Prado Outdoor project

Sullivan's Summer House

Sullivan's Island is a barrier island off Charleston, and a summer house there lives outdoors from April to October. This project treats the porch and deck as the primary living space of the house rather than an overflow from it.

Barrier island conditions are unforgiving in a specific way: salt-laden wind moves across the property constantly, humidity stays high, and furniture is used wet, by people coming off the beach. The response was teak that can be left unfinished and hosed down, stainless hardware that will not weep rust onto decking, and upholstery that drains and dries rather than holding water in the foam.

Seating was arranged in two zones, a sheltered porch group for morning and evening and an open deck group oriented to the dunes. Cushions come from our South Carolina program with quick-dry reticulated foam, so a cushion soaked at noon is usable by dinner. Fabric was selected from the Sunbrella range in the sand and greige family, which sits comfortably against weathered teak as it silvers.

Specified for this project

• Grade A teak heartwood, unfinished, allowed to weather naturally
• 316 stainless hardware, no plated fasteners near salt air
• Quick-dry reticulated foam so cushions drain and dry in hours
• Sunbrella solution-dyed acrylic in warm sand and greige tones
• Two distinct seating zones, sheltered porch and open dune-side deck