Built in 1820, the Aiken-Rhett House is a nationally significant property and one of the best-preserved townhouse complexes in the nation. The house, and its surviving furnishings, offer a compelling portrait of urban life in antebellum Charleston. When the Historic Charleston Foundation assumed ownership in 1995, they adopted a preserved-as-found approach, meaning that the structure and its contents are maintained in an "as-found" state-from the architecture to the furniture and finishings, nothing has been altered since the mid-19th century. For the first time, the Foundation opened the estate's iconic double parlor for our private dinner party in celebration of our guest of honor, The Right Honourable Nicholas E. A. Ashley-Cooper, 12th Earl of Shaftesbury.

In the design world, there has been a fundamental and nearly universal shift toward an appreciation of history and a sense of place. Whether it's through a book, a photograph, a resurrected paint pigment, or the practical need to restore an ancestral estate, preservation has become more than just a process; it's also one of the most integral and exciting sources of inspiration for designers and design lovers alike. To honor that theme, we hosted a panel discussion at our own historic building with some of our favorite experts in the field; Steven Gambrel, Eve Ashcraft, Nicholas Ashley-Cooper, the 12th Earl of Shaftesbury and Winslow Hastie, the President of the Historic Charleston Foundation for a lively conversation tracing preservation's path from design process to design inspiration, plus an exploration of what it means to live with history.