Rae Redmond is a third-generation builder, so when he tells you about one of the favorite homes he’s ever built, you know it will be good. The home we’ll see today, a 6,980-square-foot slice of heaven on the Isle of Palms, affectionately named “Sunsational,” was designed to take your breath away from the moment you open the door. Not only is the home breathtaking from an aesthetic standpoint, but the scale and complexity of the project are formidable.
Redmond, partner and director of construction for King & Society, is a combat veteran who still serves in the South Carolina Army National Guard. He is known in the business for being a steady hand in large, complex builds, such as this one, and projects of this scale are nothing new for King & Society.
The company is a certified Master Builder with notable new construction and historical renovation projects throughout the Lowcountry. King & Society also provides property management and full-service real estate brokerage, making things easier for clients who are looking for land or have renovation projects. The company is also known for its stunning commercial development projects, including Hotel Richemont on King Street, which is currently under construction, and The Bellinger, a new 38-room boutique hotel on Daniel Island with a restaurant and event space that can host up to 150 people; it is proposed to start construction in the fall of 2024.
With expertise in creating spaces that connect people to the unique beauty of Charleston and the Lowcountry, Redmond, his team and interior designer Amy Trowman were ready to take on this client’s dream of a family oasis. Sunsational has everything you’d want in a beach home: room to sleep a dozen people; quiet nooks to read books, nap or play board games; a pickleball court; putting greens; a pool; a boccie court; 240-degree wraparound porches; and the kind of living spaces that facilitate the sweet life.
Designed by architect Carl McCants of Mc3 Designs, the home is the vision of a couple who wanted a beach getaway where their extended family could make memories together. “The client wanted to give his family a private paradise with large, comfortable gathering spaces. This home was an intentional gift to everyone who might experience it in the future,” Redmond says. With that spirit in mind, the team embarked on a massive project infused with collaboration, innovation and kindness.
But first, the old house on the property had to be demolished and the builder had to plan for the last elements to be installed, the pool and pickleball court, to be started first. “The footprint of the new home was so big we had to build the pool and pickleball court a year and a half before we actually installed them because once we built the home’s foundations, we wouldn’t be able to get machinery back there,” he says. “It had to be perfect because there’s no going back and redoing it.”
As for materials, the clients wanted to focus on having fun, so the entire home had to be low or no maintenance. The exterior is boral siding, a sustainable product made from fly ash that looks like wood but is far more durable and long-lasting. All decks and handrails are ipe, a Brazilian walnut that is one of the hardest, strongest woods and naturally rot resistant.
Inside, the primary materials are white shiplap walls with white oak flooring and ceiling beams. Trowman used cool whites and blues throughout the home with plenty of organic textures to warm up the palette and provide visual interest. In some rooms, she used blue tones as accents, in others deep or watery blues take center stage. In the bathrooms, she combined wood, ceramic and marble tiles, nickel and black hardware, and subtlety patterned wallpapers to give each room a distinct personality. The effect of the limited color palette focusing on texture is calming and ethereal without being overtly coastal or nautical.
The lower deck faces the beach and features a 38-foot-long pool with a hot tub and sun loungers. The pool is thoughtfully designed with a sitting shelf shallow enough for little ones to wade and large enough to hold two chaise lounges and an umbrella. Beyond the pool deck are the pickleball court, putting green and boccie court. A private walkway leads over the dunes to the beach. There is also a pool bath located on the rear first floor porch to service the outdoor amenities.
On the home’s first floor, a grand entry porch leads to an offset front door that gives way to a broad foyer with white oak beams in an asymmetrical design. To the left of the foyer is access to a family suite, featuring two bathrooms, a guest room for grown-ups, and a bunk room with two twin beds for kids and two queen beds for adults, cousins or friends. Just outside the hallway that serves the family suite, a stackable washer and dryer are handy for towels.
The foyer leads to a magnificent 27-foot gallery with an arched wood ceiling and shiplap walls. This space is an exaggerated hallway with access to the stairs, study, garage, elevator and powder room. The study, designed to be a quiet place to take a Zoom call or do a little work, is accessed through a set of turquoise sliding barn doors. This room has thoughtful touches, such as a small custom closet for a printer and office supplies. However, the most essential part of the gallery is that it directs the eye onward to the great room and endless ocean views. “It’s such a great space because it acts like binoculars to the beach,” Redmond says. This is the first impression of this home, and it sets a high bar.
