Couture & Construction
Couture & Construction
Southern Elegance: Exploring Charleston Design with Betsy Berry
Welcome back to Couture & Construction! In today’s episode, host Andrew Denny sits with Betsy Berry, founder and principal designer of B. Berry Interiors, in Charleston, South Carolina. Betsy shares her journey from growing up in the Lowcountry to working for one of the top design firms in New York City and eventually starting her own firm.
Andrew and Betsy discuss Southern Charm, community, and historical preservation amidst modern influences. Highlights include the balancing act of growing a business and challenges such as the impact that weather has on historic homes.
Have a guest you’d love to hear on the show? Send us a text!
Episode Timestamps:
01:08 Meet Betsy Berry
03:32 Betsy’s Journey into Design
03:51 Influence of Southern Roots
05:30 New York Adventures
08:24 Starting B. Berry Interiors
12:07 Defining Southern Elegance
14:10 Balancing Historical and Modern Design
21:54 Sourcing Materials in Charleston
25:43 Charleston's Expanding Design Influence
33:14 B. Berry Interiors' Unique Approach
35:08 Rapid Fire Questions
Connect with Betsy
About Couture & Construction: Hosted by Andrew Denny of Textures Nashville, Couture & Construction is an uplifting podcast dedicated to the many different aspects of the luxury building industry. Through thoughtful conversations with makers and business owners, Couture & Construction is a weekly podcast that breaks down the luxury side of the construction industry. Join us as we share the stories and introduce you to the people behind beautiful spaces.
Follow us on Instagram!
Welcome back to Couture and Construction. I'm your host, Andrew Denny. And today we are recording once again from the charming city of Charleston, South Carolina. Our guest today is Betsy Barry, the founder and principal designer of Beats. BeBerry Interiors, a firm known for its sophisticated, timeless, and deeply rooted Southern designs.
Based right here in Charleston, Betsy's work celebrates the rich history and unique character of the Lowcountry, while embracing a modern sensibility. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for creating spaces that feel as good as they look, Betsy has become a leading voice in Charleston's design community.
BeBerry Interiors has been featured in Vogue. Garden and Gun, Southern Living, Elle Decor, Architectural Digest, and more. And Betsy was named a finalist for the ADEC Southeast Designer of the Year for her commercial work in 2018 and for her residential portfolio in 2021. Betsy, thank you so much for being here.
Great career you have. Tell us a little bit more though about who Betsy Berry is outside of interior design.
Betsy Berry: First of all, thank you for having me. I'm honored to represent Charleston and our design scene. A little bit about me I grew up in the Lowcountry. I grew up in Hilton Head, South Carolina and I live in downtown Charleston with my husband.
I have two daughters, a ten year old and a six year old. We love being on the water and going to the beach and and traveling. My office is two blocks away from my house. Oh, very cool. So we live in this kind of little bubble. I always joke. It's like we, everything is very walkable. Um, my mom thinks I live in a big city, but after living in Manhattan, I'm like, mom, this is not, it's not this crazy city, but I love the location where we are.
And I love being in this tight community in downtown Charleston.
Yeah, we typically stay in downtown, but this time because we had a little bit bigger team with us, we stayed on spring street and everything was so walkable from there and people coming by all day and students and every demographic you could see.
And it just has such a charming feel to it and great. restaurants and coffee shops, everything just really, it does feel like you're in like Chelsea or something. I mean, it's just a really fun area to be in. So I see why it's so desirable to be in that community and it felt very community forward too.
Like it felt tight knit. People were saying hello to each other on the street that obviously knew one another. It didn't feel very transient.
Betsy Berry: It's like, we're proud of our neighborhood, you know, we are stewards of these homes. It really is an investment, not just from a real estate perspective, but like you're putting love into the homes that we live in because they're very old.
And I think it's what I've noticed after living in Charleston this long, it takes a certain type of person that. That wants to put that investment back into a house. And so I think watching the neighborhood grow. It's something. Yeah, that we're proud of. And now we have all the good restaurants and coffee.
