“Southern Charm” star Shep Rose has finally found The One.
After living in a swanky bachelor pad in downtown Charleston, SC, and a casual beach bungalow in nearby Isle of Palms, the hit Bravo show’s resident pleasure seeker is committed to settling down in a converted schoolhouse in Sullivan’s Island that cast members call his perfect match.
The 46-year-old entrepreneur bought the four-bedroom, four-bathroom, 3,000-square-foot 1920s domain in June, just as reality TV cameras started rolling for Season 11, which is due to premiere on Nov. 19.
Speaking to Realtor.com® ahead of the latest season debut, Rose opens up about how his new home serves as a reflection of his own personal growth and maturation—admitting that he is ready to let go of his party-hard ways and focus on embracing a much more “grown-up” lifestyle inside his upgraded dwelling.
“That’s part of the move, honestly,” says Rose. “I adore my old house on Isle of Palms. I had so much fun there, but it is almost like it’s time to upgrade.
“It’s time to get a little bit nicer stuff because when you do that, when you invest in a home, investing in nice furniture, all this stuff, it incentivizes you to be a grown-up and to treat things better and be more mindful,” he adds.
Speaking directly to longtime fans of the show who will be very familiar with Rose’s penchant for falling asleep on his couch, the reality TV star says that this habit has been left in the past along with his former bachelor pads.
“I definitely sleep in my bed now, you’ll be happy to know,” he jokes.
Yet, Rose hasn’t completely closed the door on his past. The reality TV personality still owns the Isle of Palms abode he’s dubbed the “Shep Shack” and has turned the spot into a short-term rental property for fans, tourists, and himself since that’s where he’ll reside while the Sullivan’s Island dwelling gets remodeled.
“It’s sort of good news, bad news,” says Rose. “The bad news part—other than having to break everything down and get it out of here—[is] I’m going to be staying at my Isle of Palms house, basically taking rental income out of my own pocket.”
For the time being, Rose will live solo because planned construction and South Carolina’s coastal climate would both be too challenging for his constant companion, his dog, Little Craig.
“He’s with my mom and dad because a couple things,” explains Rose. “It’s so hot here in the summer that he really struggles. He can’t go outside for very long [with] his breathing, so I send him up with my mom and dad to the mountains of North Carolina, which is just heavenly for him. I just spent a month with him up there in the mountains in Linville.
“Since I’m about to start construction here, he’s going to be sort of a dog without a home as well,” he adds. “But I’ll get a doggie door installed and all these fun things for him.”
As Rose looks forward to his future at the revamped former schoolhouse, he remains rooted by the surrounding region. In this installment of Celebrity Sanctuary, the proud Charlestonian opens up about how the area is more than just a place to rest his head between appearances, filming, and travel: No matter if he’s in his laid-back rental or stepped-up estate, The Holy City and its waters hold the key to Rose’s heart.
I’m very excited, I’m sitting in my new home right now. I love it. I couldn’t be happier. I mean, I loved my old house on Isle of Palms, don’t get me wrong. I’m a beach bum. It’s in my blood. I grew up on an island, Hilton Head Island.
I was living downtown [in Charleston] for several years, and I remember thinking to myself, “Gosh, I hadn’t had my toes in the sand in months. I know I can see the ocean when I drive over the bridge, but I’m not [close].”
I felt disconnected from my youth or my past a little bit, I suppose, so I made the decision to move out here years ago—eight, nine years ago—Isle of Palms. And I’m so glad that I did. It’s a smaller community. You know everybody, and it’s like everybody looks out for each other and it’s like my childhood.
Honestly, I looked at several houses. I made a bid on another house that was a little more modern and got, like, over-the-top bid at the last second. I’m so glad that happened.
You know how things always work out? My mom said when I sent her the pictures and videos of walking through [this] house, she’s like, “That’s you. That’s where you should be.” It’s very laid-back, sort of old-school beachy, not pretentious. I love it.
I brought Whitney [Sudler-Smith] here, and he was like, “You got to get this house.” He’s like, “This is you.” So I’ve heard that a bunch of times.
Craig [Conover] was like, “This is what you want. This is exactly what you wanted. You wanted to live on the beach and you wanted to have, you know, a nice home.” I was like, “Well, I kind of was doing that.” He’s like, “Yeah, but this is better.” And he’s right. It is better.
It’s way quieter I’ll say, which is lovely. Like, the Isle of Palms house was on the main road there, so there’s cars zooming by, and now, it’s just, it’s very sanctuary-esque.
