Ready for a refresh, this Hilton Head designer reimagines her family’s abode with an eye for luxe coastal comfort. While paint swatches and fabric samples cover the top of Shelley Wilkins’s desk, rarely are they inspiration for her own home. “It’s so much easier to design someone else’s home than yours,” says Shelley, owner of S. Wilkins Interior Design. “With clients, I give them all my time and attention, so I don’t have a lot of time to work on my own projects.”
Everything changed after a tropical storm about four years ago. Shelley and her husband, Walter, knew the home they’d recently purchased would require some updates, and they had plans to revamp only the kitchen and primary wing. But when a tree fell through the living room, “we didn’t really have a choice but to start renovating that next,” Shelley says. She set to work transforming the Hilton Head Island house into a restful haven for her family of three, drawing on her creative expertise.
Now, the living room makes for a perfect hosting space. A navy blue accent wall frames a brick fireplace, an excellent spot for warming up on cozy winter nights. Plenty of patterns and textures contribute to the comforting feel in conjunction with layered rugs and ample ambient light.
Between the kitchen and living area, Shelley manufactured a windowed partition, a simple solution to offer each room seclusion without completely blocking them off. “The contrast of the dark windows and this steel wall really gives the room some separation but still flows easily from one space to the other,” Shelley says.
Thanks to the pane glass divider, the renovated kitchen is cloaked in natural light, illuminating all the intricate details. “I wanted to do some special accents so we wouldn’t have just a white kitchen,” Shelley says. “I wanted to elevate it.” Weathered mirrors behind the mullion-detailed cabinets add a unique touch to the crisp space. In addition to gilded knobs, handles, and light fixtures, the range hood is outfitted with inset brass detailing, a modish feature that draws the eye.
Shelley’s design philosophy is choosing quality over quantity. “It’s my biggest pursuit,” she says. “We just like to live comfortably, so my pursuit is the highest and best quality items.” Throughout the home, accents inspired by her and Walter’s trips abroad lend a personal flair, such as the Moroccan antique boxes displayed in the living room and handmade pottery from Paris.
Shelley felt they had no need for both a formal dining room and a breakfast nook adjacent to the kitchen. Instead, she turned the dining area into an intimate TV room. “It’s where we spend most of our time,” she says. The dark paint color paired with the herringbone wall covering provides a luxurious atmosphere, ideal for relaxed movie nights or for her son to host friends to play games. Dashes of warmth invigorate the space in the form of burnt orange stripes in the draperies, woven roman shades, and brushed gold lamps.
Her own sanctuary, the primary bedroom, is replete with soothing, earthy tones. Wood accents ground the space, but light blues and creams beckon a calming presence. Awash in natural light, Shelley’s coastal oasis is complete with a formal sitting room off the primary suite and is perfect for unwinding after a long day. “[The home] is still a work in progress. It will never be done. We just like working, tweaking, and experimenting,” she says. “I eat, sleep, and breathe what I do. I could not imagine doing anything different.”
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