I love the porches and the view. For me the decoration and all that stuff would be suffocating if I had to be around it for more than a day or so. I recognize that individually the pieces are gorgeous in their own way, but where's the air in those rooms(except the second to the last photo, which had a little space in it).

deee, thanks for posting. Makes me glad I'm in this half!

Wow, beautiful home, just NMS. There's a lot going on in those rooms!!! Quite overwhelming.

I can't even imagine how many thousands of dollars of fabrics are in that house. It's a beautiful home, but I've become accustomed to a less layered, simpler style. Like other posters, I felt somewhat suffocated with all of those heavy drapes and large quantities of pattern.

It makes my brain go into overload, except for the lt blue/white room. However, I could totally get used to that lot and the view. It's breathtaking!

"deee, thanks for posting. Makes me glad I'm in this half!"

Me too!

WAY to much busyness for this girl....

I lived on adjacent St. Simons island some years ago. I always thought it humorous that Sea Island's palatial houses were called "cottages." Sea Island is one of the wealthiest locations in the Southeast.

I agree with other posters. This house's interiors don't at all appeal to my taste. It seems dated and unfashionable. However, the exterior, grounds, and location can't be any better.

Other than a number of window treatments and the kitchen cabinetry (which seems out of place), I like it.

Houses at this price point are rarely decorated with reference to fashion or being "dated". The original things that go into these places are of such high quality and so expensive that they're rarely replaced. That vintage Vuitton trunk in the boy's bedroom alone cost 5 figures, and the drapery in the house is in the 6 figure ballpark--once its there most people will leave it alone for the time they occupy the house. Its a different mindset, and its not for people who like to "change things up" or question if they will get bored with how something looks.

"Houses at this price point are rarely decorated with reference to fashion or being "dated". The original things that go into these places are of such high quality and so expensive that they're rarely replaced." palimpsest

I agree perhaps the use of the words "fashionable" and "dated" were themselves in poor taste. Still, for these very reasons, it's likely the new owner will rip out every fiber of the previous owners scheme.

I love the outside but the inside is just "too much" for my taste. I prefer a simplier, "lighter" look. Everything is just so "heavy". I'm one of the above mentioned people that likes to change thing up. I do appreciate the fact that they have purchased expensive "future antiques" but I don't want to be stuck with every purchase because it's so expensive. I like to enjoy items till I tire of them and either move them or sell them to bring in something new.

Oh, I agree that that could happen. But the current owners are then being reimbursed somewhat for the cost of the decor in the purchase price, so if they are tired of it, they will spend the money in a new house--not spend more money on the old one.

On the other hand, I have seen houses even in Architectural Digest where there is a clarification of what decor remains from the previous owner, and Janet Jackson (I believe) had a house published that the previous owner had decorated and she bought fully furnished and made very few changes. The previous owner and designer were given credit in a letter of clarification in a later issue.

There is also a house around the corner from me that passed through a number of hands with the "public" rooms (giant LR, ballroom, DR, hallways) with decor completely intact for decades: If the drapery weren't 19th c. they were certainly decades old copies. The house is currently on the market and was refurbished for several million dollars in the style which it had always been (with infrastructure upgrades and restoration). Most of the original furniture has disappeared, it may have been sold to fund some of the work. The draperies are now new(or completely refurbished, but near-identical copies of what was there forever.

The problem, or issue, with this type of site-specific decorating is that separated from each other, most of the stuff won't look nearly as good, and that is why these houses are often sold at least partially furnished. Some of the things such as the Zuber or DeGournay wallpaper panels are probably hung archivally so they can be taken down and re-used or sold. People who have this much money know how to hang on to it (or, a lot of them do.)

"its not for people who like to "change things up" or question if they will get bored with how something looks."

It is also NOT for those, like me, who favor the simplicity of Shaker/mission interiors.

What really floored me about this house is the attention to detail. There are hundreds of unique pieces of art, furniture, fabrics, decorative items, etc. and they were all selected very carefully.

Think of the man hours that went into searching for decorative items, art work, antiques, selecting fabrics, creating custom furniture, creating window treatments, hanging window treatments, etc., etc. It's mind boggling.

If I could afford that house in that location, I don't think I'd care about spending the $$ to make it mine. The house itself and the location are spectacular!

