The Ultimate Art and Design Guide to Charleston

Artisan culture is deeply embedded in Charleston’s 350-year history but saw renewed interest in the aftermath of Hurricane Hugo, the 1989 natural disaster that damaged many landmark structures. Few U.S. builders had the proper skills to restore period iron, plaster, and woodwork, so local officials laid the groundwork for the American College of the Building Arts, a school that integrates a liberal arts education with teaching these specialized skills.

Yet Charleston’s close-knit maker community extends far beyond architecture, construction, and design to include innovators producing exquisite handmade goods imbued with Southern charm. These four are among those leading the charge.

Brackish

While preparing for his wedding, Ben Ross sewed turkey feathers to a bow tie after noticing they shared a similar triangular shape. The stylishly offbeat accessory impressed his groomsman Jeff Plotner, who saw potential in translating nature’s beauty into eye-catching wearables. Fast-forward 17 years, and Brackish has grown into one of Charleston’s premier purveyors of fashion accessories, expanding into pocket squares, cummerbunds, cuff links, and feather-adorned earrings.

Multiple specialists work as a team to construct each one-of-a-kind piece. Vibrantly patterned feathers from turkeys, peacocks, guineas, and pheasants are hand-selected from local farms, meticulously trimmed, and sewn, then packaged into custom pine boxes. “There’s no shortcut for that handcrafted nature,” Ross says. “That’s the beauty of Mother Nature’s paintbrush.” 

Smithey Ironware

Cast-iron vessels are beloved for nonstick cooking and heat retention; however, Smithey Ironware founder Isaac Morton first fell for the smooth surfaces and vintage logos on the old rusty skillets he liked to collect. After he developed an expertise in restoring these forgotten treasures to exceptional heavy-duty cookware suitable for contemporary kitchens, his company was born.

Making the array of skillets, Dutch ovens, and roasters is a complex, multilayered process. After workers in his foundry create metal shapes by pouring molten iron into a mold, they use machines to hone the grainy, sandpaper-like surface, a process called tumbling. The works are washed and seasoned, which involves using oil to cure the surface, an effect that prevents rust and oxidation while achieving a glowing copper hue.

That natural coloration distinguishes Smithey Ironware’s acclaimed cookware, which also comes in lightweight carbon steel. The decade-old brand’s explosive popularity has required adding on-site manufacturing and distribution facilities to its showroom in the Charleston Naval Complex. Despite this rapid growth, Morton’s passion for cast iron is as strong as ever. “It’s an awesome product,” he says. “It’s a lost art in many ways; I want to share that with people.” 

CHI Design Indigo

Caroline Harper wanted to study shibori, the dyeing technique that creates rich indigo patterns, so the longtime graphic designer traveled to Japan. There, she quickly became enamored with the radiant blue dye, which also has ties to South Carolina. Indigo was a crucial cash crop in the area during the 18th century, thanks to farmer Eliza Lucas Pinckney. As a result, its buoyant shade even graces the state flag. “It’s such a rich color, different from any blue,” says Harper, who was born in France and was drawn to Charleston for its European sensibility.

Local cultivation had dwindled, and that lost practice compelled her to research and revive the art. Her studio, CHI Design Indigo, grows indigo, extracts its pigment, and dyes natural materials to make brilliantly hued accessories and homewares like napkins, scarves, and earrings. (Hand-painted ceramics are coming, too.) Her success dovetails with a renewed interest in heritage crops and their thorny history in the slave trade, which Harper doesn’t shy away from. The studio’s name nods not only to her initials but also to the positive energy force she hopes to tap into and spread through her craft. 

Middleton Made Knives

Watching Conan the Barbarian ignited Quintin Middleton with a passion for making knives and led to a six-year bladesmithing apprenticeship after high school. He later narrowed his focus to culinary knives, marketing his wares to Charleston’s bold-name chefs. Unfortunately, nobody bit, but the acclaimed charcutier Craig Deihl let Middleton shadow his kitchen and witness exactly how chefs used the tools—an experience that proved formative.

With that knowledge, the artisan painstakingly perfected his skill and established his burgeoning business as the go-to supplier of finely made culinary knives, available in high carbon, stainless, and Damascus steel, and outfitted with dyed birch and Kirinite handles in striking shades of blue and magenta. Star chefs Kwame Onwuachi and Marcus Samuelsson count themselves as fans.

Despite his success, Middleton remains focused on steady growth and uplifting his community. “Now that I’ve built my brand and reputation,” he explains, “I can build up instead of out.” He recently opened a brick-and-mortar shop in St. Stephen, a predominantly African American town an hour outside of Charleston. It’s the country’s first Black-owned knife retailer—a milestone he hopes will inspire the next generation.