Local designer has deep Daniel Island roots

Interior designer Mollie Bean could be considered a homegrown historian for Daniel Island. As a young girl Bean remembers her father, architect Chris McCarthy, bringing her to Daniel Island to hunt. “We would go turkey hunting in the marsh, likely where my house now stands. Back-roading really, as there were only some dirt paths that led to fields,” Bean said.

Bean’s father and stepmother moved to Daniel Island in 2000 while he was building homes on the island. Long before the golf courses and roads were built, Bean explored the island with her dad. “I remember walking the residential lots with him, whilst he would explain how perfect a lot was for the new house he would be designing. He brought the land to life, showing me the intricacies of how and why he placed the house and interior layout as he did,” reminisced Bean.

“My father was painting a beautiful picture of his future vision; I, on the other hand, was questioning an empty lot in the middle of nowhere. In my late teens, I remember standing at the pond on River Landing Drive, watching the houses being built in the distant view and asking my father why anyone would live in such a desolate place,” she said.

Although she might not have known it at the time, visiting job sites with her father on Daniel Island helped influence her future.

After spending 13 years in New York, Bean decided to return to Daniel Island over three years ago and raise her family. In 2015, she started a successful interior design business, MB Within.

She is able to blend her New York style and days spent on Daniel Island to create unique designs. “I think because I grew up watching these homes be built, I respect the process. I respect the builder. I respect the architect. I respect all aspects that go into the finished product,” Bean explained.

“I have watched Daniel Island morph into what it is today, for the past 20 years. To me, it just feels like home. Daniel Island has a magical background of marsh, that truly inspires every design we do at MB Within,” she said. “A designer’s job is to elevate your home above basic. There is nothing basic about the homes here,” she added.

Bean’s designer touch can be seen in homes and businesses throughout the Charleston area.

Dr. Rebeca Zechmann was so impressed with Bean that she hired her to design both her office space at River Landing Dentistry and her island residence.

“She worked well with the builder of our office, and she was so helpful in my home. She has a background in project management which equates to getting the job done! We get so many compliments on the office and our home … they both turned out amazing,” Zechmann said.

On Friday, Dec. 20, Bean will be discussing “Timeless Holiday Tablescapes” for the Island Enrichment Series at the Daniel Island Library from 10:30-11:30 a.m. All are welcome to attend this free event. For more information about MB Within, follow www.facebook.com/mbwithinmollie or visit www.mbwithin.com.