I like it. To me, the use of lighter colors (mostly) and the spaciousness of it keeps it from feeling too "heavy". The modern art helps it look more "up to date".

Keeping everything dusted, especially all of those seashells, would be quite a job! I wonder how many housecleaners she employs.

I love everything about this house except the window treatments and all the stuff on their stuff. Now if you'll excuse me I'm off to clean some more clutter out of my living areas. Whew, another reminder to take another look around at my own cave. Thanks for sharing!

" I wonder how many housecleaners she employs."

The owners likely have services provided by The Cloister Hotel and The Sea Island Club. These houses are mostly used seasonally with very few lived in year round by their owners. It is possible to lease one for a week or month at a time.

Just for fun -- I love to spend time looking at these high-end homes around the whole U.S. on realtor.com.

It is a fascinating lesson in both "what would I do to sell this house?" AND "how would I decorate it for MY taste?" Lately -- many of these homes do have their prices (sometimes by a million dollars or more!) reduced ... so I try to think of ways (just like on this decor board) that the home decor could be changed to help the sale ...

I would LOVE to see how designers like Phoebe Howard would "do" this house ... probably in a much lighter way ... but in keeping with its traditional styling and looks ....

Thanks for the eye candy -- and another GREAT decor exercise! :)

Jan at Rosemary Cottage

Here is a link that might be useful: phoebe howard site

I'll take the room with the sofa-size painting in the foreground (though I hate it when the staff push the sofa too close!)...on that delicious wallpaper...

I find myself wanting to bronze/gold-leaf our powder room ceiling now...

Off to research how wallpaper is hung archivally. Found some nice vintage grasscloth at GW last week : )

I find it refreshing that it is not decorated in the "of the moment" decor. How lucky would a little girl be to get to grow up in what appears to be a young girl's bedroom? I think it is pic. 4. I especially love the bedding in picture 5.

Paul Montgomery Studios recommend:
(and I may have the wrong order but)

Paper the walls with liner paper.

Cover the liner paper with muslin.

Install the panoramic wallpaper over the muslin.

This way it can be removed because it is attached to the muslin. It is high cotton or all cotton or silk "paper" so its durable.

It can also be removed quickly in case of a plumbing leak or flood.

A full on scenic room (that this house does not have) can cost $50K just for the paper. Add on the labor of essentially papering the room three times, with a specialist installer who can also touch up paint along the seams, you can see how one would want it to be removable.

I know someone whose client had a mural hand painted because it was cheaper. However, it can't then be removed if the house is sold, which is what they did at some point.

Zuber roomsets even from the 19th c. still come up at auction sometimes.

Wow! I can't imagine the amount of money these people have invested in their home. It's got a lot of stuff going on, but it's all very attractive.

This is the room I am most drawn to. I am not sure how to define why that is. I love the passionate use of color and layering in this room.

My daughter works at the resort near the house and I asked her about the it when she came home from school. She actually works with the high school aged son of the owners and said there are six(!) kids in the family.

I put two and two together and realized that I had been invited to the home about 10 years ago. The street side of the house looks much different than the ocean side so I didn't realize it was the same house.

The Mother was holding an information session for a local private school and I got an invitation. We had just moved in to town and I didn't have anyone to go with. And to tell you the truth, I was a bit intimidated by the house.

Obviously, if I could go back and talk to my younger self, I'd tell her to get over herself!

Doonie, sorry, I called dibs on that room before you -- see the sofa-size painting? :)

And Pal, thanks for the details on archival wallpaper installation...in my own small way it reminds me of the Sicis waterglass mosaic backsplash I made for our kitchen -- I put it on a removable substrate so that if we move and the buyers don't exclaim over it to a level I deem sufficient, I can remove it, fill/paint over the nailholes, and leave a nice bland painted surface for them.

Wow, deee. If they have an open house at any time, you might want to make up for the past : )

Flyleft, yep, I think you are right! It's that cool painting. For me the room flows from there.

Doonie, I hate to break it to you but that's not a room - it's the hallway. You can see the far painting, mirror and lamp in the DR shot through the doorway.

I think the house is very tasteful. Pal, I spotted the LVs right away. 6 to low 7 figures, for sure.

Did anyone notice all the ceilings are painted a color? No boring ceiling white for these homeowners.

