Photos by Meghann Padgett
What do you look for in a house? Some would say an open floor plan, others might respond with high ceilings or a specific number of bedrooms. You might not think to say that a house’s story is something that attracts a buyer to it. Yet that is exactly what made not one, but three Aiken interior designers fall in love with one old home in the Thoroughbred Country for the last five decades.
Built in the 1950s, this Cape Cod house was designed when the Savannah River Site was getting established, which brought more Northerners to the area and with them, a distinct personality to the neighborhood. Though the house appears small at first glance, it boasts five bedrooms and has approximately 3,000 square feet of charm and history.
It was the home’s layered story that captivated Nandina Home & Design co-owner and principal designer Susan Victor and lead designer Michele Merritt — although at different times. Aiken designer Julie Adams owned the house before them in the 1970s and ‘80s.
As four walls are a designer’s muse, each owner brought their personal touches to the house: Adams actually had an old doctor’s building (more than 100 years old) — which was going to be torn down — transferred to the property to preserve and restore it.
You can read the rest of this story in the February/March 2026 issue of Augusta magazine.
Seen in the February/March 2026 issue of Augusta magazine