So now we're like, Yeah,
well, you should be proud. And I think that's an amazing Thing to say is that you're a steward of it. I mean, these, these represent generation after generation after generation of, of people being in them and you're truly a steward or caretaker of, of the property. So that's really cool.
So let's jump into the. Journey in design. You mentioned you grew up on Hilton head. Can't get much more Southern than that. How did growing up in the South shape your perspective on style? And from there, what inspired you and what was kind of the path to starting BeBerry interiors?
Betsy Berry: I would have to start with my grandparents, which.
Maybe very Southern, but they were a huge part of my life. They grew up in South Georgia. My grandfather played football at the University of Georgia. Oh wow. And my grandmother, they lived all over the country eventually. 'cause his business took him a lot of places. So they were very well traveled, but they were the epitome of Southern to me.
And their home was very much a representation of that with the things that they carried. Mm-Hmm. . Right. Like the antiques and, Mm-Hmm. Oil paintings and rugs are things now that my mom. Has in my parents home. And so that really spoke to me when I was younger. And then growing up in Hilton Head was quite interesting because Hilton Head was a newer island, right?
It was not developed until the 70s and 80s, really. And so The architecture there, for lack of a better term, was, it was essentially lacking. And I joke about that, I crave architecture, I love the details of houses, especially old homes, because that was not represented on Hilton Head. When visiting friends or other family throughout the South, that very much was a part of the home, right?
And so I think that that's something innately just impacted me very young. But otherwise, growing up there, I would say just Purely the environment. Being on the water all the time, shrimping, crabbing. It just was a lot smaller than it even is today. So that is something I didn't even realize either until I moved to New York.
And then I would tell people about my childhood and they were very Fascinated by it. And I was like, Oh, it is pretty cool. You know?
Yeah. Very cool. Yeah. So what happened when you went to New York? What, what brought you there? Stubbornness and will. I
Betsy Berry: just one day decided I had moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, and I thought that was the city, right?
Coming from the small island. And I realized, Oh, this isn't big enough. And one day I was working in this art gallery and I said, you know what? I'm moving to New York. And I went back to school at the New York school of interior design. Oh, wow. Cool. So I applied to school and I got in. And I moved there with an air mattress and a bag of clothes.
That's awesome. And my mom was like, you're insane and horrified. Yeah. She was horrified,
but never coming back.
Betsy Berry: I was, I was very stubborn in my well to get there.
And what did you learn?
Betsy Berry: Oh, my gosh, it impacted my life in so many ways. I look back at my 20, gosh, three years old self and think, wow, I was brave to do that.
You know, it was a little crazy, but I think those decisions in our lives are really the decisions that shape us that, you know, when you're kind of edge on that cliff and you jump and that's exactly what I did. And I was so I was so lucky, number one, because I got into the New York School of Interior Design and I was able to study there.
But I went to school at night, and so the whole time I was working. And the other lucky break is I got, I applied to a job off Craigslist, I'm dating myself. And I was working for Stephen Sills in Fort Hunterford. Wow. Who are some of the top in the industry. And so that was a break. You know, that was, I was very lucky to walk in that.
And that could only
happen there. Right. Exactly. I mean, wow. Very cool. Very cool.
Betsy Berry: That was really my intention. I was like, if I'm going to do this, if I'm going to study the art of interior design and make this kind of my life. I wanted to work for the best, and that was really one of the driving reason to move to New York.
And then
Betsy Berry: I was lucky and got that job. So that really opened up so many doors and so many experiences.
Very very cool. Yeah. So how did you end up in Charleston?
Betsy Berry: So my husband is a chef and we lived in New York for about 10 years.
You couldn't get two better places to be a chef and an interior designer.
Betsy Berry: Well, he, like, loves New York and wanted to stay there. Of course, it was the energy there and everything there we, we both loved. But I just knew, I was like, I'm having a family there. Especially with our opposite. Careers and hours at that time. It just was not, it was very, I always joke. It was when people say, do you miss New York?
