Sullivan’s Island is one of the country’s most affluent areas. Ranked No. 17 on Money Inc’s 2019 list, the average price of a home was $2.2 million. The average price is up to nearly $3 million now, over 30 percent from last year, according to Redfin. Year-round, the population on the island is a little over 1,900 residents.
The home at 910 Middle Street is a one-of-a-kind contemporary, legacy property located on the west end of Sullivan’s Island on a street to street lot. With windows everywhere, the custom home was to take advantage of the unobstructed Lowcountry views of the marsh and Intracoastal Waterway. Photo/Carolina One Real Estate.
With the Atlantic Ocean, the Charleston Harbor and the Intracoastal Waterway bordering the tony town, it is connected by a bridge to the Isle of Palms. Sullivan’s Island is quiet, refined, and if you venture down Middle Street toward the exclusive west end, quiet blankets it. Classic Charleston-style homes line small streets draped with oaks and palms.
Then you come to 910 Middle Street and you pause—to look at what can be aptly described as a modern masterpiece—both inside and out.
A contemporary welcome
From the foyer, once can look through a glass wall to see a living area and the water views beyond. Photo/Carolina One Real Estate.
The owners loved the lot and location. Desiring a more modern dwelling, the couple tore down the original home on this property, and with the help of Sea Island Builders and Swallowtail Architecture, they built what was dubbed the “Gallery Home.” It is a precise and perfect mix of contemporary chic and laid-back luxury.
On the second level of the home at 910 Middle Street is an open living space that gives way to a stunning kitchen with top of the line appliances and two large islands; one with a five-burner cooktop and another for food prep, casual seating and cocktails. All are designed to take full advantage of the stunning water views. Photo/Carolina One Real Estate.
Avid art collectors with a keen eye for design, the couple’s art, sculptures and the home’s fundamental architectural points of interest merge seamlessly to create a delight for one’s visual senses.
“They (current owners) were empty nesters, and they built this home around their art,” said Everett Presson of Carolina One Real Estate. “This kind of contemporary design—you don’t see that here, it’s special. This home is one-of-a-kind.”
Touring it, I found his sentiments to be spot on.
The front of the home presents as three cream-colored oblong rectangles, highlighted by black trimmed windows. Dark-toned, double garage doors are underneath the living spaces. Even before entering the home, you understand its architectural significance. Outdoor living porches offset living areas. Geometric pavers, surrounded by dark stones and low-level shrubbery with a low bench guide one to the front door. Subtle lighting adorns the exterior, and a railed rooftop is atop the home, all making the statement: This is special.
Eco-friendly inside and out
Lighted front steps constructed of eco-friendly material lead to the double glassed front door. Solar panels banked across the roof keep this home’s carbon footprint light. Natural light pours into every room and level of the three-year-old home.
The bright dining area on the second floor has a “wall of wine,” behind a glass door. A sculptural light element over the glass-walled staircase and the owner’s artwork combine to create a modern juxtaposition of wow. Photo/Carolina One Real Estate.
Inside, light-colored walls, white porcelain tiled-floors, uses of glass and glass walls, dramatic lighting and 10-foot ceilings carry the wow factor throughout. The large foyer gives one time to reflect. To take it all in. From a glass wall, the eye goes straight into a spectacular living area with a free-floating feature wall. Water views are displayed beyond that. A glass-walled staircase leads to the upper levels or take the elevator, decked out with art. A lengthy, museum-worthy wall runs to the right. The front of home houses a guestroom and bath, with an outdoor area that fronts the home.
The kitchen at 910 Middle Street has two enormous islands, upscale appliances — all hidden — and a walk-in pantry with tons of storage. Floor-to-ceiling windows and glass doors provide endless waterway views. Photo/Carolina One Real Estate.
Toward the back of the home is the living area with an extraordinary fireplace and space above it for a flat screen. The master bedroom suite is nearby and has a serene, symmetrical ambiance with a lacquered panel wall behind the bed. The view one has rising and retiring is nothing short of breathtaking, overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway. An enormous screened porch runs the width of this level, and the one above it has the same footprint.
This living space is on the first level and can be viewed from the foyer of the home. It’s close to the master bedroom suite and the porch outside runs the width of the home at 910 Middle Street. Photo/Carolina One Real Estate.
The ensuite bath, with free standing soaking tub, large dual vanity and separate shower has motorized shades. The bath leads to a dressing room/closet with seemingly endless storage. Nearby is the laundry with its own steam closet. Recessed ceiling lights run throughout.
Presson explained that the home was designed as a reverse floor plan, with the kitchen, entertaining spaces, office and additional bedroom and den on the second level.
Going up
The second or main level is the space for entertaining. Once you walk up the steps, the dining area and a “wall of wine” are jaw-dropping. Incorporating a glass wall on one side of the dining room to house a floor-to-ceiling wine collection is not only perfect for a wine connoisseur, but it looks like a work of art. The front of home has a room that the present owners use as a den.
The master bedroom suite is clean, neutral and spacious. The bed faces the large screened porch and intracoastal water views. Photo/Carolina One Real Estate.
“This room could easily be used as a fourth bedroom if needed,” Presson pointed out. “There’s a bath right outside the door.”
The dining space flows into a large living area and the kitchen and the living room have windows on each side of room. A bank of glass doors opens up to the back screened porch. On the other side, a glassed doorway leads to a patio that faces the front of the home and a set of steps that lead up to the rooftop.
The epitome of clean-lined modernity, the kitchen has hidden appliances, double ovens, a wine fridge and quartz countertops. A walk-in pantry is steps away, and behind the kitchen is a home office.
“The doors and windows throughout are Henselstone,” Presson said.
This type of window and door system meet stringent coastal codes, are composed of special low emissivity metal-oxide coatings, have multiple locking systems and use sound rated installation materials to reduce noise pollution.
Walking through those doors and seeing the backyard with saltwater pool, just-the-right size yard, stark white arbor with pavers that led to a gate onto the street, with go-on-forever, intracoastal views led me to believe it couldn’t get any better. But it did.
Up on the roof and down by the pool
Perhaps the pièce de résistance is the home’s rooftop, with 360-degree views of the Charleston Harbor and the Intracoastal. Or the pool with its numerous seating spaces off of it and under the home. Add a double-outdoor luxe shower to that mix.
A saltwater pool with adjacent covered entertaining spaces, dual outdoor showers, beautiful lighting and landscaping are all tucked away on a private street to street lot at 910 Middle Street. Photo/Carolina One Real Estate.
What is undeniably notable is the consistent and thoughtful use of architectural excellence—from walled cubbies to display art to sculptural steel lighting over a glassed staircase to windows that showcase the art inside and the Lowcountry nature outside of it, it’s stunning. Although it won the 2018 Residential Architecture Award for Design Excellence and the Pinnacle Award for the best custom home built in South Carolina, it’s much more than that.
The home at 910 Middle Street was the winner of the Residential Architecture Award for Design Excellence and the winner of the Pinnacle Award for the best custom home built in South Carolina in 2018. Photo/Carolina One Real Estate.
“I really believe this is a timeless house,” said Presson. “It’s going to age well, and it’s going to become one of the most iconic homes on Sullivan’s Island. This type of design doesn’t go out of style.”
As of December 23, 2020, the list price for the home at 910 Middle Street was $6.5 million.
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AGENT SPOTLIGHT:
Everett Presson
The Everett Presson Group, Carolina One Real Estate
843.343.6200
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