ROCKING THE SUBURBS: Erin and Creighton Barrett kick back on their front steps with Sunny, age five, and Bowie, almost two. To accommodate their growing family, the creative couple—he drums with Band of Horses, she’s a textile artist—traded a cottage in Avondale for this roomier ’70s ranch near Charles Towne Landing.
The duo revamped the living room by whitewashing existing pecky cypress walls, swapping red laminate flooring for hardwoods, and adding California-cool furnishings and accessories.
LUXE LOOKS: After almost splurging on a Jonathan Adler chandelier, Erin spotted a similar piece for less than $100 on Overstock.com; the steal now hangs over the dining room table. House plants and botanical prints complement the wood grain in the original pecky cypress walls.
Sunny enjoys the cool hanging swing from Eclectic Charleston
A mid-century-inspired console from West Elm anchors the foyer.
COLOR STORY: To keep the home feeling cohesive, Erin stuck to an edited palette and used only three paint colors, all by Valspar. The interior walls were “hosed down” with “Ultra White Base A.”
The brick exterior was transformed with a charcoal shade called “Ebony Fields;” and the front door was given new life with a few coats of “Tropical Bay,” a statement-making turquoise.
FINDING HER PASSION: A former pro dancer who moved to town for a gig with the Charleston Ballet Theater, Erin taught herself to weave shortly after her daughter was born. When friends and family began requesting her pieces, the hobby blossomed into a business. She now sells her pieces at West Elm’s King Street storefront, as well as via the national retailer’s website and her own online shop.
A LOOM OF ONE’S OWN: “I wanted the studio to feel like a separate space, so it’s bright with lots of pinks and more color than the rest of the house,” Erin notes.
Rather than replace the existing flooring, she painted it grey and added a brightly patterned piece from Rugs USA.
BACKYARD BLISS: Erin’s studio opens up onto the back deck; when the work day is done, she, Creighton, and the kids head to this spot for family dinners and dance parties.
The space is outfitted with World Market furnishings in the same charcoal-and-white color scheme that dominates the interiors; wall-mounted planters from West Elm add a sculptural element to an exterior wall.
In the master bedroom, a weaving Erin made with her mom pops against a charcoal accent wall. “My mom is very artistic, and I had just gotten a new loom, so we were experimenting. Once we finished the piece, I listed it to sell and went to sleep; when I woke up the next morning, I took it down and kept it for myself!”
COOL KIDS: The nursery is playful and fun, but still feels sophisticated thanks to a black-and-white palette.
Erin and Creighton Barrett turn a dated ’70s ranch in West Ashley into a hip, happy headquarters for work and family life
