Did you ever see the movie, The Big Chill? I had not until recently. When I’ve posted movie house tours here at BNOTP in the past, The Big Chill was one y’all recommended I check out.
Well, HELLO! Would you just look at this house! Oh. My. Gosh! The movie started off a bit slow and then THIS came into view on the screen. After I picked myself up off the floor, I thought, no wonder you guys suggested this movie for a movie house tour! Wowza! That’s one heck of a house! The property is just stunning with huge live oaks dripping in Spanish moss.
This beautiful home built in 1853, is located at 1 Hancock Street in Beaufort, South Carolina. It was the filming location for almost the entire (The Big Chill) movie. No sound stage was used–love that! If the home looks familiar, it may be because it was also used in the filming of The Great Santini.
To make things even more interesting, this amazing home is available for purchase right now. You’ll find the real estate listing at Sotheby’s linked at the end of this post. Per the listing, this Italianate style home was built by Edgar Fripp as a place to get away from the summer heat of his sea island cotton plantation. The home has a rich history and served as a hospital during the civil war.
The home sits on private peninsula in the historic “Point” neighborhood in Beaufort. As you can tell, it has some amazing views.
In this scene from the movie, you can see the view from the upper porch. I love the look and feel of a house with a two-story porch.
When you’re on an upper porch, it often feels like your hidden away in your own little nest in the trees. In the movie, they didn’t appear to have any furniture on the second story porch, but I bet they do in real life.
I wasn’t too thrilled with how the house was furnished for the movie. It was a little disappointing, especially after seeing that magnificent facade. The Big Chill was made back in 1983 so that may explain some of the furnishings. The good news is since the home is now available for purchase we get to see how it’s furnished now. I think you’re going to love it!
Here’s a view of the back of the home from the movie. There’s even a two-story porch on the back! Love this house!
Imagine having this view to enjoy every day!
A view of the entry as seen in the movie–have you ever seen baseboard molding that deep? Wow!
Here’s the other side, the view if you were standing in the front door. I guess that’s a sunroom we see through the doorway.
And here’s how the entry looks today. So pretty! Notice the built-in bookshelves; you’ll see those in several places throughout the home.
Here’s how they furnished the living room in the movie. Yuck. Was pink furniture really in style back in the early 80’s?
A view of the fireplace in the living room and more pink furniture.
Here’s the room today. The molding in this house is unbelievable! I would love to tour it in person.
A lot of scenes in the movie take place in the kitchen. I love having a farmhouse table in a kitchen. We see islands more often than tables now, don’t we? Islands are great, too but it’s kind of nice to be able to sit right down in the kitchen to eat–truly the heart of the home.
The kitchen has amazing views, too. Remember the butcher block counters of the ’80s?
Copper molds were also big back then. I had a bunch of them and had them all hanging on one wall in my kitchen. I still have those molds somewhere. I just googled copper molds and they are available in lots of places. Have they made a big comeback and I missed it?
Lots of copper cookware, too! This was during the heyday of copper when Martha Stewart was buying all of her copper. Remember her big kitchen with the copper pots hanging above? I’m not a big cook so all you cooks out there, is copper cookware still popular today?
The dining room in the movie didn’t appeal to me at all. It was so dark and dreary.
Like it sooo much more in real life! Looks like someone painted the molding over the years. I know that’s probably a no-no for historic homes but I sure do like it. Beautiful chandelier and look at that amazing crown molding!
Another view of the dining room today as seen in the real estate listing.
These doors are at the top of the staircase and they lead out to the upstairs porch. They are so pretty with an arched design.
We never get a great view of this room in the movie but from what we can see, it’s a mix of traditional and modern pieces.
The lamps are traditional and the sofa looks a bit more modern.
It appears the room is a library in real life. I like how they left the wood natural and unpainted in this room. Libraries always feel cozy with stained wood.
You know how upholstered headboards are so popular now? Well, apparently they were back in the early ’80s, too! This would fit in any home today.
One of the guest rooms had adorable twin, iron beds.
This guest room was cute too, again furnished with twin beds. They went with a more traditional feel in the upstairs bedrooms in the movie.
This was obviously one of the children’s old bedrooms in the movie. Have you ever seen an airplane bed?
Every historic home needs a fun quirky attic room, right?
This house has one!
And it has bats! This was a fun part in the movie. They cracked the window you see in the ceiling to try and get a stray bat to fly out, and a bunch more flew in, instead!
