder room or a den – simply spending some time thinking about the use of the room and its layout can make it functional and cozy.

Our firm’s interior designers can do wonders with small spaces, which they demonstrated in a small room in the Symphony Designer Showhouse, a fundraiser for the Charleston Symphony Orchestra League Inc. 

Interior designer Theresa Bishopp looked at that small space as a challenge. And she wasn’t afraid to break some of the conventional “rules” of designing in small areas, such as shying away from dark paint colors, even on the ceiling. In fact, Bishopp often paints the ceiling so the eye doesn’t stop at the wall-to-ceiling demarcation line, which adds more height to the room.

“It should be a color you love,” she says. “If you love a dark color, you can still make a room beautiful and comfortable. My first priority isn’t to make a room look bigger, but to make it look better.”

The arrangement of the furniture in a small room is also critical. The focus should be on maximizing traffic flow. “If you can move through the space comfortably, it doesn’t matter how small it is,” Bishopp says.

At times, we like to share ideas with other designers, such as Parker-Sims Interiors here in Charleston. The owners of the design firm, Ivie Parker and Adrian Truluck, recommend homeowners put some thought into how they plan to use a room, particularly a small one. Deciding on a room’s purpose will help determine how to make the room attractive and functional.

Some of their other tips include:

* Using built-in shelving to maximize storage space without taking up floor space. Use wallpaper or paint along the back wall of a built-in shelf to give it some dimension and flair.

* Get creative with storage containers, using baskets, boxes, cubes or ottomans that double as seating and storage. Add fabric, trim or piping to the item so it matches the room’s décor. Especially in small spaces, it’s important to hide those items that would make the room look cluttered and busy.

* Mount lamps to the wall, which can free up valuable space on a bedside table or end table.

The kitchen before the Herlong team started its work.

The company’s interior designers, including Theresa Bishopp, Sarah Melançon and Elizabeth Horn, are always up for a challenge. So when the firm was selected to participate in the 2009 Symphony Designer Showhouse, they, along with marketing director, Laura Anne Moore, were hoping they would get to design one of the smallest spaces in the five-building complex.

Formerly the Maison du Pré Inn, the showhouse is at the corner of East Bay and George streets. Having been used as a bed and breakfast for the last 20 years, it is up for sale at $4.89 million. The late 19th-century property has three houses and two carriage houses, totaling almost 10,000 square feet.

The annual Symphony Designer Showhouse is a fundraiser for the Charleston Symphony Orchestra League Inc., made up of a group of volunteers that support the local symphony orchestra.

This was the first year Herlong was selected to design a space in the showhouse, and Bishopp was excited when the team was awarded the space they’d been eyeing – a tiny area with a bedroom and kitchenette. The space is on the second floor of the old carriage house and is accessible via a small stairway.

Herlong’s initial design inspiration came from a piece of orange and gold drapery fabric that Bishopp had turned into a dress. That fabric was the beginning of a vibrant color palette for the home. It reminded her of her daily commute across the Ben Sawyer causeway to the firm’s office on the Isle of Palms – orange, gold and purple sunsets, the green of the marsh and the blue of the sky. “So we took that palette and ran with it,” she says.

The Herlong team collaborated closely with the designers who were working on other rooms in the house. While each room is distinct, it was important they all flow and complement each other.

The kitchen after the Herlong team finished its design.

The result is orange walls in the bathroom, purple window treatments in the bedroom along with a duvet cover made of the initial inspiring fabric. The kitchenette is finished with a green marsh color of American clay by Artisan Clay. “It’s very organic, a very green product. You just want to go up and touch it,” Bishopp says. A number of local companies, including King Street Kitchen Co. and Ferguson Enterprises, donated cabinetry, appliances and lighting fixtures to help complete the space.

While most people think rooms should be painted a light color to appear larger, the Herlong team took the complete opposite approach. They painted the walls and the ceiling the same color, which allows the wall to flow into the ceiling and actually make the room appear larger, even if it’s painted a darker color.

Bishopp said she saw designing this room as a huge challenge. “We knew it could be cozy. It wasn’t cozy when we went into it. But I could see the potential for it to be a room you wanted to spend time in. It hugs you when you walk in and makes you feel really warm and good.”

The Symphony Designer Showhouse is open daily through April 19. Visit the Charleston Symphony Orchestra League Web site for more information. Additional photos of many designer spaces are available online.

It’s not every day you read a blog about an office building restroom, but…. 