And I say, like, I miss my twenties because I cannot recreate this phase of my life. That's right. When that phase was coming to an end and we wanted to start a family. And so we looked at other Southern small cities as well. We, we kind of did a little tour, but my husband was offered a job in Charleston and I was secretly a Wishing and hoping.
I was like, Oh, please. And so it worked out. And so we moved to Charleston.
Wonderful. And tell me about the journey and opening. Be very,
Betsy Berry: I look back and I tell my employees is to I, I was always taking notes, positive and negative of running a business. And I really, really believe there are certain people.
Personality wise that are made to run or want to run a business. And I was always that type of person.
We're crazy.
Betsy Berry: Right.
Crazy control freaks.
Betsy Berry: Exactly. Yes. And all my employees would agree with
you.
Betsy Berry: So I I knew when I moved to Charleston, that's what I wanted to do. But to be honest, I really questioned myself.
I felt very intimidated. I felt like we didn't really know anyone. I was like, How is anyone going to ever know me? And I remember talking to my husband and saying, Should I just go work at a bank? I just had this whole kind of And he was like, no, can you imagine what you would like the furniture that you would have to be around and what you would have to wear?
And it really like snapped me out of it. I was like, you're right. I could never do that. Um, so I don't want to make it sound like, Oh, I just walked in and opened this business. Like it really was something that grew organically. It was word of mouth. And my, again, because my husband's a chef, I, first I had people coming to me and saying, can you do, a restaurant.
I've never done a restaurant. I came in from high end residential in New York, and I said, sure, I'll do a restaurant. Sure. Why not? So I just started doing them. And then that grew to 86 cannon, which is a small hotel in Charleston was really part of that. That was like my first. You know, big project and I was like,
really significant recognition.
Betsy Berry: Yeah. Yeah. Wonderful. I'm very, very proud of it. I, I still love it. You know, there's, there's not many things that you can do. We're eight years later. You walk in and go, Oh, I still love this, you know, and the clients are lovely and they trusted me and they gave me this chance and we worked very well together.
So it started organically in that way. And then I just, I did, you know, I tell my employees I've had every job here. Now I have 10 employees, but at one point I did every single role. And now it's just grown to the point where we are now, which I love the size we are. And it's like, we have a little family.
Oh, that's awesome. Very cool story. Very cool story. And very neat beginnings to transition from high end residential to boutique hospitality and, and really kind of shift and expand your horizons while you're getting A business off the ground. Absolutely. I think,
Betsy Berry: right, not putting yourself in this niche that I only do this.
I just said yes, because I wanted to learn, right? I wanted that opportunity to grow and to learn, which it always leads to other things.
Well, and, and also just being one of the lessons you learn, the further you get into business is, I remember I, I used to literally say yes to Everything,
Betsy Berry: right?
Andrew Denny: Everything.
And now it's like you, you have to train yourself at some point to say no. A few times. You're exactly right. But so it's kind of like reverse, right?
Betsy Berry: Exactly. And that you're right. That's a lesson I've had to learn too, because at first it was, yes, I want to learn. This maybe makes me uncomfortable or I don't understand it.
So I'm going to take it. And now you're absolutely right where I have had to train myself to say this is not it. Goal focused. We're at capacity. And I'm very, I try very much to be aware of my employees workloads and not I want to really give them work life balance. You know?
Andrew Denny: Sure.
Betsy Berry: Yes. Now it's a matrix that I'm dealing with, you know?
Andrew Denny: No, very, very cool. Talk to me a little bit about how you would define southern elegance and design. And when you're creating, how do you use that to impact the space?
Betsy Berry: I might be biased because I am Southern. I think when you leave a place, you almost learn more about it. So in leaving the South and moving to New York, it made me have more of a reflection of what Southern means.
Because again, I would meet people and they would ask me, they were fascinated by the Southern culture. Which is just something we take for granted, right? Because it is our culture. And so I recognize that and started to observe that Southern design is warm. It's welcoming. I think it's very hospitality driven in a residential sense, right?