We get a few street scenes in the movie. Is anyone reading this from Beaufort? Was this really the town of Beaufort back in 1983?
Another view of the neighborhood. What a beautiful place to live!
Hope you enjoyed this tour of Tidalholm, the antebellum home in the movie, The Big Chill. Wonder who will end up purchasing this beautiful historic home? It definitely deserves to be preserved and loved for many years to come.
Love movie house tours? You’ll find all your favorites here: Movie House Tours
The recent photos in this post are from Sotheby’s International Realty where you’ll find additional photos of this beautiful home.
Those couches aren’t pink. They are Dusty Rose thank you very much. We owned a couch and loveseat in that color. We purchased them in 1981 when we returned from Germany. Had them in a dark green living room with white trim, oriental rug and floral drapes. Fabulous at the time. ;-).
lol about the dusty rose! I do remember seeing a LOT of drapes in that color back in the 80’s! Well, they put the dark green in the dining room for the movie. 🙂
Beautiful home. Do you know what movie actor made his acting debut in this film? Bet you can’t guess. It’s Kevin Costner. He plays the part of the body at the beginning of the movie.
Patricia, I read somewhere online, may have been Wikipedia, that his face was supposed to be shown in the movie but that it was cut from the film. I wonder why they decided to not show his face. Didn’t you find yourself wondering throughout the movie what this “Alex” guy looked like? Definitely made it intriguing.
Beaufort, SC was also the filming location for Forrest Gump. I love this place.
It is a beautiful place! I love all the historic homes there, too.
Dusty Rose, Slate Blue, Seafoam Green……don’t forget Pale Peach! Hahaha, we had taste. Can’t wait to hear what is said about the colors of the early 20’s.
Love this movie. It will go down as one of the best movies ever to capture the essence of what it was like to have grown up during that particular period in time…. nothing like it ever since. Younger people simply won’t ever realize how life really was, and WAS so much fun then;
I think that I saw this movie 5 or 6 times when it first arrived at the theaters. I went by myself the first time and then I drug all of my friends, one by one, to see it so I saw it a lot. It is probably my most favorite movie. It was about people my age and I could identify with them, I guess. So, to now get to see the “real” inside of this house is wonderful. It is my guess that the furniture in the movie was to depict the lifestyle of a prosperous young couple of the 80’s and their long time friends. The main character owned an athletic shoe company so I don’t think the house would have suited these characters if it was furnished in antiques. But, as to PINK furniture, I don’t remember anyone I knew having pink furniture but I also did not remember pink furniture from the movie so I guess I was NOT impressed. I love how the house looks today. The crown molding in the dining room looks like wedding cake icing. YUM! Unfortunately, as much as I would love to live in this home, since it is listed by Sotheby’s, it is definitely out of my price range. Thanks so much for the tour from my most favorite movie.
The molding in the dining room took my breath away! The bottom almost looks like wallpaper, it’s so delicate looking.
The 80’s was not the best time for design, clothing or hair! lol
I’m heading over to take a look at the listing. One can dream ;).
Ooops, I forgot to mention that I have The Big Chill on DVD and watch it several times a year. I fell in love with William Hurt through this movie. I could even recite his lines! Sick, isn’t it!!!!!
I love the lighter colors as the house is decorated today and the crown molding is the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. Yes, I also have copper molds packed away for at least three moves–must look for them. As for copper cookware, my husband bought a lovely French set for me a couple of years ago after we had lived in Paris for about a year. They are so heavy–but I am definitely a better cook using them as the heat is so even–plus they must be polished every once in a while. Wish I’d had them when the kids were home and I did lots more cooking–they will be inherited by someone–they’ll last forever! LOL
Yes, on the copper. While on my morning walk I looked over and the house across the street had a potrack and copper pots hanging. I do hope they are not just for show. As for the house, it has gorgeous bones, but I was a little confused by the furnishings. It may be that it was “83. I love the traditional, but the new things just did not hold up.
Funny, I was in my early 20s when this came out and I remember thinking they were old(er) and had old(er) people’s deals, dilemmas and drama.
I only saw it once, didn’t relate to it, loved the soundtrack and never saw it again.
I need to see it again now that I am actually TOO old to relate, haha. I know I will still love the soundtrack.
I never even remembered the house in it, loved this tour and comparisons, Susan!
I will say, though, “mauve” in the early 80s was the THING. Dark green too and black and white (more my thing.)
