There is something happening on Sullivan’s Island right now. A quiet return to homes that feel rooted. Less performative, more personal. Less trend, more tradition. Think sleeping porches, pine paneling, salt air drifting through divided-light windows and houses that feel as though they have always belonged here.

Few architects seem to understand that balance better than Brent W. Fleming.

Over coffee recently, Brent and I discussed the Americana thread weaving its way through this Summer’s issues of Stroll Sullivan’s Island. Historical homes. Thoughtful restorations. New builds with old souls. While Brent can design in any style, it is his historic renovations and historically grounded homes that truly stand out on Sullivan’s Island and beyond.

Our conversation centered around one particular project he refers to as Summer Sanctuary, a home that immediately stopped me in my tracks the first time I saw it. Warm, layered and deeply authentic, it feels like June on Sullivan’s Island distilled into architecture.

The project involved restoring a historic non-commissioned officers’ quarters structure originally built as part of Fort Moultrie sometime between 1902 and 1930. Over the years, additions had altered the home significantly. Brent explained that part of the process involved actually removing non-historic modifications and restoring the structure to its original footprint.

“It became an exercise in restraint,” he shared.

That restraint is perhaps what makes the home so successful.

Rather than forcing history onto the property, Brent and his team worked carefully to uncover it. Thin-profile custom doors, true divided-light windows, cedar siding, salvaged materials and original pine paneling were all preserved or recreated with incredible attention to detail. The project took nearly five years from start to finish.

“It’s slower work,” Brent admitted. “But the details matter.”

And they do.

One of my favorite moments from our conversation involved something seemingly small: the green shutters. Reader, I became borderline fixated on the color. Not too hunter green. Not too sage. Not too Charleston pastel. Just rich enough to feel historic while still fresh and coastal.

After several failed guesses on my part, Brent finally revealed the the paint color to me only after I signed an NDA.

But honestly, that tiny exchange perfectly captured Brent’s approach to architecture. Nothing is accidental. Every detail is considered carefully, quietly and intentionally.

Brent credits the collaborative nature of the project for its success, including interior designer Allison Abney, Level Building Projects and clients with a clear vision. 

The interiors reflect a kind of understated elegance that feels increasingly rare today. Collected rather than decorated. Relaxed rather than over-designed. Brent noted that while he does not typically “design in color,” he enjoys collaborating with interior designers on palettes and materials, particularly as trends shift toward darker cabinetry, layered textures and more color-drenched spaces.

Still, the architecture itself remains the anchor.

“A deep connection to place guides the work,” Brent said during our conversation, and nowhere is that philosophy more evident than in Summer Sanctuary.

It is not simply a beautiful home. It is a home that feels tied to Sullivan’s Island itself, honoring the past while making room for new memories, salty summers and future generations.