Allison, I could hang out easily in that hallway room! It's huge and beautiful!

I think it's absolutely stunning. The only things I'm not wild about are the bright yellow in the dining room (it's tastefully done, I just don't love yellow) and I think that hallway is a tad too busy. I LOVE all of the bedrooms, the window treatments, and the light fixtures. Love all of the details. If I had the money, I'd snatch it up.

It's not my taste, but I can appreciate it for what it is. I think the colors and textures are actually very well balanced. It's beautiful, but I could never live there.

teacats, just a side note to thank you. I'm not familiar with Phoebe Howard and am still browsing her site. The Sleeping Porch hooked me. :) Some rooms are unexpected. In a pleasant way. Some of the beach rooms seem more fitted for Mountaintop, and vice versa. Only it works because she seems to have a light touch as far as that goes. Not into designers, haven't followed any one individual since early Martha. I do like a lot of PHs styles, tho.

Ammielyn, my thoughts exactly

"I adore the outside of the house and with the exception of the aqua striped room the rest is far too busy for my taste. I am a fan of traditional don't get me wrong I'm just more traditional with a heavy streak of minimalist."

moonshadow: You are most welcome! It is fun to find a designer's website and see what they have worked on ... and how it works (or not! LOL!) for your taste and ideas! :)

You just never know when or where decor ideas may pop up! :)

Jan at Rosemary Cottage

Wow - It's fascinating to look at - so many details. I enjoyed browsing the photos. It's artistic and inspired. I do think, practically speaking, that many of the rooms are overstimulating, though. To each his own, but I'm easily influenced by my surroundings, and I don't think I would be comfortable relaxing with the decor. It's just too . . . too . . . too . . . something.

I just had to log in so I could respond.
I want to walk in and say "I'm home honey"!!!!!
I always did have expensive taste but couldn't partake of the fruit.
There is nothing I dislike about that house.
Its rich, elegant, tasteful, charming and sooooo another world from my front porch.
Beam me up.

Wow! I love it.

This "COTTAGE" is much more elegant than Princess Margaret's apartment in Kensington Palace, which was shown on the Today Show recently.

At first glance, I thought the bedrooms in pics 1, 3, and 10 were living rooms. I didn't even notice the beds at first!

That being said, if someone gifted this property (and a crew of housekeepers and gardeners) to us, I could definitely enjoy living there. I love the quality of the art, rugs, and antique furnishings, not to mention the spectacular ocean view.

Everything inside this house is SO NOT my style, but I absolutely LOVE it. I can't pinpoint why or anything, but I really do like it. I tend to normally like rooms that are more minimalistic.

I think they should take Coco Chanel's advice and take off pieces from each room. It is visual overload for me.
The dining room table is simply awful and does not fit with their stuff.
This is how I picture someone with new money who feels the urge to overspend would do their new mansion and with a designer who sees $$$ for all the commissions to be earned. It does not feel tasteful to me at all. While individual items are nice here and there, it is how they are put together that is the problem.
The best room is the blue and white one, yet the stripes on the wall are overkill with the patterned carpet.
The hallway would be lovely if you subtract the ceiling treatments and the paintings they chose. I find the red to be glaring with the tasteful upper part of the walls.

Everything but the exterior feels "off" to me.

FWIW - I showed a house yesterday that was built 5 years ago and is in $1 million and a half range. It was exquisite. The attention to detail, workmanship and restraint was staggering. Usually, when houses are priced so high and so large in our area, they end up looking more like Tony Soprano's house than something with class. I have been doing this for 21 years and this house was, by far, the most wonderfully designed house I have ever seen. I can usually nitpick/improve any house in my mind, but this one was amazing in every detail and choice and needed no tweaking. It showed me just how far our house has to go until it is in the condition I'd like it to be in. We will never have the size and amenities that the house I showed has in our own house, but I aspire to the condition/decor. Sigh..... To think, one could buy several of the gorgeous ones for the price of 1 of the house on this thread. Shocking.

The dining room table is a lacquered Parson's table and it matches the Savonnerie rug. Using a scheme based on a rug is one of the classic solutions always touted in these forums(not that I always agree), as is a Person's table a classic. "Something Off" is also a classic solution to keep the overall result from looking insipid.

I am not saying you have to *like the table, but there is really nothing "awful" about it in the least.