The great room keeps the promises made by glimpses from the gallery. With floor-to-ceiling windows, the best views in the house and a Euro-Wall that blurs the lines between indoors and outdoors, this is the heart of the home. There is a 10-person sectional facing the fireplace and TV, with upholstered bench seating underneath the expansive windows. These bright, comfortable nooks are lovely places to read or have a glass of wine. Overhead, three massive white oak beams run the room’s length, adding a sense of coziness to this huge space and warming up the white shiplap ceiling.
Behind the sectional is another sitting area with four swivel armchairs and a long coffee table that serves as additional seating or a quiet place for coffee or a cocktail. The dining area is open to the kitchen and features a custom live-edge dining table that the clients had commissioned specifically for this space; the office desk is a custom matched piece if they ever need to extend the dining table. The 14-foot Euro-Wall of sliding glass doors opens onto the deck to admit sea breezes during dinner. This area is framed with a white oak beam ceiling that connects to the great room, giving it a sense of being its own space.
The clients love to cook and entertain, and the kitchen is purpose-built for a crowd. The broad kitchen island seats six and has recessed areas on the ends with electrical and USB ports for stashing and charging tablets and phones. This room has other special touches, including a commercial glass washer, Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances, a wet bar, a coffee bar and a 5-foot-long sink with dual faucets that encourage family participation in meal prep. Custom kitchen cabinets reach to the ceiling and feature lighted upper glass cabinets. The house is dog-friendly, so Redmond built a feeding and watering station into the cabinets.
Behind the kitchen is a scullery with another prep sink, marble countertops, a wall of glass-front cabinets for storing serving ware, two dishwashers, a second refrigerator and storage for small appliances. This large, well-equipped room is ideal for keeping the central kitchen clean if you have a private chef or caterer in for a party.
Outdoors, the elevated deck wraps around the back of the home. The outdoor living room has weather-resistant sectional seating, a fireplace and TV, a kitchen with a grill, and bar-height seating at the railing with footrests. There are more seating areas to the right, including a conversation area under shade on the porch and sun loungers on the deck.
Upstairs, the magic continues. The stairs and elevator open into a common area with swivel armchairs, a beverage station and a coffee bar. At the back of the home are two primary suites, so special guests or family members feel as important as the homeowners. Both suites are designed to be large and open with ADA-accessible features that minimize pinch points.
The first primary bedroom suite has a sliding Euro door that lets you take in sea breezes and beach views without leaving the bed. The attached bathroom is a serene haven with a freestanding tub, curbless shower, large-format marble tiles and three showerheads. This room has an owner’s closet and a second empty closet that can be used if guests are staying in the room.
The second primary bedroom has French doors that lead to a porch and sundeck with two daybeds and a bedswing that faces the ocean. A short hallway connects the bedroom and bathroom, with a large closet to the side. The bathroom for this room also has a freestanding bathtub, shower and softly backlit mirrors. A spiral staircase from the shared back deck leads to a third-floor roof deck with 360-degree island views.
On the way back to the common area, we find the Zen room. With a wall of mirrors, a Pilates bar and yoga mats, this is the ideal place to shut the door and continue decompression. In the common area, a large laundry room has double washers and dryers in built-in cabinets with space under each for laundry baskets. Toward the front of the house are three more generous guest bedrooms, each with a bath and its own personality.
Though the home is expansive, all of the spaces feel warm and welcoming, even when the whole crew isn’t together, and the clients are delighted with the results. “I’ve been building homes for 20 years and seeing how excited the clients are is always great. When they are as enthusiastic as this family, it sparks our enthusiasm too,” Redmond says. “It was truly a pleasure to build this dream for them. They were so grateful for every hand that touched their home; it made for an enjoyable experience. This project reminded me of the profound impact that collaboration, kindness and a shared vision can have. This home is a testament to the beauty that unfolds when hearts and minds come together.” *
Robin Howard is a freelance writer in Charleston. See more of her work at robinhowardwrites.com.