Funny, like long hair on men, looks funny now but one didn’t even notice back then. : – ) It was “cool!”
OMG, I live here in Beaufort and walk in this area daily. It is currently on the market still I believe. It is so lovely in person too!
OMG, I live in Beaufort too, approximately 10 minutes and walk in the same area as this home. It looks so lovely in person.
Loved the online tour. The home is beautiful! I loved both of those movies and you make me want to watch them again. I love being from South Carolina and we do have some of the most beautiful homes in the world. Our state is gorgeous too.
Oh yes, I remember pink, or “Mauve” and there was Hunter Green and Peach too. And then “South West” style came in. I wonder what we’ll look back on from this era? Thanks for the great tour. It was very enjoyable. I have to say I prefer the exterior on this home 🙂
I remember this movie. At the time, I loved the movie, but didn’t think much of the house. I suppose the location people or set designers wanted to convey a certain ambiance by not doing much of anything exciting with the house, but wanting the characters to take center stage. But now after seeing the house’s full potential – WOW! I have always wanted to know about two houses which appeared in two different films – Masquerade with Rob Lowe and Meg Tilly, (also seen here in The Big Chill), and Someone to Watch Over Me with Mimi Rogers and Tom Berenger, (also seen here in The Big Chill). They may have not been real houses after all, but merely sets. Still, they were beautiful.
Yikes! I went to the website and saw that crown moulding up close. Wow! It does look like the icing on a wedding cake like Linda Page said, lol! Truly unique and exquisite.
I also did a little walk around the neighborhood, thanks to street view. Lovely! So lush. You get that feeling that you do in the warm southern states where everything is so overgrown. The houses are so pretty! And I love that this house is just a few blocks from the University of South Carolina Beaufort campus. This would be a great place to visit and tour Don’t you wish you could go to places like this and stay the night? Hey, Susan, another idea for a blog entry for you — (haha, sorry, I’m full of them) …. Awesome B & B’s and small Inns located in historical houses! Ohhhh… that could be another series for you …. cozy Inn’s and B & B’s since we’re all house/architecture/decor nuts. What fun! Okay, get on that, would ya? 😛 😉
That would be a fun series. 🙂 You can see one here: https://betweennapsontheporch.net/the-beaufort-house-in-asheville/
Yeah, and in order to provide us with top-notch reporting, you’d probably have to actually stay at all of these cozy places your own self. 😀 Hey, you could even get a discount for promising to give them a review on the exclusive betweennapsontheporch website. 😉 Hee.
I checked out that Beaufort Inn B & B. Looks lovely! I’ve never actually stayed at a B & B and have recently been bugging my husband about trying some. He’s always wanted to go to Asheville … so … maybe we could actually do it! That would be so nice. Do you remember the name of your room? And did you get the sense that it would be better to stay in one area or the other? (the main house, terrace rooms or cottage rooms) The one thing about B & B’s is they always seem to be so expensive, so if I take the plunge, I want to make sure I pick the right place.
Susan, it was a pink and blue world we lived in during the 80s…I had a white tuxedo sofa with “dusty rose” and white dotted Queen Anne chairs with white club chairs in my living room in Marietta. I was a very traditional 80s girl, so I didn’t remember the furniture choices in The Big Chill. I did remember that glorious old home, however, plus watching the shag being done so beautifully by those pseudo South Carolina folks. Loved the movie, but loved the house more. We had a B & B in Vidalia during the 90s, and Beaufort was a wonderful getaway from the property place. Thanks for bringing back some sweet memories!!
I think this same house was used in the movie, “The Great Santini”. Pat Conroy, who wrote the book lives in Beaufort. I love this house!
Susan,
Love the tour! You see so many things that I do not and I appreciate you opening my eyes to the wonder of many beautiful details! Thank you!
Pat
I loved that show! and to think the Italianate style home could be yours for $3,500,000
5 Bedrooms
5 Full Bathrooms
3 Half Bathrooms
7,381 sq ft
Residential
Built in 1853
MLS#321457
CONTACT
Catherine Donaldson
Direct: 843-338-2069
Office: 843-836-3900
Well, I couldn’t pass this one by without commenting………This is my all time favorite movie, it was my era and my people……….all college buddies……..I own it on tape and DVD, and the anniversary edition!!! These actors were at the beginnings of their careers, hard to believe!!! Kevin Kostner was Alex, they used his body. He spent the whole time during shooting out on the pier fishing. The music was the best!!! The house is amazing, loved it right away…….the characters were rebels out of the 60’s, they were not going to decorate with antiques and anything fancy, they were casual and not ‘establishment’…….they went through VietNam, Nixon, Kennedy assassinations, Kent State, march on Washington, and so much more!!!
