Historic Charleston Foundation in partnership with Explore Charleston and Southern Living present Illumination Charleston December 1 – 4, 2023
August 23, 2022
Historic Charleston Foundation is proud to present the second Illumination Charleston this December with our partners, Explore Charleston and Southern Living, where we celebrate preservation inspired design. Events will be held December 1st through 4th including designer vignettes at the Aiken-Rhett House Museum, Design in Mind Series at Second Presbyterian Church and the Southern Living Illumination Holiday Village.
Design in Mind speakers include the Mary Celeste Beall and Jason Bell of Blackberry Farms and David Netto, an LA based designer and writer published in Vogue, Elle Décor, Architecture Digest and Veranda, et all. Celerie Kemble, celebrated A-list designer, tastemaker, and author will be interviewed by fellow designer, Ceara Donnelly. Tickets go on sale at IlluminationCharleston.com starting August 19.
To kick off the weekend, the Opening Night Party will be at the Aiken-Rhett House Museum on Thursday, December 1 from 6 – 9 pm. Unofficially named the “party of the year” in 2021, the Opening Night Party is your first chance to see the site-specific designer vignettes in the historic, preserved-as-found house. Designers invited to create in the space include Dani Motley of Salt + Stem, Stephanie Summerson Hall of Estelle Colored Glass and Kathryn Maresca Faull of Maresca Textiles. In addition, famed interior designers Cortney Bishop and the dynamic duo behind McLaurin Parker will be joining the team. Each of the designers will be at the Opening Night Party, to celebrate with live music, Lowcountry hors d’oeuvres and drinks provided. Additional one-night-only designer vignettes will also illuminate the party for the evening. Tickets are $250 each, but early birds can purchase tickets for $200 until September 18. Full price begins September 19.
Be sure to see the Designer Vignettes on Friday or Saturday, December 2 or 3 at the Aiken-Rhett House Museum. With an individual ticket of the House Museum, guests can spend time to appreciate each vignette, designed inspired by preservation and history. The designer vignettes will be on display for two days only.
Additionally on December 2, celebrity chef Kardea Brown will host Southern Living’s Illuminaries Holiday Dinner. The Southern Living Illumination Holiday Village will be located at the Charleston Visitors Center with taste making demonstrations and talks on Saturday, December 3. In conjunction, the Aiken-Rhett House will be hosting workshops at the Aiken-Rhett House, inspired by the designer vignettes surrounding them.
On December 4, unwind with coffee a curator-led tour of the Nathaniel Russell House Museum. Decorated for the holidays, enjoy local treats in the formal garden of the Russell House followed by an exclusive tour of the 1808 Meeting Street mansion. Lowcountry authors and artists will be in the garden to enjoy before and after tours.
Tickets go on sale at IlluminationCharleston.com on Friday, August 19 until tickets sell out. Each event has limited capacity; tickets are required.