I bought it in June, and we were filming at the time. I was very pleased to sort of show this off. Our show is not exactly a real estate show. However, it turns out, when I’m talking to producers and some of the people at Bravo, they’re like, “No, no, no. We love real estate! Real estate is such a commonality for everybody, and so people like to see it.”
So I was like, “Great. I’m happy to share as much or as little as you want.”
The new house is on Sullivan’s Island, which is … connected to Isle of Palms by a little bridge, so I have a ton of friends here. In real estate terms, one would say Sullivan’s is probably on the whole 20% more expensive typically [than Isle of Palms].
Don’t ask me why, it’s just, like, you know, a ZIP code thing or maybe schools, or it’s a little closer to downtown by 5 minutes. I don’t know, I love it.
It’s a historic house. It was the old schoolhouse on Sullivan’s Island in the 1920s and ’30s, so someone picked it up in the ’80s and moved it across the street from beach access, thank goodness because I love the beach.
It’s got these old hardwood floors that are amazing, and it’s been worked on a little bit. But the bones, you can’t do much. The historical architectural board limits you, which is fine with me.
It has four [bedrooms] and [bathrooms]: two on the bottom, two up top. It’s 3,000 square feet, and it’s everything I need. Maybe even more than I probably need, but I’m so pleased and I’m really excited about the renovations.
I got my friend Rodrigo [Reyes], who’s on the show with me—he’s an interior decorator, I suppose you call it—and I thought it was fun to bring him in. We moved a ton of furniture in here, and it was a lot of fun—a lot of it on camera.
This season, you’re going to get a kick out of it. I go up to my family’s farm where there’s a storage unit, and me and my dad and Rodrigo go through a bunch of furniture and pictures and art and all these things—mounted fish—and things that my dad and I love to do together, which is fishing and hunting, basically.
There’s going to be a bit of an outdoor [theme]. It’s going to reflect my lifestyle, which is just action adventure at all points if it’s possible.
I’ve hired my friend Mary Welch Fox. She has been on HGTV and several other programs as an interior designer, because at a certain point, I was like, “Rod, I need someone who works with the builders who’s done this several times.” He’s like, “I understand,” so he’s working alongside and they’re good friends. Mary Welch has been great.
We were here yesterday going over what they wanted to do. She presented a vision board to me, and she’s like, “Do you want it to be masculine and moody?” And I was like, “No, I don’t.” I’m good on masculine as it is, so I was like, “No, I want it to be a tasteful update of a few things, but I still want it to be an old beach house.”
Like, I want people to take their flip-flops off and leave them at the front door. It’s just my personality, just like, no frills. That’s what I want. I’m sure she, being an interior designer, wants to get these fancy finishes and this and that, which, I’m open to. So hopefully [I can] work with some brands to get some deals for some publicity and things like that, which obviously makes me a spoiled brat, but whatever.
It’s very exciting. I can’t wait till it’s finished, but it’s going to be a while. I’m about to start renovations in less than a month, so I’m going to have to get someone to come in, take everything out, put it in storage, and I’m going to be essentially a vagabond. I like being a vagabond. It’s kind of my modus operandi anyway.
That’s part of the sanctuary thing, you know. I go all around the world and country and meet this person, that person, have all these interesting interactions and events and whatnot, and gosh, I’ve found solace in the last few years in being home for extended periods of time.
If you had talked to me five, 10 years ago, I would’ve been like, “I can’t.” I get restless after two weeks, but I kind of like the routine.
I just was at the gym with Austen [Kroll] just now and another one of our friends. I’m going to go to a lunch with a guy who’s in from out of town. I like it. It’s familiar, and I kind of need that because of my lifestyle, because of my, I don’t know what you want to call it, like, career or whatever, you know, appearances, this and that.
I love sitting, lying on my couch, and watching a ball game, maybe have a friend over, maybe just walk down the street to a friend’s house. It’s quiet, and I’m a restless soul anyway, so I love it.
Thinking about Charleston, I mean, there’s a few select places where you can live and go on a beautiful vacation to Bora Bora or whatever and you come home and you’re like, “Gosh, I’m excited to be home. I am genuinely happy to be back.” Not just because you get in your own bed and stuff, because Charleston—the sights, the sounds, the smells—it’s home. That’s my sanctuary.
The Low Country of South Carolina, whether it be Hilton Head where I grew up [or] Charleston, this is where I belong. That’s how I feel. How lovely all the people are, and the water, and the nature, and just, all of it.