I think it's stunning. I could walk right in and live there as is...but someday I'd change out that bar :p. It is comfortably layered but not over done. Things are not in a kit....thank god!!!!!! Every detail was considered. If new money could buy me of that fabulous old world glamor and comfort...heck sign me up! I love it and would love to know their designer.

I'm with Nancy, because of the light colors of the house it doesn't look "heavy" to me.

I love the decorating. I could tolerate the hallway because I wouldn't spend a lot of time in there.

The bedrooms are to die for. I'm a huge fan of patterned carpet that's in the girl's room.

The house gives off a happy vibe to me.

It's funny how we all have our individual tastes. I love the passionate use of color. In that hallway, I would take that gorgeous painting in a heartbeat. The ceiling treatment is an unexpected twist of beautiful colors. Yummy.

The only room that intimidates me is the entry way. It seems like it was meant to impress rather than invite, but maybe that is just the way any home of that caliber is?

Igloo, I'd change out the bar too.

I am curious what their kitchen looks like. It's interesting that it isn't photographed.

Wow, while the decor is not for everyone (myself included) it is a beautiful home. I love the outside but the interior seems to have a disconnect with it's setting and I too find it to be suffocating or over the top.

It's funny how we all see things differently in regards to this house. To me it looks the opposite of nouveau riche by the fact that it is not decorated in the latest fad.

It looks like parts could have been done in the eighties just as well as present day because the items chosen are classics. It reminds me of the uber expensive apartments on the upper east side that were decorated in the 80's/early 90's and are still classic and elegant because pieces and fabrics that were chosen could outlive decorating schemes/elements that are of the moment.

Like lukkiirish, I feel the outside has a disconnect with the inside but in a different way. I feel the outside wasn't done with as much attention to detail as the inside. An example would be a pic of the balony. The floor seems to be left as unfinished concrete when I would have preferred to finish it with a slate or bluestone. However, I wasn't in control of budget or timeline so who am I to say that they actually completed it or they may have decided to use their money elsewhere.

And I actually love the dining room table as it was one of the first things I noticed when looking at the pics. If you look closely, the same type of table is used in the casual dining area.

I still maintain that the dining room table does not work with its surroundings. The table is not completely awful by itself, but as a combo, it = awful to me. I do not like the lines of it when mixed with the rest of the room. I also do not care for that shade of bright yellow in that context. A color like that should be in a smaller format like a vase, lamp base, pillow, small rug, etc.... The large table is over the top.

What made me think of nouveau riche is that it looks like what someone's idea of a rich person's house would look like more so than a truly elegant home. It comes across as very overstated. Older money usually has more subtlety than that. It is quite ostentatious and jarring to the eye. I prefer more comfortable and pleasant looks. This all looks so frantic.

I guess that makes me nouveau riche. Which honestly I probably am. Is that a bad thing? Honestly, I struggle with elegant and collected over time wince I didn't have five generations before me to collect stuff. But if just two could amass this kind if gorgeous I'm ok with that.

I don't think you've sent enough time with tacky new rich diana. My experience is big time Tuscan ober stuffed, oversized, over gilded. Guilded? My iPod likes neither. Anyhow, this home speaks of taste and class to me verses screaming new jersey housewife...but perhaps that's just because I'd love ti be among this "tacky" few.

I think "overstated" is appropriate, I was thinking that some of it was "overwrought" when I first looked at it.Its not a way that I would approach this house design-wise, but I will never have the opportunity...I don't think its particularly Nouveau Riche, and its probably not old money either--its just very "done."

But Nouveau Riche used in this context is such a pejorative term--with all its underlying animosity for someone who got lucky enough (or unlucky enough) to make a lot of money. I think if a real estate listing of a perfectly clean and presentable but typical house trailer were posted in this forum and "white trash" was used to describe the decor the classist $4!T would hit the fan. Its really a double standard.

