A Pittsburgh couple pays homage to their UK heritage on South Carolina’s Kiawah Island. By Regina Cole. Photographs by Durston Saylor.

“This is not a beach house,” says Dan Sullivan, the recently retired, or, in his words, “semi-retired” CEO of FedEx Ground. That is, perhaps, a counterintuitive statement, given that the house in question stands at the edge of one of the world’s best beaches, Kiawah Island’s famous 10-mile stretch of sugar-white sand. In April of 2008, Sullivan and his wife, Vicky, moved from Pittsburgh to their new home: an 11,000-square-foot Shingle-style house designed by Mark Finlay, the Connecticut-based architect who has become the designer of choice for style-conscious residents of the South Carolina barrier island.

“We’ve done 26 houses on Kiawah,” says Finlay, who has been designing homes on Kiawah Island for 10 years. “People saw our first home, liked what they saw, and that led to more commissions.” He adds, “Working with Dan and Vicky was a special experience. They are great people with great taste—this house was their dream.”

The Sullivans have been coming to Kiawah since the mid-1980s. Vicky grew up in the South and was familiar with the area, so the couple initially rented here with three other couples.

“We fell in love with the area and have been coming back for vacations ever since,” she says. “When we decided to build our dream house, we knew it would be here.”

The couple, like most island visitors, was attracted to Finlay’s Kiawah houses. Before choosing Finlay to design their new home, however, the Sullivans engaged in a stringent process which involved calling other architects, conducting interviews, and ensuring due diligence.

“Everything we learned—about the way his firm conducts business, about his process, and about the end results—confirmed that he was our man,” Dan says. “We chose him for his artistic side, but were convinced by his business side.”

Gray with a black slate roof, the Sullivan house rises three stories to the peaks, dormers, and chimney pots associated with the irregular massing of the Shingle style. A lower level includes parking for six cars, while a separate guesthouse provides additional garage space, as well as a gym and home theater. The Sullivans’ dream included the formality of a dramatic entry and main staircase, the beguiling architectural elements of the English Arts and Crafts Movement, a gorgeous and very functional two-story kitchen, lots of space for guests, and a layout that situates the public rooms on view-centric upper floors.

The guest bedroom suites are located on the ground level, where guests can walk right out to the pool and beach. The kitchen, dining room, living room, and library occupy the level above that. The master bedroom suite is on the top floor, “where the views are simply spectacular,” says Dan. A small balcony looks oceanward from the master bedroom, distinguishing the gable face with a Palladian window and a deep, columned porch.

“We designed the roof with deep overhangs to provide shade,” Finlay adds. “The main orientation is south and east, and the sun in South Carolina gets awfully hot.” An evocative interior includes a hall and double staircase paneled in rich dark walnut in the style of British manor houses. Wood paneling includes quartersawn oak in the kitchen, mahogany in the master bedroom, and darkened cherry in the home office.

“Everything in the house is English, Scottish, or Irish,” says Finlay. “Dan is very proud of his heritage and pays homage with the architectural elements.”

One Celtic feature is the endless knot, known as Cashel, whose design elements can be seen on the home’s railings and gate etchings. The couple even named their home in honor of the knot and carved it into the gate pillars.

“We visited the Rock of Cashel in Ireland several times; Cashel is a cathedral and monastery in ruins,” explains Dan. “The design we used at our home is carved into the base of all the Irish crosses located at Cashel.”

Another architectural element that gives a nod to the traditions of the Carolina Low Country is the curved staircase that leads up to the ground floor entry porch. On Kiawah, all homes must be constructed above the flood plain, meaning there are no cellars, and structural piles driven into the ground act as foundations. “The curved Charleston stair was a way for us to pay homage to local architectural traditions while creating a graceful approach,” Finlay says.

Dan grew up in New England, spending summers sailing on Nantucket and in Marblehead, but with the luxury of his dream house, he finds this location to be idyllic. “I’ve been to most of the beaches on the East Coast, but this is the most beautiful one of them all. Kiawah is terribly pristine.”

Finlay designed the home so that the couple could have views of the ocean from every room. “While ours is not a beach house, it invites the beach in,” Dan says. He then mentions another reason why people like to retire to the island. “Kiawah Island is famous for its golf resorts,” although neither he nor his wife play golf. “For us, it’s all about the beach and the marshes. I run every day, and I love to run on the beach. It simply doesn’t get any better.”

While they describe themselves as “moderately social,” the Sullivans agree that the beautiful, unspoiled environment surrounding them is what drew them here and continues to captivate them. “We return to Pittsburgh on a quarterly basis, but this is home.”

Their new home is now a beloved feature of the Kiawah landscape. “This house should age really well,” Finlay says. “When we started, Dan and Vicky told me that they wanted their new house to feel old. I think we created a really beautiful new old house.” Mark P. Finlay Architects, 203-254-2388, markfinlay.com.