As the couple behind Charleston’s ultra-stylish Dewberry Hotel, Jaimie and John Dewberry know a thing or two about creating an atmosphere—including in their own 1770s house in the Holy City. Functioning as a private home for 100 years and then as a grocer for another hundred, the classic “Charleston single”—two rooms wide by three stories high—set within the original city walls has seen a great deal of change over the centuries while maintaining its historic charm. Despite its impressive history, the Dewberrys don’t treat the house like a museum: Dogs and children are welcome in all the rooms, and there is nothing they enjoy more than having every room bursting with family and friends. “I think in that beautiful mess is where the special moments of life happen,” says Jaimie.
During the holidays, the house embodies the season’s spirit, and with the couple’s first child on the way, this year’s celebrations have taken on an even more meaningful air. “Walking into our home at Christmas time my heart explodes,” says Jaimie. “The twinkling lights from all the candles, being greeted by the Christmas tree right off of our front door, and the smells of the fire that John starts before I even get out of bed—which I am so grateful for—is truly magical.”