That's one of the first questions I ask clients. How do you entertain? Tell me what. That looks like to you, not just Thanksgiving, but like a Saturday, you know, and I think that's a big part of our culture is having a door open, having a snack, having a cocktail. I think that drives Southern design. I also think, like I said before, like the things we carry, you know, what means something to you?
What did your grandmother give you? How do you want to display this? You know, I think it, it tells a story and the home and we carry those stories.
Andrew Denny: Very, very cool. The heritage of what we had given to us and
Betsy Berry: right like you're silver, you know I mean every Christmas I was given a fork or a spoon or things, you know
Andrew Denny: as a child I was like so funny.
My sisters were too. They were given a place Yeah, yeah, well now they cherish it more than anything but boy, yeah my nine year old sister, you know getting her silver setting from our grandmother was You know, yeah, you're
Betsy Berry: like, thanks. And now, yes. Now in my forties, I'm like, this is so lovely and what a beautiful tradition, you know, I think those things really epitomize like Southern design.
Andrew Denny: I would totally agree. I would totally agree. So you mentioned architecture earlier. And Charleston homes often blend historical architecture with modern living, especially probably in the last 10 years, where we've seen just a tremendous growth. How do you balance that? How do you approach that when you go into projects?
Betsy Berry: Well, it's funny. I'm thinking of There's a whole spectrum, right? There's a construction side, just the, let's just talk about HVAC for, you know what I mean? Like that is a whole beast of itself. And at some point, what I've been learning, because I'm very curious about it, I'm always asking the contractors or whoever, why did this happen?
Or how does this happen? I mean, we've had projects where plaster ceilings have fallen in.
Andrew Denny: Oh, wow.
Betsy Berry: Over time because of the moisture, even though it's all sealed and like, so I'm very curious about it. And the bottom line is the homes were not built for that, right? They were built to breathe and we're sealing them.
And so there's a whole construction side. And I've said this before, too. I joke that we live in boats, like these homes are the way that they need to be maintained for the moisture and for the age. It's like, you have to take care of them like that, you know, reseal the wood and things like that. So that's.
One major part of it. Sure. And then there's the actual history of these homes and the architecture is a whole nother beautiful gift. I think I've, I literally have cried and hugged the walls of houses before because they're that beautiful and finding that artistry is very difficult, you know, in today's world.
Absolutely. And so to be able to have that history and then From an artistic standpoint, to be able to bring it life for a new or younger family is like such a joy because I don't think it has to be like you live in a museum, and that was really how I felt moving from New York. I felt like I had this kind of fresh take on a lot of.
More modern or contemporary pieces or lighting. And I tell my clients a lot, you know, imagine a Parisian apartment where you have this really ornate moldings and wall paneling, but then you have this really beautiful contemporary light fixture. And it works.
Andrew Denny: It works beautifully. Yeah. We often say pretty plus pretty equals pretty.
Betsy Berry: Yes. Very true.
Andrew Denny: But the Parisian apartment is, is a great analogy. So I just want to back up to construction real quick. With these buildings being so old, and you just brought up a good point, like, are there limitations to what you can do? Like if somebody buys a home on, you know, we're on Spring Street, beautiful old home, what are the limitations?
Or are there any? Is it just a limitation of money?
Betsy Berry: Okay, I'm gonna give you an example because I thought if you had enough money, you could solve it, right? We can seal it. Like I said, I would ask all these questions. Can we do this? Can we do that? Well, over this past summer, it was like in August, it was one of the hurricanes that came through.
It didn't mean it didn't hit Charleston, but I'm saying there was an immense amount of moisture and humidity.
Andrew Denny: I remember that. And it rained,
Betsy Berry: rained constantly for like four or five days. And it was like. really hot, like 98, 100. So, so obviously everyone's HVAC is full, full, full, full. In my home, which was built in the late 1800s, part of the ceiling came down and then in the primary bedroom and I was freaking out and my husband was like, Betsy, you know, this happens.
