Summerville designer Gray Benko and family are stars of new home … – Charleston Post Courier
Partly cloudy skies. A stray severe thunderstorm is possible. High 89F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph..
Variably cloudy with scattered thunderstorms. Low 74F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Updated: June 26, 2023 @ 12:23 am
Hosts Gray and Mike Benko in their personal home, as seen on “Happy To Be Home with the Benko’s. Provided/Magnolia Network/Katie Charlotte
Summerville designer Gray Benko and her family renovate historic Lowcountry homes in a new TV series called “Happy to be Home with the Benkos.” Dynes Media/Provided
The TV series “Happy to be Home with the Benkos” follows Summerville designer Gray Benko and her family as they renovate historic homes in the Summerville and Charleston areas. Gray Benko/Provided
The TV series “Happy to be Home with the Benkos” follows Summerville designer Gray Benko and her family as they renovate historic homes in the Summerville and Charleston areas. Gray Benko/Provided
The TV series “Happy to be Home with the Benkos” follows Summerville designer Gray Benko and her family as they renovate historic homes in the Summerville and Charleston areas. Gray Benko/Provided
The TV series “Happy to be Home with the Benkos” follows Summerville designer Gray Benko and her family as they renovate historic homes in the Summerville and Charleston areas. Gray Benko/Provided
The TV series “Happy to be Home with the Benkos” follows Summerville designer Gray Benko and her family as they renovate historic homes in the Summerville and Charleston areas. Gray Benko/Provided
Joe “Grumpy” Highsmith, a general contractor based in Hilton Head Island, oversees the construction of historic homes featured on the new TV series “Happy to be Home with the Benkos.” Gray Benko/Provided
Hosts Gray and Mike Benko in their personal home, as seen on “Happy To Be Home with the Benko’s. Provided/Magnolia Network/Katie Charlotte
Summerville designer Gray Benko and her family renovate historic Lowcountry homes in a new TV series called “Happy to be Home with the Benkos.” Dynes Media/Provided
The TV series “Happy to be Home with the Benkos” follows Summerville designer Gray Benko and her family as they renovate historic homes in the Summerville and Charleston areas. Gray Benko/Provided
The TV series “Happy to be Home with the Benkos” follows Summerville designer Gray Benko and her family as they renovate historic homes in the Summerville and Charleston areas. Gray Benko/Provided
The TV series “Happy to be Home with the Benkos” follows Summerville designer Gray Benko and her family as they renovate historic homes in the Summerville and Charleston areas. Gray Benko/Provided
Joe “Grumpy” Highsmith, a general contractor based in Hilton Head Island, oversees the construction of historic homes featured on the new TV series “Happy to be Home with the Benkos.” Gray Benko/Provided
Summerville designer Gray Benko and her family are on a quest to bring color and life back to historic spaces in the Charleston area. It’s a feat they are accomplishing head-on in a new TV series called “Happy to be Home with the Benkos.”
In six episodes, Gray Benko teams up with her craftsman husband, Mike Benko, and her father, Joe “Grumpy” Highsmith, to renovate portions of six historic Charleston-area homes.
Each episode features a different house that dates back at least 100 years. The idea is to add color, texture and fun to each one while breaking away from the “stereotypical farmhouse concept that has been so popular for so long,” said Mike Benko.
Most of the renovated spaces are ones the homeowners were unhappy with. They were either looking for a change, or the space needed some sort of structural or construction work.
The crew works to salvage the integrity of each home’s history while adding the flair of Gray Benko’s designs. Once complete, most of the spaces are revived from floor to ceiling with brand new construction, vibrant colors and patterns, antique furniture and fixtures from local shops.
The TV series “Happy to be Home with the Benkos” follows Summerville designer Gray Benko and her family as they renovate historic homes in the Summerville and Charleston areas. Gray Benko/Provided
Each member of the trio has their own rule in the renovations. Gray, who is also a photographer, is responsible for the designs. Highsmith, a general contractor from Hilton Head Island, oversees the construction. And Gray describes her husband, Mike, as a renaissance man who’s “like a jack-of-all-trades kind of guy.” He completes a personalized, special project for each homeowner.
Gray, a Lowcountry native, said her family’s passion for this work likely stems from living in historic homes for so many years. They’ve renovated their own homes, “and that’s kind of how this whole things started,” she said.
“I did our houses, people saw it on my Instagram, loved it and then started asking me for help with their house,” she said. “And then it all turned into this whole TV show thing, and here we are.”
“Happy to be Home with the Benkos” airs on the Magnolia Network, which features original shows curated by Chip and Joanna Gaines, the stars of the hit home renovation TV series “Fixer Upper” and owners of the Magnolia home brand. The show can be streamed on HBO Max and Discovery+, too.
The TV series “Happy to be Home with the Benkos” follows Summerville designer Gray Benko and her family as they renovate historic homes in the Summerville and Charleston areas. Gray Benko/Provided
Since the Benkos utilize local businesses to help with the renovations, many Lowcountry faces are seen on the show, too, like Charleston upholsterer Kelvin Moultrie of Carolina Auto Trim, seamstress Elizabeth Wheaton of Wheaton Whaley Home and designer Sally Bennet of Mirth Studio, among other South Carolinians.
The Benkos are currently taking on new projects in the Summerville and Charleston areas. Homes that are built in the 1920s or earlier are preferred.
“We are looking for people who are not afraid of color, obviously, and who have renovations that they already want to do,” Gray said.
Those who are interested should send an email to info.graybenko@gmail.com.
Follow Shamira McCray on Twitter @ShamiraTweets.
CHARLESTON AND SAVANNAH: The Rise, Fall, and Reinvention of Two Rival Cities. By Thomas D. Wilson. University of Georgia Press. 360 pages. $39.95 (paperback). Read moreReview: New book compares Charleston and Savannah, recalling history, warning of future
GIRLS AND THEIR MONSTERS: The Genain Quadruplets and the Making of Madness in America. By Audrey Clare Farley. Grand Central. 304 pages. $29. Read moreReview: Compelling ‘Girls and Their Monsters’ probes mental health in US
During the hourlong hike, our group detects God in many places. Some discover the divine in each other as they converse, laugh and see each other in ways they don’t notice pew-side. Read moreNorris Burkes: Using nature as a house of worship
Charleston r… Read moreHappening: New children’s book about nature and loss
The Post and Courier
148 Williman Street
Charleston, SC 29403
Phone: 843-577-7111
News tips/online questions: newstips@postandcourier.com
Delivery/subscription questions: subserve@postandcourier.com
Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.
We recommend switching to one of the following browsers:
, Post and Courier, an Evening Post Publishing Newspaper Group. All rights reserved.