This Industrial-Modern Residence in Charleston Is a Showcase for Local Art and Design

Listed for $1.3M, Metamorphosis House brings together the vision of architect Kevan Hoertdoerfer with numerous other artists and designers.

Text by

Kathryn M.

View 11 Photos

A modernist gem last featured in the September/October 2018 issue of Dwell Magazine is now up for grabs in Charleston, South Carolina. Complete with a colorful, floating staircase, the loft-style home was playfully reimagined in 2017 by local architect Kevan Hoertdoerfer in partnership with creative consultant and current homeowner, Karen Baldwin. Today, what was once a concrete block duplex is a canvas for local artwork—with a soaring, sculptural exterior that is a work of art itself.

The Hampton House is located just outside of Charleston's historic district in the Wagener Terrace neighborhood, across from the park it's named after. The front yard, designed by landscape architect Robert Maerlender, features green circles of astroturf stamped onto a gray canvas of shale and framed by an angled wood fence. — The Hampton House is located just outside of Charleston's historic district in the Wagener Terrace neighborhood, across from the park it's named after. The front yard, designed by landscape architect Robert Maerlender, features green circles of astroturf stamped onto a gray canvas of shale and framed by an angled wood fence.

The home's most striking feature, an angular galvanized steel roof designed based on the sun’s movement, initially received pushback from local neighbors who opposed the contemporary design. Fortunately, with the home's location just outside of Charleston's landmarked historic district, residents were eventually won over by the roof, now celebrating it as a neighborhood landmark. For Hoertdoerfer and Baldwin, the process is embodied by the Charles Bukowski poem that is painted on the home's facade: "Everybody roll with it—everybody do their thing."

Inside, the eye goes immediately to a floating staircase along one wall. Hand painted by local artist Tess Thomas, its wood treads add a pop of color within the voluminous great room.

Offering three bedrooms and three bathrooms, the airy interior features a free-flowing floor plan and a double-height great room at its center. To create such a voluminous interior Hoertdoerfer replaced the upper part of the original cinder block structure with a concrete-supported, double-height loft, which is now fully occupied by the master suite. Light pours in from translucent polycarbonate-paneled windows and two walls of glass that stretch along the facade. Keep scrolling to see more of the property, currently listed for $1,295,000.