Page 27 - Camden Kershaw 2020

A year later, the couple tied the knot in a private right pieces.”
ceremony on Maui.
So far, they’ve furnished two guest suites with an
“We eloped because we didn’t want to spend money on eclectic-yet-cohesive mixture of old and new pieces and
a wedding that we could put towards buying a house,” accoutrements reflecting the themes of each room.
Steve explained.
Outside, that’s no off-the-shelf white paint the couple
The Ellermans bought a fixer-upper in San Clemente, used for the façade. Unable to find a white that was
which they renovated together. Later, they moved to an quite white enough for her taste, they had a custom color
800-square-foot cabin in Crestline, a small town in the mixed to achieve Janet’s vision.
San Bernardino Mountains.
“I wanted a bright, clean, fresh white, so I took a piece
Their mountain home sold quickly when they decided of bright white copier paper down to the paint store and
to move to Camden. The buyer wanted house and its had them scan it to come up with the pure white we
furnishings, which made the cross-country move easier ended up using.
and less expensive. The drive took four days, during
which their two cats -- Nigel and Simon -- slept most of “Owning a B&B has always been fun to talk about,”
the way. They arrived in Camden just after the Fourth of Janet explained. “But not until we retired did it finally
July, and slept on the floor until their bed arrived. hit us that we could actually do it instead of just talking
about it. We love this old house, and hope to live here
They spent three months searching for a contractor and for the rest of our lives. The moment I walked into the
the renovations took nine months. entry, it spoke to me. Steve, with his green thumb, was
drawn to the surrounding yard. It was already beautiful
“We’re happy with everything and it was worth the wait,” and gracious, but we wanted to put our own stamp on it,
Janet said. “My goal was to honor the history and age of while being respectful of its history. We named it Four
the house.” Oaks Inn as a tribute to the four old oak trees shading
the front lawn.”
The real fun began while hunting for furnishings and
accessories to bring Janet’s vision for the inn to life. “Our ultimate goal as innkeepers is to make our guests
happy and, of course, the city of Camden proud.”
“Antiquing out here was a dream-come-true for this
Californian,” she said. “We’re constantly going to estate The most recent “addition” to the Four Oaks are gift
sales, auctions and antique malls looking for just the certificates. Visit www.fouroaksinn.com, for more details.
38 s Discover Camden-Kershaw County s 2020/2021