A few months ago we asked ourselves ‘How could we make the experience of coming into our office even more enjoyable for our clients?’  Our office looks out onto the Intercoastal Waterway and we have design sessions in comfortable conference rooms that gaze onto this incredible landscape.  But when our clients ventured down the hall to the restrooms, they were treated to linoleum floors painted white sheetrock, and cheap plumbing and electrical fixtures. What a difference the transformation of this space into a beautiful room has been.  Employees love it, clients rave over it – we can’t get people out of there! 

Many thanks go out to Theresa and Sarah of Herlong & Associates, who selected the materials, finishes and fixtures, and coordinated the overall effort.  They always know how the individual parts will come together in the end and it turned out beautifully.

We also had many friends and vendors contribute materials and craftmanship to this effort including the following: 

Kellie Hall & Nancy Griffin from Artisan Clay Interiors & Painting added a beautiful blue clay to the walls above the wainscot and onto the ceiling. Chip Dukes & Will Albrecht from Southern Lumber were instrumental in the new wainscot on our walls. Ashley Hyer from Design on Tap deserves thanks for the elegant faucet, glass vessel sink and low flow toilet.  Tom Werner & Pat Devaney of Charleston One Source helped with the bleached oak floor.  Fisher Recycling owners Elizabeth & Chris Fisher created a beautiful recycled glass countertop with beautiful blues.  Butch, Phil & Sarah of William C. Pritchard Cabinetry made the painted sink base cabinet and helped with the hardware.  Christine Reilly owner of Foxworth Decorative Hardware contributed the doorknob & hardware.  Ali Sherrill and Bonnie from Charleston Lighting selected the sconce above the mirror.  Thomas Mallaga for the flat panel solid wood door (painted a brilliant blue!). 

And finally to Phillip Smith and Tony Reilly of Phillip W. Smith General Contractors, who coordinated the demolition and construction of the bathroom in a professional and methodical manner.   It was through Phillip’s office that – Michael Ruffano (trim), Ralph Bell (painting), Bill Sparks & Ralph Bennett (electrical and plumbing) – this amazing feat was accomplished.  They took steps to minimize the noise and disruption to our office, and went out of their way to make even this small bathroom transformation a place everyone could be proud of. 

Below is an image of the transformed space.  We don’t have a ‘before’ image, but just think linoleum floor, white walls and ceiling, melamine cabinets, etc. and you get the picture. 

Nice Work Everyone!!

The New Bathroom at Herlong & Associates

White Elephant, Chinese Gift Exchange, Secret Santa…these are all gift exchanges commonly participated in at the annual “Office Christmas Party,” but this year Herlong & Associates wanted to do something different.  While brainstorming in an office meeting, Samaritan’s Purse “Operation Christmas Child” was suggested and immediately decided upon as a charitable organization we would support this year. Everyone in the office was truly excited to be giving gifts to children around the world instead of the usual co-worker gag gift at the office party.  While these typically do present a good laugh, we knew we would all get a lot more out of helping others in need, and so it began.  Herlong & Associates chose to make three boxes for children ranging from 2-14 years old and each person in our office contribute gifts as they were able.  It turns out we have so many gifts, the boxes are over-flowing and we are able to create another box for another child!  Once we have wrapped the full Christmas boxes, Laura Anne will be dropping them off to the Samaritan’s Purse organization for them to distribute to children around the world.  For more information on this wonderful Christmas “operation”, you can visit http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/

Laura Anne & Sabrina packing Christmas boxes

As we prepare to host an oyster roast to celebrate our company and our clients, I can’t help but look back and appreciate the work we’ve done over the past decade.

We live and work in a remarkable setting that can be at once casual and elegant. The towns and islands surrounding Charleston are full of history, and yet are progressive and youthful. Daily Herlong & Associates strives to design spaces that reflect the comfort of this lifestyle, and assist our clients in the realization of their dreams. Over the past ten years, we have worked with our clients to create homes that are a source of pleasure and pride, and that are a lasting investment in many ways. The addition of both interior architecture and interior design departments has enabled us to create some of the most beautifully integrated homes in the country.

For those of you who don’t know us, our office looks out onto both the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway, and is situated on Breach Inlet between Sullivan’s Island and the Isle of Palms. In the middle of the summer we experienced some terrific spring and neap tides that presented a great opportunity for us all to wade out to the sand bar in the middle of the waterway for an office picture. What a great place to work!