I recently returned from a fabulous trip to Savannah (Georgia) and Charleston (South Carolina).   I will give you a recap of up my trip in two separate posts, there is simply too much to share in one!  This post will focus on Savannah.    I met my cousin Wendy (who lives in Tucson) and we hit the ground running.    The Historic Savannah Foundation has been hosting tours of private homes for 78 years and it was so great to spend two days walking through beautifully restored spaces.  As much as my fingers were itching to take some photos, we were politely asked to refrain from interior photography, all other photos in this post were shot by my trusty iPhone…

Enjoy…

Some interesting facts:

1.   Savannah has the largest urban landmark historic district in the United States encompassing a 2.5 square mile area.

2.  Savannah was founded in 1733 by General James Edward Oglethorpe whose colonial plan was based on a grid of residences and broad thoroughfares with spacious public squares at regular intervals.

3.  Twenty-one oak-canopied squares surrounded by lovely homes and churches give Savannah a character of its own.

I was so inspired by the history, beauty and charm of this city…I knew that my trip was going to be relaxing when I walked out of the Savannah airport and was greeted by these:

  S.C.A.D.  (Savannah College of Arts and Designs) is located here and hosts over 9,000 students in such diverse majors including historic preservation and furniture design.

Even the bathrooms at S.C.A.D are cool, I shot this in the women’s room…

Exterior shots of some homes in Savannah…

Yes, that’s me in front of this famous landmark in Savannah…

As the story goes, life at the remote cottage was lonely for Florence whose closest companion was her devoted collie. At an early age, she developed a close affinity with the passing ships and welcomed each one with a wave of her handkerchief. Sailors began returning her greeting by waving back or with a blast of the ship’s horn. Eventually Florence started greeting the ships arriving in the dark by waving a lantern.

Florence Martus continued her waving tradition for 44 years and it is estimated that she welcomed more than 50,000 ships during her lifetime. There is a lot of unsubstantiated speculation about Florence having fallen in love with a sailor who never returned to Savannah. The facts, however, about why she started and continued the waving tradition for so many years remain a mystery.

Even the drain spouts are charming…

A lobby in one of the S.C.A.D. buildings…

My design inspiration from this leg of my trip was the beautiful vintage chandeliers and the finishes in the homes, such as plaster crown moldings, beautifully carved staircases and wrought iron…

Stay tuned for my next post on Charleston, here is a sneak peek!