This is how these houses are. And I was thinking in my head, this would not happen. And I was thinking of a specific client and I had dinner with her and she said, you're not going to believe what happened. Part of the ceiling came down in the guest bedroom and the wallpapers peeling off the wall.
Andrew Denny: Wow.
Betsy Berry: And I watched this house painstakingly be put down. Together, right? There was no detail that was overlooked. And so then I'm talking to the HVAC, the gentleman that owns the company and was asking him all these questions. And he said, Listen, I mean, it's science, right? We can insulate these homes and we can get them to 75 degrees, especially on the upper floors.
There's a point where it's not going to be
Andrew Denny: 68.
Betsy Berry: And if you're keeping your unit on 68, or your mini split, because a lot of these homes have HVAC and many sure
Andrew Denny: I've seen that.
Betsy Berry: Then that's when the moisture comes
in
Betsy Berry: and there's nothing you can do. And I was like, Oh, okay. So there is a limitation. Like, it's science.
He was like, the roof of this house is probably 145 degrees, right? And you have so much area of insulation. You have
condensation and dew points happening within the dwelling.
Betsy Berry: So that's what he was saying.
Andrew Denny: Interesting. Interesting. So, I've heard a few people now mention there's like an architectural review board.
Betsy Berry: Yeah.
Andrew Denny: What is that like from a professional standpoint of having to walk through that journey?
Betsy Berry: Well, you know what? I would say it has a reputation of being, oh, it's a pain. It takes a lot of time. Yes. And it can really hold up a project.
Andrew Denny: Mm hmm.
Betsy Berry: But, I have to admit. that I respect the board because Charleston looks the way Charleston does because they are strict.
And if they had let that waiver during this mass amount of, you know, development that we've had, and there is controversy about it in certain parts of downtown, then Charleston would not be Charleston. The charm would be completely wiped away. And so yes, it can be difficult, and there can be things we really want to do that are denied.
But at the end of the day, I've I've taught myself. I'm like, you know what? I respect this because I love the way Charleston looks.
Andrew Denny: And it's funny because it's every community I think has that. So, and in Nashville, you know, there's a lot of large like estates that people would consider like country estates, right?
But there's wastewater and septic issues that you have to navigate. And it's like, no, those need to be done. Well, and yeah, it's a delay, but not solving that on the front end is an issue. And with Charleston, it's probably not when there's been a bunch of people moving here that those standards needed to be upheld.
It was probably when it wasn't right. It was probably 20 years ago or 30 years ago that thank goodness, because you could have a lot of these areas, you know, with big signs and just. Absolutely. In the wrong type of commercial environment. It was years
Betsy Berry: ago when the development first started happening, when they came in and said they stopped it.
Andrew Denny: Yeah. No. And thank goodness, because that's really the appeal here. Absolutely. I mean, it's such a beautiful city and the more you're here and the more you walk through it, it really is like a, it's a, it's something to treasure.
Betsy Berry: Yes.
Andrew Denny: And it's unique.
Betsy Berry: You know, in the United States, we don't have. This is very obvious to say, but when you go to Europe, you're just seeped in history.
It's, everything around you is, it's so overwhelmingly beautiful because it's all around you. And in the United States, it's like we have a certain city where this history has been maintained. And I think it's really important. for future generations to see that just from a student's perspective, to be able to walk into these houses and look at these details, I think is very amazing for American architecture.
Andrew Denny: It's unbelievable. Tell me about sourcing. So being here in the South, you're in a great city here. What is it like sourcing for materials to make these beautiful and still maintain The look and the quality that you want is Charleston. Has it matured in that way where they have really good sourcing options?
And of course you can get anything from anywhere, but it wasn't until recently in Nashville, which is two times the size of Charleston that we really started getting. wonderful, you know, resources for design professionals. Historically, it's always been, you know, go to Atlanta if you're in the South and absolutely, absolutely love a deck.
