At Home In Wexford Plantation

Ask Barbara Soiref about her new home and her enthusiasm is refreshing. "We love Hilton Head," is the first thing she says. "The people are wonderful. We have more friends here already than we had in 37 years in New York. Several years ago, Barbara and her husband, Brian, retired from the hustle and bustle of a city lifestyle, gave up their apartment, and bought a lot in the Wexford Plantation where they built a very special home.

Mike Ruegamer, a principal of Group 3 Architecture, was the Soirefs' link with where they had been and where they were going. He designed the 3,700-square foot home especially for this contemporary couple in a decidedly conservative enclave. His very first drawing was all that they needed, and a deep respect was born. "Mike is a genius," Barbara proclaims without a trace of doubt.

Barbara is an experienced designer herself, and she and Brian have been collectors for many years. There was an instant understanding among the homeowners and their architect, especially regarding the principles of a contemporary aesthetic. The integration of Wexford's British West Indies ambiance with the comfortable, contemporary voice is what makes this home so unique.

"When guests come for dinner, the house reminds them of an upscale New York apartment," explains Barbara. People here are southern, and their tastes are traditional, but they're amazed at how contemporary can be so comfortable,"

Not only is the contemporary comfortable, it is also incredibly well considered, and one of the home's most revolutionary features isn't even evident unless you already know it's there. Beneath the stucco facade, Ruegamer designed the home using Autoclave Aerated Concrete, or AAC. Ruegamer describes AAC as a durable, lightweight material that resembles concrete blocks but can also be cut just like wood. Blue Heron Construction of Hilton Head built the home from Ruegamer's design.

AAC is also soundproof and termite resistant. Its density lends an almost adobe-like element to the design. The homeowners are completely pleased with the choice. "The aerated block allows for thick walls," says Barbara. "It gives depth to the window design of our house. Our windows are almost set in. It's kind of a New York brownstone look, especially at the transoms on top."

The key element of the home is the relationship of a lovely Colonial-style veranda, with myriad different interior access points. Three sets of French doors adjoin the interior rooms, and a wall of windows offers a unique perspective whether inside looking out, or outside looking in. The veranda features wood planked ceilings, which spoke from a single corner post beam. Fresh air and intimate outdoor dining in the comfort of home is a welcome addition to the lifestyle of these transplanted city dwellers. "We spend half our lives out there," Barbara admits.

Part of the genius of the design, according to the Soirefs, is the way the home's structure complements their contemporary furnishings. In the living room for example, the unique squared trey ceiling creates a recessed area, like an inverted box in the center of the room, where the height reaches 12 feet. Below the perimeter of this line, Barbara arranged the living room seating, which itself has simple squared lines and deep comfortable cushions.

She also points out that despite its current incarnation as upscale contemporary, the basic structure of the home also contains a classical quality. "Our house turned out to be kind of a neoclassic with a slight influence of West Indies," she says. This blend is important because it ultimately allows more flexibility and doesn't sever its ties with the traditional.

Select maple throughout the home, and New Zealand Berber with linen trim in carpeted areas, anchors the bright palette of creamy whites throughout the open spaces. Cool grays from the Benjamin Moore line, and fabric wallpapers in the private rooms, contrast briefly with the dominant whites. Barbara believes, "the simpler it is, the harder it is," and says that her home doesn't have the luxury of hiding behind too many interior elements.

"Everything has to be wonderful because you don't have a lot of furniture, or chotchky," she says. "Whether it's the architectural features or the furnishings, it can't be cheaply done because there's nothing to hide behind."

She and Brian adore their home and their architect. "We had so much fun doing it," she says. Their goal now is to continue acquiring the pieces that will help personalize their unique home. "The walls are white, the trim is a different white, but because Michael so brilliantly did the architectural features and walls the way he did, it screams for artwork. And that's what we're doing."

Surely, these expatriates will continue to bring a taste of elegant urban contemporary to their Hilton Head home, while both inspiring, and learning from, their new friends and neighbors in this melting pot town.

[ TO TOP ]