A BREATHTAKING SPRING ON HILTON HEAD ISLAND

Photo courtesy Mary Pracht

You can’t imagine how beautiful it is on Hilton Head in the pre-dawn hours when soft light begins to illuminate old oak trees trailing Spanish moss, tropical Palmetto trees - back-lit like an elegant stage set. While the sun rises over the ocean the world is quiet and peaceful; the visual effects will take your breath away.

On Friday, February 15, 2013 the Wall Street Journal Magazine published a fascinating article, “The House That Gucci Built.” The owners are Domenico De Sole and his wife, Eleanore. He is the former empire builder and CEO of the Gucci Group. These world travelers vacationed on Hilton Head for years before building an oceanfront home and moving here permanently. A year after retiring from the Gucci Group, he and Tom Ford joined forces in 2005 when De Sole became chairman of Tom Ford International.

In the magazine article there is a stunning full page photograph of the owners standing on a terrace overlooking an L-shaped pool. He is tall and debonair in black-tie, flanked by his wife who is stately and svelte in a long, straight gown. A handsome couple, they are living the life on Hilton Head. The 69-year old Domenico rises at 5 a.m. and strolls along a covered walkway to a spacious guest house on a second-row ocean lot where he has a home office. From there he runs a major fashion company, Tom Ford International, which now has 19 free-standing stores in 17 countries. A flagship store recently opened in Beijing; a new London store will open in the fall.

The full page photograph of the house shows a soaring vertical expression, a structure with lofted ceilings, a curved ceiling in the great room (to reflect the light) with large expanses of glass – perfect for their art collection. When he travels he jets to Milan, Hong Kong, London, wherever the requirement is, departing from the small, four-gate Hilton Head Airport where the fresh smell of pine greets travelers.

The article mentions asking De Sole if he is the only Roman on the island – actually, one of our favorite Italians is Ida Zeger, who is married to retired attorney Warren Zeger who bears an uncanny resemblance to actor Kevin Costner. The Zegers live on Baynard Park Road in Sea Pines where, instead of watching oceanfront sunrises, they enjoy endless views of Calibogue Sound and spectacular sunsets. Parties there take full advantage of the views.

Hilton Head has always attracted notables. Having chronicled social events off and on for years in local newspapers and magazines, I think of early hero-residents such as Air Force chief General Nathan Twining and Lt. Gen. Edward J. Timberlake, commander of the U.S. Air Force’s Continental Air Command. Historical novelist John Jakes once said that the island was a place where islanders left their medals at the bridge. He also said the island was one of the most beautiful areas he had ever seen, that everything good was put here by God, or nature, not by a developer or a tourism promoter. He and his wife, Rachel, lived here for 32 years.

Other high profile residents, second home owners and visitors have included Home Depot co-founder Arthur Blank, currently the owner of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons; Michael Jordan, former NBA player who owned a house in up-scale Wexford; fiction author Patricia Cornwell who once owned two large oceanfront homes here at the same time (and would fly in piloting her own airplane); former New York mayor John V. Lindsay, TV personality Gary Moore, NBC’s Frank Blair, J. Edgar Hoover’s right hand man Deke Deloach. Visiting aboard their yachts in the Harbour Town Marina were Walter Cronkite, Joseph E. Levine, Jackie Gleason. The annual Renaissance weekend, hosted by islanders Phil and Linda Lader (Phil became the U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain) drew CEOs and intellectuals from across the country, including President Bill and Hillary Clinton (she became our U.S. Secretary of State).

There have also been well known musicians, such as John Mellencamp who has owned oceanfront homes; Jimmy Buffet who visited and jammed with Mellencamp at a favorite watering hole in Harbour Town , The Quarterdeck. Even Gregg Allman of the Allman Brothers brought his bride Cher to visit second home beachside owners Phil (Capricorn Records) and Peggy Walden (the coconut vine was really rumbling over that visit). One of the younger singers, songwriter and composer (“Barely Breathing”) Duncan Sheik spent part of his growing up years on Hilton Head as did another up-coming musician Trevor Hall, the talented son of Jeff and Wendy Hall. Trevor is noted for his songs "Other Ways" (which was part of the Shrek the Third sound track) and "Brand New Day", among many others. He spent his last two years of high school boarding at Idyllwild Arts Academy in California where he met many international students. His senior year he was signed by Geffin and later by Vanguard Records. He is currently touring.

We’re having an early springtime explosion of real estate activity. Inventory is down. In Hilton Head Plantation some houses in the $300-$500,000 range are selling almost as soon as they are listed. Buyers slow to make a buying decision are left in the dust. One new listing called a “showhouse” is priced at only $599,000 (make an offer).

The South Carolina Real Estate Association’s year-end report shows the number of home sales in the Hilton Head Island area have increased by more than 20%, a larger jump than any other part of the state. However, prices are still low, as are interest rates, making this an ideal time for the smart buyer to step in. Even the Wall Street Journal reports that in Vail, Hilton Head and Palm Beach foot traffic is up by at least 30% this year.

