SEA TURTLES AND INTERIOR DECORATING

What do sea turtles and interior design have in common?

See for yourself at the upcoming Charleston Home + Design Show. By the title of it, you probably can easily imagine what the weekend event entails. It’s a great show, but most interesting and fun to me is the so-called “celebrity idea rooms.”

This year, the organizers selected six acclaimed writers in the Charleston area. I’m honored to be one of them. My fellow friends-turned-competitors are poet Marjory Wentworth, cookbook writers Matt and Ted Lee, fiction writer Dorothea Benton Frank, newspaper columnist Ken Burger, and TV chef Bob Waggoner.

Each of us has been paired with a professional designer. I’m working with Amy Floyd of Island Daze Designs, who is also a member of the Isle of Palms Turtle Team. Not only do we share a love for helping the endangered sea turtle species survive, we also enjoy living seaside. Her design talents are a perfect match for my room style—eclectic with ocean-inspired colors. I also love local art, along with antique and traditional furniture. Just for participating in the contest, the Charleston Home + Design Show will make a $500 donation to the charity of each writer’s choice. I selected the Sea Turtle Hospital at the South Carolina Aquarium.

Now, here’s the competition side of it. The idea rooms will be on display Friday-Sunday at the Gaillard Auditorium where visitors cast a vote for their favorite room. The winning writer receives an additional $500 to donate to their selected charity.

I’d be thrilled to help win $1000 for the Sea Turtle Hospital, which rescues sick and injured turtles, then rehabilitates them so they can return to their ocean home.

I hope you’ll come out Jan. 29-31 to enjoy all the aspects of the annual Charleston Home + Design Show and take a look at the idea rooms. You’ll get a glimpse at the personal style of each writer while also helping a good cause.

Sea turtles and interior design do have something in common!