MISS MOOX: Charleston

Whitney Kreb's oil paintings celebrate the relaxed elegance that is seaside living. The artist, who splits her time between Charleston, SC, and Nantucket, MA, creates unique compositions of coastal scenery that are harmoniously graphic and painterly. Her aesthetic is constantly evloving as she reworks and reinvents mainstays that include sea life, ocean views, and the familiar streets of her hometowns. She also paints on-site murals in local designer showhouses and private homes.

Whitney received her BA in Studio Art from Davidson College and her MFA in Painting from the Savannah College of Art and Design. She has also studied in Florence, Italy, and the Art Students League in New York City. While in Charleston, she works and exhibits out of her studio at Redux Contemporary Art Center and is represented by the George Gallery and the Charleston Artist Collective. Whitney is also represented by Robert Foster Fine Art, Coastal, and the Artists' Association of Nantucket in Nantucket, MA.

Is there anyone you credit with gifting you your artistic ability and/or teaching you your skills? Or did you just pick up a brush one day and get lucky?
My grandfather was a very talented artist. He always brought me new art supplies and I always had an easel in my bedroom growing up. I had a ton of encouragement from my parents and was lucky to attend art camps and classes outside of school. I took my first oil class in 10th grade and was pretty much hooked after that.

Since it varies for each artist, we want to know what inspires you?
The beach, coastal living, the 1980's, fashion and interior design bloggers, my two homes- Charleston and Nantucket- all the people, places, style and local colors.

Do you hang your own work in your home?
I do. They kind of revolve in and out, but I have tried to hang on to the ones that have special meaning to me. I also have some work by my artist friends- I am always up for a trade!

Is there a specific artist/work that you covet?
I am a huge fan of Wayne Thiebaud and Richard Diebenkorn. I also love Alice Neil, Laura Owens and Elliott Puckette. Locally, the George Gallery and the Charleston Artist Collective have a great selection of contemporary Charleston artists.

If you were not an artist, what career do you think you’d have?
Probably still something in a creative field- maybe an architect or something in the fashion world.

Rapid fire…
Favorite city to travel to? L.A. West side.
Guilty pleasure? Steve Winwood, Phil Collins, and Richard Marx
Favorite restaurant in Charleston? High Thyme and Basil
Saturday activity: beach, shopping, museum, festival or sofa? BEACH. But the others are a close second.
Three words to describe yourself: sarcastic, grateful, optimistic

If you are interested in purchasing any of Whitney's art please stop by Eclectic, call us at 843.388.7002 or email sidney@eclecticcharleston.com. Remember, these will only be available during the month of May and yes we will ship for an additional charge!

Eclectic is a Charleston, South Carolina based full-service boutique interior design firm in specializing in the design of residential projects including entire homes and the styling of individual rooms. We also offer virtual e-design services. Please email sidney@eclecticcharleston.com for additional information.

Eclectic is a retail shop/design studio located in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina (just over the bridge from downtown Charleston) selling an array of vintage mid-century pieces, repurposed items, new products and locally made creations with a fresh Modern meets Coastal aesthetic.

Ahhh lighting!...One of the most important (and one of my most favorite) parts in designing a space as lighting enhances a room by greatly changing the mood-not only with actual light but with how the materials and finishes play off each other. We recently had the opportunity to visit an amazing lighting company, The Urban Electric Co. and it left us feeling OH. SO. INSPIRED!



Where all the magic happens...

The Urban Electric Co. was founded here in Charleston in 2003 by Dave Dawson who had a clear vision for the company as well as a strong passion for design and craftsmanship. Dawson personally oversee's the entire process from the in-house marketing campaigns down to the way the products are shipped, this quality-control over his brand is what has made Urban Electric the company that it is today.

All light fixtures are handcrafted by local, trained artisans who take pride in each step of the process while making these gorgeous works of art! They are made from the finest materials which makes them not just pieces you will have for a few years...but investment, heirloom pieces that you will enjoy for a lifetime!

Team of artisans hard at work

Athena Pendant in the making...

