A Kiawah Island Color Palette - Charleston Magazine

Summertime retreats are a Charleston tradition. For centuries locals have abandoned the bustle of the city for cooler, more tranquil settings on nearby barrier islands—be it for a day, a weekend, or the entire sweltering summer.

For one downtown family—a young mom and dad (who prefer to keep their anonymity), plus a toddler, a three-year-old, and two golden retrievers in tow—summer is not complete without an escape to Cassique. Here, in this private community tucked between Kiawah and Seabrook islands, they have built a base for bonding—a four bed, four and a half bath, 3,200-square-foot house with style and grandeur that simultaneously embraces muddy paw prints and spilled juice boxes. It’s their home-away-from-home, where the beach beckons, the cares of city life are left 30 minutes down the road, and the alligators are proof positive you’re not on the peninsula anymore.

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Smart home companies are turning us all into crime fighters - will it actually work? - The Ambinet

Why turning to social media might not make us safer

In 2015 Ring installed video doorbells in 10% of homes in the Wilshire Park neighborhood as part of a pilot program with the Los Angeles Police Department. According to the company, the LAPD saw a 55% decrease in home break-ins over the following six months. It made for a nice flashy number for Ring to point at, and undoubtedly helped it in its journey to getting snapped up by Amazon, even if there's some debate over the evidence. 

It gave Ring a reason to hone in on the community angle, and now it's venturing into a new crime fighting space – social media. Will sharing what our smart home sees with our neighbors make us safer? Or will it redefine the term nosey neighbor?

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A Cinder Block Duplex in Charleston Is Recast as a New York–Style Loft - Dwell

The industrial-modern Metamorphosis House is now a showcase for art.

When architect Kevan Hoertdoerfer was asked to turn "probably the ugliest house in Charleston" into the proverbial swan, he was both thrilled and apprehensive. "It’s a dream to have a client who gives you an open book," he says of the instruction to do anything he wanted. "On the other hand, you’re compelled to do something really powerful." The resulting metamorphosis of a squat 1950s cinder block duplex into a concrete and glass neighborhood standout leaves no trace of its ugly duckling origins.

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