I don't think it's great, but I do like most of the bedrooms and the hall with the bright paintings and especially cool ceiling trim. The decor is imaginative, colorful, and layered--a combination that people seem to fear too often. It's adventuresome work, but I don't think all of it is successful. The room that I think is the master bedroom doesn't do much for me--other than a settee. Not sure that I see much logic in an entry hall table in the middle of a bedroom. I do like many of the window treatments--not all. I'm a dining room freak, and I think that one could be improved. Parsons tables (and chairs, for that matter) are very versatile. They've become a when-in-doubt-throw-one-in-go-to item. I think the yellow lacquer is kind of nice there. But I want more rock crystal and frouf. Is anyone else curious as to why they're selling? (The entire old money vs. new money debate makes me want to hurl. This is America. The place is supposed to be about opportunity, not landed aristocracy. Talk to me about whether the decoration is creative and imaginative and colorful and inspiring, not whether it speaks of old or new money. Does it make one gasp and clasp one's hands in delight upon first sight?)

Well said kd and pal...aside from one thing pal...no one gets lucky enough to have "new" money. As kd mentioned, this is the land if opportunity, but in order to take advantage of that one either works hard or takes huge gambles or both. Luck has nothing to do with it!

Luck is a trust fund :p landing on your table without effort, though that also was probably earned on some ancestors hard work and risk taking as well.

But back to the real subject....what I like about this place is it's ability to be remembered in a good way. It certainly fits my life well. I like children's rooms to be imaginative but that also teach them to appreciate good things. The master worked for me because I want that table to be a landing space when not entertaining, and a great space for decor (flowers or holiday tree) when the house is opened up.

No I wouldn't buy all of the art, but the traditionalist in me is too chicken to do so...yet I admire the heck out of people who Can mix the modern with old world.

I really could just walk in...as long as I could find a space for the Thomas the train table....probably where the bar is lol.

Nouveau riche in decorating is not an indictment of someone who has recently come into money, either by hard work or by luck (i.e. Lotto or unexpected inheritance). Nouveau riche to me is about someone who has an unlimited budget and is chomping at the bit for everyone to know how much they have by showing it off in an ostentatious way and refers to the decor more than to the owner of the property. One can decorate tastefully and one can over-do it by a mile. One can be rich and decorate elegantly, beautifully and with style. In fact, in theory, it should be easier for them to achieve a lovely outcome because they don't have budget constraints that the average Joe has and often, they have interior decorators who can keep them from glaring errors of judgment.
It is not about the money spent, but the aesthetic.
I hold expensive properties to a higher standard because if so much money was spent, it should come out wonderfully. If one is on a huge budget, that eliminates many excuses.

I see houses, from all different categories of inexpensive to over the top expensive, every day. Some of the houses of people with a lot of money are done nicely and I am in awe. They are delightful to see. I find that there are also some that are done in poor taste and how much they spent is painful because the outcome is unpleasant. Most expensive houses are somewhere in the middle leaning towards nicely done.

BTW - we have a section of our area where the houses are quite expensive and decorating is known for being over the top, NJ Housewife type of decor. I have seen way too much of it over the years in the many trends it has been incarnated in from bright red sculptured wall to wall carpeting, sometimes even on the walls, paired with velvet wallpaper and lots of gilding, to wild shag carpets and wildly patterned foil paper to the current Olive Garden gone wild with too much stone. Nearby, there are expensive homes that are well known for their charm and restraint and those who choose this area seem less likely to go overboard. Some people who live in each area are wealthy and have been all their lives. Some have come into their money more recently. The decorating is not an infallible clue as to who is who, but it can give you a good guess at times. To give you an example, I live less than a mile from where Mary Jo & Joey B used to live. I saw their house and decorating when it was sold a few years ago. It was not inexpensive, but it sure was "cheap".

I aspire to having new money as we don't come from old money (at least not in my parents' generation). I am surely not judging someone on when they acquired their bank accounts, just how they choose to present their homes to the world. We all know someone can dress trashy or classy and in that context, Snookie comes across as nouveau riche no matter how expensive her clothes and some houses are her type of place. This one is not quite on that end of the spectrum, but it is closer than it ideally should be.

You can call it "layered", but I see it as unpleasantly overdone. It desperately needs to be edited down, IMO. You can disagree, but that is your opinion. Art and decorating are subjective. This is not a pretty house on the inside to my eyes. I'd gladly take many of their individual pieces, but as a whole, I could leave it easily.

I would like it more if it were in a cold climate. Otherwise, in the Georgia heat, it's too oppressive for me and doesn't match the exterior, a pet peeve of mine.

It does remind me of the Biltmore though and overall I like it.

Well said dianalo.