A Renovation Celebration – Chateau Chic March 2024

Tucked away amidst the beautiful trees and rolling greens of a local golf course is the meticulously renovated home of Chris and Amber Berry. The home was built around 1975 and features five bedrooms, three full bathrooms, three half bathrooms, and two laundry rooms (one upstairs and one downstairs). It was built by Grady and Kathy Weeks. The Berrys purchased it from the Weeks in November 2010, when Amber was seven months pregnant with their youngest child.

“We loved the details that gave it character like copper-wrapped cabinets, cypress wall planks, the kitchen cabinets that were made from salvaged cypress from an old plantation, brick floors, the beautiful brick fireplace that takes up the whole wall of our den, and the built-in china cabinet that is a feature wall of the dining room,” shared Amber about what led them to purchase the older home. “Contrary to the popular open floor plan concept of late, I actually like having so many rooms like older houses offer. I love having our own space and I love giving each room its own personality. My husband grew up in the neighborhood and his parents live around the corner, which was the biggest reason we wanted to buy an older home in an older neighborhood. Plus, there may be some things that are outdated or a little messy, but older homes are just built well.”

When it comes to the renovation of the home, it’s been a long and gradual process. Hurricane Ida also forced the family’s hand when it came to repairs. Amber shared, “We updated most of the appliances and the countertops in the kitchen before we moved in, but left the old Chambers stove top because it’s a classic. We added a double oven and warming drawer, which has been perfect for big family dinners and holiday get-togethers. We whitewashed all of the cypress planks and bricks on the fireplace in the living room several years ago to lighten it up. We took down all of the wallpaper downstairs, but put some up in the dining room and painted the china cabinet. We added shelves, new tile, a sink, and painted the bar which we now mostly use as a coffee bar. This was all before Ida. We had to do some major repairs after the storm because of storm damage, but also because of damage from the new roof install that leaked. In the past year, we completely remodeled our indoor back patio, our office, and our downstairs laundry room. We converted the old laundry room into a workout room with a sauna. Our back office has been transformed into more of a library style with wall to ceiling bookcases. The enclosed back patio is now another space for lounging and playing ping pong or shooting pool. We made a new laundry room that is functioning more like a mud room with built-in lockers for our kids’ sports and school stuff.”

While the overall style of the home is French country, the finished look is very personal to Amber. Much of the artwork hung around the home is from trips the family has taken or personal artwork from local artists. The different spaces in the home that are favorites of Amber, Chris and their family include the workout room, dining room, the fireplace, and back patio.

“My latest favorite is the workout room. I love having a dedicated workout space, with my sauna, and a water cooler,” shared Amber. “I love our dining room with the built-in china cabinet. My favorite thing to do there is have a big family dinner, cook lots of food, decorate the space, and then bust out all of our good china and enjoy a great meal. My husband’s favorite feature is our huge fireplace in the living room. Our whole family’s new favorite space is our back patio. You will frequently find our girls laying on the couch watching a show together. I also love walking into our music room, looking at all of the artwork, and reminiscing. I love that each room has a story! Sometimes that story is how the room came to be but other times it’s the decorations and furniture.”