A place to unwind

Building a new vacation home offers a perfect chance to create a haven away from the workaday world. Ideally, it will reflect the people who live and play there.

After a hurricane swept away their vacation home on the Gulf of Mexico, Linda and Rod Windley sketched out an idea for a new house. Architect Michael Faust, of Faust Architecture Interiors Design, describes the result as a coastal resort meets a Palm Beach-style house, with an Italianate look.

"It's great that this house turned out just as we envisioned it; every room has a view of the water," says Rod Windley. "Although it appears formal, it's really a very casual house."

Metal railings on the staircase and Corinthian-style columns in the foyer are Italianate touches, as is the dining room floor, which comprises limestone inlaid with timber. The coffered ceiling is made of a local wood, pecky cypress, painted white with insets of mother of pearl.

The house contains dozens of similarly beach-inspired details to create an informal mood. Some are easy to spot, such as the starfish incorporated into the metal railings of the main staircase. Others are more subtle, like the sea horses on the capitals of the columns in the foyer.

Vermilion Designs interior designer Bill Cook extended the theme, choosing sea-life motifs for the fabrics, colors and accessories.

"When you go to a vacation home by the ocean, you want to escape into the fantasy of life at the beach," Cook says.

Coral, dark blue and foam green bring the sea into the family room, but Cook specified darker blues and more durable fabrics here for an easier clean-up after small, sticky hands. Other child-friendly features include softened, rounded edges on the metal railings and glass tables.

The family room flows into the kitchen, creating a comfortable space where the family spends a good deal of time. A veranda opens off both of these rooms, making it an ideal area for entertaining. Parties get a head start from an outdoor kitchen provided here.

The lighting system in the house was designed to create the bright, open-air feeling of being on the beach, Faust says. To achieve this, lights were recessed into the ceilings of all the rooms. Pendant lighting and chandeliers provide a softer light where desired.

"At night, the house is aglow with light, and can be seen from far out in the Gulf," the owners say.

Story by: Lori Nims

Photography by: John Umberger A place to unwind Starfish pinwheel down the stairs and sea horses grace the columns