Baxter Wall Sconce

Shade for Metro Wall Sconce

Another interesting feature about The Urban Electric Co. that you need to know...all of their light fixtures are totally customizable. Need a different color, size, finish?... They can do it! That makes Designers like me really happy! In fact, most of their designer collaborations came about due to Designers/Architects customizing some of their pieces and The Urban Electric Co. enjoying what they were creating! Some of these collections include talented Designers like Amanda Nisbet, Tom Scheerer, and Amanda Handegan. Here are just a few of our favorites...

Above images via

View all of the collections here!

So, do you need to re-think some of the lighting in your home?
Go check out The Urban Electric Co!

Eclectic is a Charleston, South Carolina based full-service boutique interior design firm in specializing in the design of residential projects including entire homes and the styling of individual rooms. We also offer virtual e-design services. Please email sidney@eclectic-idg.com for additional information.

Eclectic is a retail shop/design studio located in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina (just over the bridge from downtown Charleston, South Carolina) selling an array of vintage mid-century pieces, repurposed items, new products and locally made art with a fresh Modern meets Coastal aesthetic.

Prior to being cognizant of who Tom Scheerer was, I was pulling images of Tom Scheerer interiors from shelter magazines to inhabit my Inspiration boards and notebooks (this was way before Pinterest was born).

"Part of the alchemy is in the dynamic way that Scheerer combines classicism, old-fashioned decorating, and a clean, modernist sensibility, much as David Hicks and Billy Baldwin did in their days. Hicks and Baldwin are two of Scheerer's favorite forebears in the trade, and he's always maintained that their frank, generous books (including Billy Baldwin Decorates) taught him most of what he knows about decorating. Hicks gave him the notion that boldness can coexist with appropriateness. Baldwin made it clear that an unpretentious ease looks good on even the fanciest clients."

Scheerer's clients are affluent however one of the things I admire most about him is his ability to decorate their homes in a very polished, yet unpretentious manner. A defining moment of his career was when the home he bought in Charleston, South Carolina was photographed for House & Garden in 1997. He tastefully combined traditional and modern elements, as Scheerer gracefully does, which looked unlike anything that was being published at that time. Most people would have bought that very same house and decorated it entirely being authentic to that period. But thankfully, Tom Scheerer isn't most people! This combination of old-fashioned style with more casual, modern elements can be explained when you look to Scheerer's past. His boarding school and country club roots blended with the laid-back weekends Scheerer spent at his family's beach home are both ever present in the interiors he creates.

I love this line from the Introduction to his book describing Scheerer as "self-deprecating with aristocratic manners and a surprising grasp of street slang."

Scheerer talks about how a collection of hats grew organically under the stairs at his grandparents East Hampton's beach home, purchased in 1945, in which his family still owns today. This "seat-of-the-pants way of evoking freshness and happiness in a less than perfect situation", is something that he has carried with him and incorporated into many of the homes he has decorated over the years.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and learning more about one of my all time Design Crushes! I knew that "hats" were a bit of a signature of Scheerer's but to learn where that came from for him personally and to think about how he either consciously or unconsciously adds that detail in his designs was really interesting for me. And I am stoked to have a big, beautiful coffee table book full of his amazing interiors at my fingertips to look to next time I need a little design inspiration.

Want to pre-order a copy of his book? Email sidney@eclectic-idg.com.

Eclectic Interior Design Group is a full-service design firm based in Charleston, South Carolina working on both residential and commercial spaces. Please email sidney@eclectic-idg.comfor additional information.

Eclectic is a retail shop/design studio located in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina selling an array of vintage pieces, repurposed items, new products and locally made art with a fresh Modern meets Coastal aesthetic.

Charleston is known for it's porches or piazza as we like to call 'em! It's time to enjoy these last days of summer and I have to say there's nothing better than ending the day in the comfort of your own porch... shoes off, feet up, drink in hand, I mean what's not to love?

Via
That is exactly where I want to be right now..

Southern Living
Southern Living called this the "Classic Charleston Porch".. a class southern design indeed!

Southern Living

Via

Eclectic Interior Design Group is a full-service design firm based in Charleston, South Carolina working on both residential and commercial spaces. Please email sidney@eclectic-idg.comfor additional information.

Eclectic is a retail shop/design studio located in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina selling an array of vintage pieces, repurposed items, new products and locally made art with a fresh Modern meets Coastal aesthetic.