They two time podcast guest, but historically, are you seeing those changes start to happen in Charleston where you're, you're getting, You know, we recently one of my favorite Schumacher, you know, step in a beautiful, yeah, it's like those types of things that previously, you know, you had to be in Atlanta or New York, Chicago.
Betsy Berry: Yes, I think. Well, you know, when, when I first moved here. Coming from New York, I, you know, I had the New Yorker chip on my shoulder, and I would just go back and source everything because I knew it so well, right? That's where I learned my craft. It was
Andrew Denny: actually easier for you. It was, yeah,
Betsy Berry: and still in my head, I can picture where something is there, but I've, I had to force myself to say, no, you live here now.
Right? You need to go and you need to understand this city and even Atlanta. Like I had never gone to ADAC, you know, and to learn on these sources. And I think, I mean, obviously, Charleston has an immense amount of beautiful antiques. And that is something that we are very lucky to have. And that is local.
And that is ever changing and growing. And it's, they have some really beautiful, uh, Things. And we have Fritz Porter opened, which was a showroom to designers, which was really big because that really didn't exist before that's ever in the Navy. Exactly. Yeah. Right. By urban electric. Yeah.
Andrew Denny: Yeah.
Betsy Berry: There are a lot of designers in Charleston.
And so just that being said, the industry has grown and therefore the resources for that has grown with it.
Andrew Denny: Very cool.
Betsy Berry: Yeah.
Andrew Denny: And it seems like we were surprised to see urban electric. We didn't know that was only a 20, 25 year old company. Yeah.
Betsy Berry: Yeah. It's amazing. What,
Andrew Denny: from a designer's perspective, what is, like, because they're really an amazingly creative company, that's kind of a feather in the cap of, of Charleston's design scene to have them headquartered here and fabricating here.
What has that meant for you being in this? In this industry.
Betsy Berry: Well, it's something we're proud of, right? We're proud of urban and they're so kind and and I, I look up to them from a business perspective. I mean, they've done an amazing job. And, you know, it's funny when I was young and working in the city in New York, we would source from them and So I did and I knew they were in South Carolina and Charleston, but I didn't really think about it and then not until I had moved I had met there's someone that I had email with for probably seven years and then I was at a dinner party and somebody said, Oh, this is from urban.
I'm like, Oh, my gosh, wait, are you the that I've been emailing? And we're like, hugged. This is so crazy. And so To be able to go to Urban and tour the factory and get to know so many of the employees, it's a very personal thing, you know, and I think that they really set their roots and put their trust into Charleston when it was a lot smaller, right, when it wasn't so much on the map from a national scene, and so now it's like the, you know, now they get to reap the reward because I think, you know, People love to come down and to visit.
Andrew Denny: It's awesome. Yeah. I mean, it's fantastic. It's really, really a very cool thing. Talk to me a little bit about, so we obviously have Charleston, which by itself is, is relatively small. It's like a borough in New York city, but then you have all of these fantastic surrounding areas from the barrier islands, like Kiowa, and now there seems to be a very big expansion and like the Beaufort area.
How are you seeing Charleston's impact on design in those areas? Are you attracting clients from those areas? Talk to me a little bit about, about just this area in general.
Betsy Berry: Well. It's like Charleston is becoming the city, and you're so right. I compare it to, because we're a peninsula, I'm like, we're Manhattan, and then you have Brooklyn and Queens, you're right, and then you have these outer boroughs, and Charleston is becoming, which I'm so proud to say, but it's like the city, like where, when people are coming down here and buying these beautiful homes, restoring them, or like, uh, larger estates near Beaufort, they know that they can turn to To the location of Charleston and find craftsmen and dedicated artists and, and a whole crew of people that can provide.
What they need.
Andrew Denny: Sure.
Betsy Berry: We have an amazing designers in our city. We also have like amazing craftsmen. Yeah.
Andrew Denny: Yeah
Betsy Berry: and artists I think that the map is only growing now I think like you said it's expanding not just on the peninsula or outer areas. It's it's the coast the full coast
Andrew Denny: Yeah, it's really just breathtaking and you can see Charleston's Design ethos woven in to these different areas.
