The Story Behind The Design Ledger
I’ve been a photographer since I was 21. There was no master plan—I just followed my curiosity and let the artist in me lead. My husband and I photographed hundreds of weddings and events over the years before moving into product photography, which eventually led me to my first interior design client… and I was hooked.
There’s magic in great design. The tension between clean grout lines and bold wallpaper. A handwoven rug grounding a space. A velvet pink sofa stealing the show. As I stepped into my 40s, I decided to go all in on what makes my heart race: interior design photography.
This book is a love letter to that passion—and to the beautiful, creative city of Charleston that I now get to call home.
To my husband, Mark—my partner since I was 16—thank you for being the steady force behind every wild idea. You’ve quietly helped turn each one into something real. I truly could not have done this without you.
And to Katie, Sydney, and Melissa—thank you for showing up with pie, tea, and rolled-up sleeves to help shape these pages into what they are.
I hope you enjoy the book!
Blessings,
Candice
Let me start here: I wrote this book while pregnant with my fifth (and final!) baby. If you’ve ever been pregnant, you know it does something wild to your brain. You dream bigger. You feel deeper. You suddenly have this urgency to create something that lasts.
THE DESIGN LEDGER was one of those ideas that wouldn’t leave me alone. It started as a very personal project—something I self-produced and hand-delivered around Charleston. I simply wanted to create something beautiful. Something you could flip through slowly with a cup of coffee in hand (coffee stains welcome). Something artists, designers, and creatives would feel proud to be part of.
But what began small didn’t stay small. The response was overwhelming. The excitement was real. What I thought was just a summer project quickly became something the city was hungry for. It grew far beyond what I expected—and now THE DESIGN LEDGER is being sold in stores across Charleston.