The house is stunning now as it is decorated, a true Southern plantation style, loved the tour!!!
The house is lovely. I do have to be somewhat of a contrarian on the beautiful stained moulding that has been painted over. That is truly a shame. I have spent a lot of time stripping the moulding in my own old house (1920’s cottage) and wishing that the original stained and varnished finish had never been painted. In the movie the room does look a bit drab but I am not impressed with any of the furniture and styling in the movie shots. With a lighter, brighter paint color on the wall, I bet it would have been lovely. I am thinking English Country.
One of my favorite movies of all time. Hard to admit, but I had Mauve slip covers on my sofa and loveseat back in the 80’s. Makes me cringe now!! I can’t believe I even admitted it here.
Haha. 😀
Beautiful! I’d love to see the floor plan, too.
I’ve probably watched this movie 20 times over the years. I fell in love with Glenn Close in this movie and have followed her career ever since. Yes, there were a lot of pink furnishings, but at the time around here we called it mauve. Mauve and hunter green was the color scheme everyone I knew was using back then. Years passed and we transitioned into taupe and sage……:) Just different variations of the harvest gold and avocado that I started out with in my first little home in 1973!
Love that movie! My husband says that reminds him of all his college buddies…they are still that close too. I remember watching the movie and loving the house but ‘seeing’ it with more antiques and not that modern furniture. And I remember it in ‘The Great Santini’ – two really good movies. I’ve always enjoyed looking at houses and how they are furnished in movies. I guess that is why when I rewatch them I don’t remember the plots as well.
I went to the site and was sorry to say I just could not afford that house at the moment…or any moment!! 🙂
The crown molding is so pretty, like a wedding cake or lace.
The pink chairs look as though they belonged in the 1920’s. I remember the *pink* phase and actually had a pink living room with white moldings. 🙂
I love this movie. That pink, err mauve, furniture cracks me up. My in-laws actually have “rose” color carpeting in their family room and are quite proud of it. They even painted the walls in that room a rosy color! (and it was my FIL’s pick, not my MIL’s) I have to chuckle everytime we go over there. Apparently their tastes are stuck in the 80’s! I think the dining room might have been painted a dreary color for the movie since a lot of their conversation about their deceased friend was done in there – maybe more for movie drama than actual decor?
My husband and I used to visit Beaufort back in the late 70’s and early 80’s when we were first married. We stayed at the Bay Street Inn. (The Prince of Tides was filmed in the Inn). Tidalholm was next door. We went to see The Big Chill March 1983 when it first premiered. As soon as we saw the street…we recognized Beaufort! Yes…it looked just like that in 1983. We took our son there and recently went back with the grand kids while vacationing in Hilton Head. Loved sharing the memories with our family. Watch The Big Chill with my hubby several times a year…thank you for sharing.
I like it just like it is. Yes, some spots couldn’t be lightened up, but the after pictures & all those ‘antiques’ aren’t me. There are plenty of huge windows for light & I like furniture one can kick back on. Remember, if you saw the movie – they lived in New York; the ‘big house’ was where they went to chill. On a sad note, but hence the title 🙂
Tracey, I always wondered about the title of the movie. That makes sense now. Thanks for sharing that. 🙂
Thanks, Susan. Love your site! 🙂
God awful hairdos on the women
I lived in Beaufort from 1981 to 1983. I was stationed at the Marine Corps Air Station. Beaufort was a beautiful place to live. I miss it.
My first husband was from Beaufort. The view from his family home was on the Inland Water Way. Instead of an upstairs porch for setting, this house had an upstairs sleeping porch.
I lived in a small house near the “point” and with on baby son in a stroller and the other son skipping along we would walk all around that area. There was another fascinating house called “the castle”. My father- in – law’s doctor’s office was in an old house near by and by,one of those strange coincidences in life, my great grandmother had lived in that house when she moved with her husband from Williamsburg, VA to Beaufort.
The shot of the “Main Street” looked like Beaufort, but I’m not sure. Some scenes were filmed in Georgia, I think.
Since those days in the early 60’s I have lived and seen many places around the world but, for me, Beaufort, SC is one of the most beautiful.
I have just watched The Big Chill, after a long time, and enjoyed your tour of Tidalholm.