Like we were out on Kewa Island yesterday, and even though some of the homes were really big, even seeing homes that were built 25 years ago to homes that were just recently completed, you could see this great common thread. Uh, southern architecture and, um, and then you come back into Charleston and you see the origins of it.
It tells, it tells a really neat story. So what do you think the future holds for, for this region? Like where are you seeing design? It's, it's obviously to me, everywhere you go in the South, it's more approachable. So you mentioned there's many more designers. Our lived environment is very different than when we grew up where just mom and grandmother like really just innately seemed like made a beautiful home and sourced a great antique and you know, there was a local fabric store and reupholster and that's evolved to where we are now.
What do you think the future holds for design in Charleston?
Betsy Berry: I think that in general, social media and the technology we have and the internet and all of that has really made design more approachable to people. And I think it's really opened up the whole kind of vast interest of it. You know, people tell me all the time, you should post this.
And I'm thinking, why? Like this is, this is what I do to me. I, yes, I find it interesting, but I, I guess I'm surprised how interested. So much of the population is and what we're doing. I think it's more approachable I think for Charleston in general, obviously the growth is going to be we're still growing and I I think you know I would say ten years ago or before that there was kind of one type of design and now there's not you know I have friends where Friends of mine who are designers were, it's not, it's not all the same.
This is not just a low country quote unquote design there. There's a whole spectrum of people here to deliver what you really want for your home. And I think at one time it was a lot smaller and not seen that way.
Andrew Denny: I love that. That's very cool. And that's quite honestly, yeah, that's something we've seen in Nashville as well, where, where, It's a much more global approach.
And I think you're right. We can credit social media for broadening the horizons of everybody. One other thing before we jump into a couple seasonal questions that we have for you. You know, Charleston, I think aside from architecture is really known, and this is, will be appropriate for you because your husband's a chef, is really known for being a culinary destination.
Mm
hmm.
How would you say? That, uh, the food scene, the hospitality scene here has impacted not only design, but life and lifestyle, which then again, comes back and seems like it impacts design.
Betsy Berry: I think it goes back to like, let's just talk about the neighborhood, right? Going to the coffee shop every morning and you see my husband goes every morning and it's like.
I joke, it's like his clubhouse and he'll bring me a coffee and say, this is who I saw and this is what's happening. And so it's, so it creates very much a sense of community because there is, like in Nashville, a lot of people have these same interests. They enjoy good food, they enjoy good coffee, they enjoy good wine, you know, so there's already this.
It's a constant kind of conversation. Did you see this open? Have you tried it? Have you been there? What did it look like? And the design is the next question, right? Because I joke, like, when my husband and I go out to dinner, he, he's tasting food and I'm looking at the lighting, right? Like, what? Were
a good
Betsy Berry: or a bad.
Um, sounds like a great blog pair of you guys. You guys, you guys can hit. A lot of you guys can hit a lot of, uh, reviews. Reviews. I don dunno if it's a
Betsy Berry: good thing or a bad thing, but we're, you know, constantly looking around and reviewing. But that is, everyone does that, that, you know, I have 10 employees and we.
All the time. Where did you go eat? How was it? What did it feel like? What? You know, because it's not even just about the food. Yeah, it's about the whole experience in that environment. Sure. So I think that very much is Dictated by design and affected by design and the southern part of that is how strong hospitality is You know, it's a huge part of Charleston culture.
Andrew Denny: Yeah, yeah,
Betsy Berry: yeah,
Andrew Denny: absolutely love it. Okay. So we're just a few days from Halloween and I'm curious, does Charleston get festive for the holiday and what types of decor do you see?
Betsy Berry: Yes. Well, you know, I feel like I'm repeating myself, but. To have these stately homes, these beautiful, gorgeous, you know, homes that are 200 plus years old, and then to have giant cobwebs on them and spiders and, you know, Halloween decorations have become such a thing now, you know, I think when I was a kid, it was like, you just put Put the candy, uh,
Andrew Denny: jack o lantern, right?
