Charleston by Design, Thursday Morning at STAIR Auction, and Dôen x Bernard

Welcome to TGP Tidbits where we round up the happenings and our musings of the design industry each week. This week we take a look at Charleston by Design, Thursday Morning at STAIR Auction, and Dôen x Bernard. Written by Natalie Aldridge.

Charleston by Design

Mark your calendars and start planning your spring travel accordingly, because Charleston by Design will return March 12th to the 15th. Hosted by the Historic Charleston Foundation, the event brings together designers, architects, and tastemakers for a thoughtful weekend centered on craftsmanship, preservation, and the enduring influence of place.

Charleston has long been a magical city where historic architecture and contemporary life coexist. This weekend leans into that idea, inviting guests to consider how tradition continues to shape the way we design now. The festivities begin at the storied Aiken-Rhett House with an opening night celebration set within the preserved interiors of the circa-1820 house museum. Atmospheric, layered, and impossible to replicate elsewhere, it is the sort of setting that is quintessentially Charleston.

A highlight of the weekend is the Design in Mind speaker series, welcoming an impressive roster that includes Douglas Friedman in conversation with Stellene Volandes, alongside Nina Campbell, Nickey Kehoe, and Michael S. Smith. The Home & Design Tour opens the doors to private residences known for exceptional architecture and craftsmanship, while visits to the American College of the Building Arts offer insight into the future of traditional trades. Guided walks through the city’s pastel façades, ironwork, and hidden gardens serve as a reminder that Charleston itself is often the most compelling design lesson.

For those inclined toward a well-planned weekend, Insider events add another layer of charm, from a rooftop luncheon hosted by The Indigo Road Hospitality Group to cocktails at designer Michael Mitchell’s private residence. The program concludes with Art + Mimosas at the Aiken-Rhett House, a cheerful sendoff to what promises to be a memorable few days. Be sure to purchase your tickets here.

Thursday Morning at STAIR Auction

We love an auction! Beyond the thrill of discovering incredible pieces, there is the rare opportunity to own something with real history, objects that have lived full lives before finding their next home. The upcoming February edition of Thursday Morning at STAIR, hosted by STAIR Galleries, is exactly the kind of sale we’ve been itching for.

This auction includes items from the personal collection of architect Gil Schafer, whose work has come to define a gracious, enduring vision of the classic American home. The pieces are deeply aligned with the sensibility seen throughout his Hudson Valley residence, Middlefield, which Schafer shared with his wife, designer Courtnay Daniels Haden, and sold last year.

Schafer has often said he designs houses to be comfortable, understated, and built to stand the test of time, and that philosophy is unmistakable here. These are not static artifacts, but furnishings meant to be lived with, loved, and layered into evolving interiors.

The sale itself strikes an interesting balance between traditional and modern, pairing contemporary art with English and Continental furniture, Asian works of art, and silver. Provenance only adds to the intrigue, with lots tied to legendary tastemaker Jayne Wrightsman alongside club chairs designed by Markham Roberts and lots from other grand estates.

We have always believed that the most memorable rooms are collected rather than decorated, shaped over time with pieces that carry both character and story. If you admire Gil Schafer’s layered approach to design or the opulence associated with the legendary Jayne Wrightsman, this is the kind of catalog worth settling into. Consider it equal parts inspiration and temptation. The full catalog can be viewed here.

The Romance of DÔEN & BERNARD

We are huge fans of the romantic and timeless collections from DÔEN, a women-run business in California offering clothing and accessories inspired by a nostalgia of decades past. And the new fragrance from DÔEN & BERNARD is grounded in a shared sensibility that has long favored restraint, romance, and the beauty of the everyday.

DÔEN’s Albertine blouse features Victorian-era details such as hand-stitched pintuck clusters

The Hillock Top finished with Edwardian-inspired details throughout, like clustered pintucks, delicate ladder trim, and scallop eyelets

The limited-edition DÔEN & BERNARD scent, Indra, offered as both a candle and a porcelain diffuser, draws inspiration from Los Angeles in bloom. Meant to evoke warm air drifting through open windows, bare feet on grass, and the kind of quiet domestic moments that are often the most beautiful, jasmine is the fragrance’s central note.

DÔEN’s Quince Pouch, crafted from lustrous silk satin in a Bouquet de Chamonix print. Fully lined in silk with tasseled zipper

The Emerence Dress is crafted from buttery silk-viscose twill and adorned with nostalgic burgundy polka dots scattered across cream.

There is a natural ease to this collaboration that feels particularly appealing right now. Nothing is overstated. Nothing is trying too hard. Much like the best interiors, it suggests rather than declares. It is fragrance as atmosphere, subtle enough to live with daily and elegant enough to shape the mood of a room without overtaking it. And the package design truly stole our hearts, too.

In a moment when so much feels over-designed and over-announced, the DÔEN & BERNARD collaboration is a study in restraint. It is the kind of object that slips effortlessly into a home and a we always love a great candle moment. Click here to purchase the Indra candle and shop the rest of the exquisite DÔEN collection.