Several days ago Steve Kroft of “60 Minutes Sports” was here, filming and interviewing the architect of the Harbour Town Golf Links, Pete Dye on the 18th fairway. The interview is to be shown on "60 Minutes Sports" in July.

Some interesting golfers with huge fan bases have committed to play in the upcoming RBC Heritage presented by Boeing on April 15-26. Since the Heritage Classic Foundation, the general tournament sponsor, was founded in 1987 it has donated more than $23.5 million to hundreds of non-profit organizations. A recent Clemson University study revealed that the golf tournament brings in over $83 million a year to our area. For tickets, you can go online to rbcheritage.com/tickets. If you are unable to come to the island for this popular event (which has been compared to one big tail-gate party) it will be televised on Thursday and Friday on the Golf Channel and on Saturday and Sunday on CBS Sports.

Tag lines: Hilton Head lifestyle, nature, Gucci house, John Jakes, Patricia Cornwell, RBC Heritage Golf, Bill and Hillary Clinton.

Showers of Stars Fell Over Hilton Head Island

Adding to the excitement of the holiday season were meteor showers!  As the Earth crossed the orbital Temple-Tuttle bits and pieces from this comet burned up as Leonid meteors in the Earth’s upper atmosphere.

The Leonid shower produces some of history’s most spectacular displays.  Many islanders, as well as other earth-bound creatures, were up early to witness the event. The showers are easily observed over Hilton Head, unlike cities where tall buildings and an abundance of lights block the stars.

Holiday productions such as “The Nutcracker” enchanted viewers; Christmas parties were in abundance.  One in particular creates a special ambience each year.  It is hosted by Kate and Russ Keep, popular, long-time islanders who enjoy entertaining.  In some homes it is easy to see “pride of place” manifested in the way things are done, as well as great attention paid to detail.

For this annual party, guests entered a private courtyard through large wrought iron gates decorated with entwined vines of colored Christmas lights.  A stroll past blazing torches led into a home decorated with live greenery: greenery swags caught with red bows at windows, a large beautifully decorated Christmas tree, a fire burning in a fireplace lined with antique metal fire plates depicting scenes of gaiety.  The plates reflect the heat out into the room, an important feature before central heating.  Servers offered champagne and later, passed trays of hors d’oeuvre.

Even a cursory look at this home tells the viewer that the owners are incurable collectors.  World travelers, they have a fascinating collection of treasures:  Flemish tapestries hang on walls; antique furnishings add a soft, burnished glow.  There is a Tuscany wine-tasting room complete with stucco-swiped walls and old wooden ceiling beams; a statue of Bachus, the Roman God of wine, looking down from high in a corner with his horns and hoofed feet.  In the center of the room is a “wine jail,” a wrought iron Spanish-looking safe holding a gross of bottles under lock and key. 

On the rear patio, pine logs burned popping and shooting up sparks from a Chiminea, warming the crisp but still mild air.  Guests like to gather here, under the stars, near a Koi pond and a bubbling waterfall.  Beyond is a natural wooded area and a mature stand of Black Bamboo.  Later, after a sumptuous buffet featuring fried turkey, Kate played her mother’s Baby Grand piano, which she learned to play as a young girl.  When guests finally departed they were filled with Christmas spirit!

International travel is impacting the United States.  The National Association of Realtors Global Research Report for 2012 reports that international buyers purchased $83 billion dollars of U.S. real estate last year.  Hilton Head has been a prime destination for international travelers for many years.  We’ve had many buyers of island properties from other countries, especially England.  The island is a top destination for Canadians who comprise our Number 1 market in sales to international buyers.  Sales are up 24 percent of international sales, up from 11 percent in 2007.

Nancy Kemeny was on-island from London, England before Thanksgiving.  Her husband, Tom, stayed in their London home to attend to business while Nancy enjoyed their Hilton Head home, which they have owned for many years.  The family later met at another home in Barbados for Christmas.

Dana and Diederik Advocaat, accompanied by their teenaged sons Alexander and William flew from their home in London, England to spend the holidays on Hilton Head.  The family usually vacations here in the summer and has for many years.  They plan to retire here.

Katherine and James Kapps enjoyed their second “retired” Christmas in their beachside home.  Long-time property owners, they moved to the island from northern Virginia.   Their close friends, the Shirley Beavers, have also moved here and live a couple of houses away from the Kapps!  Katherine Kapps’s sister, Jeannie Lawrence and her husband, Mike, live not far away.  They moved from their Nashville, Tennessee home many years ago to enjoy the island lifestyle.  In the “small world” department, Jeannie’s childhood friend from their early days growing up in Greensboro, N.C., Andy Sonfield and her husband, Bob, live on the same street as Jeannie and Mike!

Bloomberg Business reports that home prices climbed more than forecast in October, indicating a rebounding real-estate market that will bolster the U.S. Economy for the first time in seven years.  On Hilton Head we’re still seeing cash buyers coming into the market, purchasing big-ticket properties as well as lower priced inventory.  One of the most popular price ranges appears to be the $500,000 range but $3 million to $6 million isn’t unusual either.  Regardless of who is buying or what the price is, the purchaser finds the restorative power of Hilton Head an added bonus.