Veranda Escapes by Clinton Smith

Author:Clinton Smith
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hearst

Hens gather in the kitchen garden. A collection of vintage watering cans and flower pots decorates the chicken coop.

The rambling nature of the property gives it a sense of timelessness. Each part of the house and outbuildings called for materials consistent with its unique character: from stucco and terra-cotta to barn siding and corrugated metal.

Hand-painted tiles line the outdoor shower; a crush of bougainvillea round the curves of the property’s scrollwork details.

SUMMER SPLENDOR A run-of-the-mill South Florida ranch house perched on the coast is stunningly reborn as a chic, sun-drenched family retreat celebrating island style and gracious outdoor living.

A serpentine gravel drive bordered by palms and sea grapes curves to reveal a refined white-stucco compound whose cool, streamlined simplicity belies the grandeur that unfolds inside. Beyond the louvered front door, a loggia supplants the traditional entry hall—a long passageway that connects the main house, the pool house, and the guesthouse, all anchored around a lush central courtyard.

The property was not always so inspired. When the homeowners purchased the rambling 1970s ranch, they had reconstruction, not renovation, in mind. “It had some interesting spaces inside, but there wasn’t much about it that we wanted to keep,” says D. Stanley Dixon, the mastermind behind the beachfront property’s redesign. But before work began, the family spent a season in the house and came to admire some of its uniquely “old Florida” details—the meandering one-story floor plan, terrazzo floors, and cypress walls. In the end, they opted for an expansive face-lift that retained some of the charms of the house they had fallen in love with.

Dixon was influenced by the exuberant architecture of warm-weather locales like Bermuda, Morocco, and Greece. “My vision was to take these worldly styles and blend them together,” he says. He added an evocative stepped roof with graphic scalloped gable ends and built-in niches to the facade; other details, like Chippendale fretwork screens in windows flanking the front door, are inspired by British Colonial architecture.

Intimate outdoor rooms are family-friendly without losing their elegance. Pristine terraces close to the house ease seamlessly into loose, less structured gardens where the family’s children play. On the loggia, sited to feature breathtaking views of the beach, gurgling fountains compete with the sound of the surf. Every corner is thoughtfully outfitted with a place to unwind and relax—a secluded oasis ideally suited for soaking up the Florida sun.

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