This renovated house of worship is perfectly attuned to the beautiful vernacular of the Lowcountry landscape

This project consisted of the transformation of Sea Island Presbyterian Church from a low country aesthetic into a re-envisioned space with strong Celtic elements and motifs. We achieved this transformation by redesigning the courtyard and main gable entrance, opening up areas of the narthex and renovating the sanctuary. Sea Island Presbyterian Church is located on Lady’s Island, SC. The church was established in 1988 and had a beautiful glue laminated sanctuary in the 90’s. The previous style of the church blended in with the vernacular of nearby Hilton Head Island.

In order to achieve the Celtic motif of the courtyard, we re-designed the space to center around a custom granite Celtic cross that had been commissioned by the Church. The walkway was re-paved with cross patterned brick, and the pathways were lined with benches for congregants. At the main gable we replaced the original doors with glass. This helped create openness and the new identity the church was looking for.

Inside the Narthex we elevated the front, added trusses to the ceiling, created new floor patterns and new finishes to the interior. Along with these changes, we included Iona Scotland canvas photography to the new angled walls at the sanctuary entrance and opened up transoms to provide a better view of the sanctuary space and stained glass. Off the Narthex we reconfigured classrooms and a parlor to become a new community room and removed a closet to provide direct access to the space off the narthex.

The choir risers were rebuilt with better materials and improved sight lines, we also installed new lighting and replaced older mechanical units. We refinished the existing pews, added upholstered cushions, and replaced the original carpeting with LVT. This helped to brighten the existing space and improve the overall look and feel of the sanctuary.

Throughout this project we worked closely with the church to achieve their vision. We are pleased that we were able to make all requested changes and additions to this project and stay within the original budget.