Yeah, exactly. We
Betsy Berry: had like, you're right. We had like a couple of years. Um, but now it's so cool. I mean, to go south abroad into these older, the really old neighborhoods and to see the decor and then take that away. And you just at night have Spanish moss. gas lanterns. So there's already this spooky element to the city, the old part of the city, and then to add the Halloween into that is huge.
Andrew Denny: Yeah. We were out touring Sullivan's Island the other day and I was like mesmerized by the decorations out there. Yeah. Like this is, this is really something like, I mean, people are into
Betsy Berry: it. It's getting competitive, you know.
Andrew Denny: Share with us something that you'd like our audience to know about your firm.
What sets you apart in this market, not only in Charleston, but in the South?
Betsy Berry: Hmm, I think that the way that I and we at my firm approach design is very personal and also very Bespoke very custom and I think sometimes that scares people like oh, it's custom It's expensive and that's not always the case and that's really what I learned years ago where You can go to the actual workroom and build the piece of upholstery exactly for the client and how they live and Instead of buying it from the manufacturer who added the cost from the work room, if that makes sense.
And so we take great pride into the amount of detail that we put into all of our homes. And that goes back to our relationship with our clients. We recently installed a project for a lovely couple that we worked on three years. Wow. Interior architecture, full design, and when we install our homes, we bring in organizers, we make the beds, we, we put everything in the closets, because I always say, I want you to come home and not have to do anything, because the process is a lot, right?
Yeah. And that's what we are here for. To help you to take all that stress off your hands. So, like, the candles are lit. It's styled when they walk in. And that's what we work so hard to do because it's such a joy. And then, you know, to have our clients. Tear up with joy, and then I cry and we hug. Yeah, it just means so much to me and my staff.
Andrew Denny: Yeah, that's awesome Yeah, very very cool. Congrats on creating such a neat business and thank you and really Lifting up the community through what you're doing. So thank you then wonderful conversation now. It's time for rapid fire.
Betsy Berry: Oh gosh
Andrew Denny: spring or fall Fall. Okay. Well, you're in luck. It certainly feels like fall out there.
If you could collaborate with any artist or anyone in the industry, who would it be?
Betsy Berry: Ooh, that is a good one. Um, Gracie Wallpaper.
Andrew Denny: Ah, I love Gracie. Morning routine must have?
Betsy Berry: Cortado. Oh. With oat milk.
Andrew Denny: And favorite building in Charleston?
Betsy Berry: That's a hard one too. My favorite building.
Andrew Denny: Or place.
Betsy Berry: Oh my gosh. I just thought of five.
Um. I'm in the Nathaniel Russell house.
Andrew Denny: Okay.
Betsy Berry: Every time I walk in, I'm in awe.
Andrew Denny: I need to check that out then. Okay. Well, Betsy, thank you so much. You were fascinating. I'm so glad that you made time to be on the show today. Our audience will love hearing from you. Tell us how our audience can find you.
Betsy Berry: Be Berry interiors.
That is my. Instagram and my website, so it's just two B's and berry like a strawberry. So it's pretty simple,
easy.
Betsy Berry: Yeah,
Andrew Denny: well, thank you again. It's clear that your work honors the past while embracing the present, creating spaces that are both beautiful and livable listeners. We hope you enjoyed today's episode and found inspiration in the timeless elegance of Charleston design.
Be sure to check out the show notes for more information about Betsy Berry and B. Berry interiors. We'll be back next week with another exciting guest from Charleston. So stay tuned and follow us on Instagram at Couture and construction for updates. If you love today's episode, please share it with your friends or write a review on your preferred podcast platform.
Couture and construction is proudly presented by textures Nashville, where creativity and craftsmanship co exists. Converge produced by knuckle dragger studios and Chelsea ran. And this episode was recorded in 100 watt studio in Charleston, South Carolina. Until next time, keep cultivating creativity.