BROADENING the HORIZON

A downtown doyenne trades her Charleston penthouse for a modernist glass home that floats above the Lowcountry marsh with a refreshing new perspective.

- STEPHANIE HUNT

While simplifying her lifestyle, Henning (pictured) has pared down her vintage car collection, but retained favorites, including this 1954 Jaguar XK120 that once belonged to Clark Gable.

FROM HER DINING ROOM TERRACE, or her living room, or just about anywhere in Terri Henning's sleek glass box home in Charleston, she can gaze out over the endless green marsh. She can see over the Ashley River to the City Marina and the skyline she knows so well—better than most, having lived for 14 years in the penthouse atop the tallest building on the historic peninsula. “There it is,” she says, pointing across the marsh to the Peoples Building, where she—ever gregarious and generous—frequently hosted charity benefits, dinner parties, and other gatherings against the backdrop of 360-degree views.

That penthouse's lofty vista looked from on high upon the city below. Henning’s new home, with an equally expansive and breathtaking panorama, offers a more grounded, serene perspective—fully enmeshed in the surrounding live oaks and marsh. In fact, she bought the James Island lot within 30 minutes of setting foot on it, immediately recognizing—despite the dense, scruffy undergrowth at the time—its privacy and unparalleled views. “This fits me now,” she says of the elevated, one-level, one-bedroom main living space (two guest rooms are tucked along the stair tower) and her nature-dominant vistas. “I was ready to simplify. It’s smaller, but it’s perfect.”