Text: Jeanne Delathouder
Photos: Adam Kuehl
Upon retirement, Joe Herring—a successful healthcare industry entrepreneur and former CEO—dreamed of designing and building a river home. So in 2015, he purchased three secluded acres on the May River, a peaceful tidal tributary that flows amidst the preserve of Palmetto Bluff in South Carolina’s Lowcountry. He wanted his home to be inspired by the French Colonial architecture of Parlange Plantation House, a 1754 National Historic Landmark in New Roads, Louisiana’s Pointe Coupee Parish. Pointe Coupee would soon become the name of Herring’s new home—a place intended as a nearby retreat from his lovingly restored 1857 city dwelling situated on Forsyth Park in Savannah’s Historic District.
Enlisting noted designer Chuck Chewning to manage a project of this magnitude seemed the perfect fit and the beginning of an amazingly ambitious collaboration. Owner of Charles H Chewning Interiors based in Coastal Georgia, Chewning’s meticulous attention to detail, combined with his well-studied background in historic architectural preservation, paved the way for what would become an unimaginable work of art beyond Herring’s wildest dreams.
When Chewning presented Herring the full interior design scheme for the house, they spent hours going through each space and everything proposed to go into each room. When they finished, Herring looked at him and said, “There is not one thing here I could have done myself.”
“That was the best compliment ever coming from a former CEO,” says Chewning. “My favorite aspect of the project was being involved in both the interior architecture and the decorating while applying historic design and embellishments along the way. There are 26 different shades of paint used throughout to achieve the desired patina for the finishes. The carefully designed details and furnishings give the house the feeling of being a restored historic home rather than newly built.”
Inside, the home features arched casings opening into high-ceilinged rooms surrounded by French doors leading to the wraparound porches. There are extraordinary views to the outside throughout the interior spaces. Herring purchased many of the furnishings—always with Chewning’s approval—in antiques stores and at auction from New Orleans, New York, and Savannah. Chewning then incorporated these pieces with new upholstery, fabrics, rugs, and lighting to give the house its layered look. Furniture pieces throughout are delightfully slipcovered, typical of Lowcountry river homes, where families came to spend their summers.
“The house exudes a stately air of informality that makes the visitor wonder if some of the antiques originally came from the city house,” says Chewning. “The interior architecture of the home is heavily detailed and finished so that it immediately feels historic and substantial.”
Glass transoms above doors, reading nooks in dormer windows, and bunk beds all add to the sense that this is a place of retreat. The large family kitchen with its massive island provides a glorious place for gathering. The owner’s suite is strategically located on the lowest level for privacy and convenience to the adjacent swimming pool and river. An activity barn, outdoor cook kitchen, and an authentic replica of a pigeonnier used as a guesthouse surround the swimming pool.
“THE PIGEONNIER PROVIDED A PLACE TO HAVE FUN AND BE WHIMSICAL WITH THE MANY ARTIFACTS AND ARTWORK COLLECTED BY THE OWNER, INCLUDING HANGING PAINTINGS ON THE VAULTED CEILING.”
—CHUCK CHEWNING
“I worked very closely with Joe, who was raised in Baton Rouge,” says Chewning. “He grew up familiar with Parlange and the French Colonial architecture of the Mississippi River plantations. We wanted to incorporate Lowcountry river-house details, such as the painted shiplap walls and the heart-of-pine flooring, so the house still maintained a sense of place. Reclaimed materials were used extensively throughout the house, inside and out—salvaged roof slates, porch beams from a North Carolina tobacco barn, heart pine floorboards from a New York City warehouse, and bricks from a demolished textile mill in South Carolina.”
Well curated objets d’art and treasured collectibles bring richness, depth, and character to each space, including an original John Stobart maritime painting above the living room fireplace, a brilliant rendering of the May River commissioned by Henry von Genk, III, and a large antique ship model called L’Avenir by Robert McCann, formerly on display at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry.
“I truly enjoy furnishing a home piece by piece, integrating a client’s collection so the house takes on the homeowner’s personality and looks collected and layered over time,” Chewning says.
“After living in this home,” says Herring, “I still find interesting design and decorative details to appreciate. Chuck’s taste is exquisite, and his attention to even the slightest detail is off the charts.”