SCENE STEALER: This modern home has become a landmark for locals (whether they love it or not). The exterior mural, Cosmic Stars by artists McKenzie Eddy and Elliott A. Smith, is one of many examples of local art inside and out the residence.
The Black House cuts a striking silhouette near Hampton Park.
Homeowner Karen Baldwin (pictured in the backyard cabana with artwork by Michael Brangoccio) is an avid supporter of Charleston’s contemporary art scene.
The front terrace strikes a contrast with the traditional porch behind it. Artificial turf between large concrete pavers soften the space, adorned by two Restoration Hardware lounge chairs.
INDUSTRIAL CHIC: The black exterior contrasts with the light-filled interior, its white walls and epoxy floor a blank canvas for the artwork and design-forward furnishings. Black and white portraits by Alice Keeney hang above the streamlined white sofa and a coffee table designed by Baldwin from discarded airport conveyor belts. A Normann Copenhagen “Hyg” lounge chair in canary yellow provides a pop of color.
The living space with a suspended fireplace from Fireorb
COLORFUL FRIENDS: Baldwin recalls hanging out with Andy Warhol in New York in the ’70s, and one of his original screen prints of Richard Nixon hangs above a lacquered green Roy McMakin table in this sitting area. Vintage Donghia leather chairs share the sunlight that streams in from the floor-to-ceiling windows.
WHITE SPACE: Mixing textures in white, black, and beige, the kitchen is Baldwin’s quiet space. “With the black exterior and all white interior, I was drawn to a middle ground, and that manifested in a neutral-toned kitchen,” she says. “It allows you to have that burst of color as an offset.” Wire pendant lights from Denmark tie in to the industrial feel of the retail-style doors and windows; Teak Warehouse stools complete the look.
The tile—ceramic with a burlap feel on the wall and island—offers a textural backdrop for the high gloss cabinetry and matte Corian countertops.
SMALL TOWN CONNECTIONS: Baldwin recently hosted a dinner party around this Normann Copenhagen dining table and chairs and commented that a guest at the end of the table looked just like the young woman in the Netflix painting by Karen Ann Myers hanging above. “That’s her,” came the reply.
Jonathan Rypkema’s pastel wood panel provides a burst of color above the stairwell.
Upstairs, an installation by Celeste Caldwell adorns a wall of a guest bedroom/sitting room with a modular sofa from Gus* Modern.
TREETOP RETREAT: The expansive, light-filled, second-floor master bedroom, located at the front of the house, boasts more floor-to-ceiling windows and a balcony with arboreal views. Natural linen drapery, also repeated from downstairs, helps block out the light when necessary; a drawing by Carrie Beth Waghorn watches over the scene.
PARTY IN THE BACK: Long, deep steps lead to the cabana where Hoertdoerfer’s window configuration can be best viewed. “The easy thing would have been to just make it a wall of glass,” he says. “But that wouldn’t relate to the program on the inside, so we played with patterns and forms and lines to find something that made sense from a compositional, as well as a functional, standpoint.”
The Black House shines a spotlight on contemporary art and architecture
