Modern aesthetics meet country style Even Michelle Jewell is surprised that she fell in love with the marshlands that back up to her home in Wadmalaw Island, South Carolina. The island, a 10-by-6-mile haven just south of Charleston, is quieter than its neighbors, Johns and Kiawah islands; covered in marshes, woods, and live oaks; and has long been a locals-only sort of place, with little development.

Michelle Jewell and Ryan Amick sit with Bernie on the front porch of their Wadmalaw Island, South Carolina, residence.

Jewell, who grew up on a farm in upstate South Carolina, and her husband, Ryan Amick, have been in the Charleston area for 15 years. Over time, they inched away from the city center?moving first to James Island, and now Wadmalaw?in search of a more peaceful location to live. ?I?m very used to quiet, open spaces and space to garden,? Jewell says. ?I was feeling cramped on James Island and really wanted to get out in the country again.?
At the time, Jewell had been running a toy company, Fink Toys, for eight years, and was itching for a new direction. She turned to her heritage for inspiration.

Jewell was surprised to find out that the home had been built in the 1990s, as its handmade qualities, like cedar shingles, peg and groove floorboards, and reclaimed moldings, belied its age.

?My dad?s aging, and he?s leaving [his] farm to me, so it was time to actually learn about farming,? she says, adding that in her ...