AN OCEANFRONT HOME COMBINES CLASSIC GEORGIAN
ARCHITECTURE WITH THE VIBRANCY OF FLORIDA SEASIDE LIVING
Written by Peter Lioubin
Photography by Brantley Photography
Benjamin Schreier, AIA, Affiniti Architects, ARCHITECTURE
Jeff Strasser, Marc-Michaels Interior Design, INTERIOR DESIGNER
Bill Isenhower, Avant Landscape and Golf Course Architects Ltd, LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
Mark Pulte, Mark Timothy Inc, BUILDER
In South Florida, homes along the ocean's edge are better classified as estates, with impressive massing and top-grade materials that are worthy of the premium setting. To build anything less than the best would be to do an injustice to the location.
That was the philosophy of Mark Timothy Inc., the luxury oceanfront home builder, when building a spec home on a direct oceanfront site in Delray Beach. "The house has quality all the way through it," says the firm's founder, Mark Pulte. "Quality design, quality floor planning and quality finishes." On a waterfront site such as this, he notes, "the standards are much higher than they would be off-ocean."
The commitment to quality began with the architecture. Benjamin Schreier of Affiniti Architects articulated Pulte's vision of grandeur in a classic Georgian house with distinct Florida accents. True to the Georgian style, the structure is symmetrical and simply massed. A covered entry is elegantly defined with a set of six columns and sits beneath a balcony. Oversized windows are decorated with shutters on the front elevation, or framed with
stone molding on the rear. Understated ornamentation, roof pediments and copper gutters underscore the traditional Georgian vernacular.
Yet the house is very much at home on the Florida coastline. Instead of brick, a material typically used in Georgian homes in the North, it is finished with stucco. Accents on the front elevation are coquina, a stone native to Florida. And the porches and hardscape on the ocean side are reminiscent of Palm Beach in the Gilded Age.
Inside, the feeling of old Palm Beach continues. Though the interior architecture calls for the rich molding and millwork typical of the Georgian style, the decor has a "relaxed, almost resort feel," according to interior designer Jeff Strasser. "The goal was to create a comfortable, beachy residence that is classic but a little less formal," he says. "It had to be fresh, with lots of bright colors."
That was accomplished by using a color palette of blue, green and ecru, which bring to mind sky, surf and sand, with accents of sunny yellow. In the living room, the walls are sky blue, trimmed with crisp white millwork. "It complements that period of architecture," says Schreier. "White millwork, rather than a rustic wood color, is typical of the Georgian way."
The furnishings are traditional but not overly formal, because the living room opens up to a loggia for indoor/outdoor entertaining.
To facilitate a dialogue between the two spaces, Strasser continued the blue and white palette outdoors, only in more vibrant tones. "The colors are more intense outside," he notes, "but the materials are stone, iron and wood, very much in line with what is used inside."
In the family room, the ambience relaxes further. "This room adapts beautifully to the Florida environment," Schreier says. Lemon yellow walls provide, a cheerful backdrop for British Colonial and Asian-style furniture and fabrics. The paneled ceiling, with its white applied molding, green border and raffia inserts, provides warmth and alludes to the home's tropical setting.
The library, though traditional, is a lighter version of the classic wood-paneled room found in most Georgian homes. The walls are wrapped in birch paneling and built-ins, whose washed finish gives the impression of driftwood.
Traditional furnishings such as leather armchairs with nailhead trim and a velvet cocktail ottoman add richness to the space, but lines are otherwise kept spare. The woodwork is detailed but unfussy, and ornamentation is kept to a minimum. Even the television is hidden away within the wood panels of the fireplace wall.
The kitchen was a nod to Pulte's predilection for light, bright spaces. "Behind the glass cabinets on either side of the range hood are glass windows, so that light filters in through the cabinets," Schreier notes. "It's magnificent for displaying fine pieces of china, and it floods the space with soft, natural light." Light also floods the living areas upstairs.
To capitalize on the eastern exposure and the influx of sunlight, Strasser designed the master bedroom with a palette of yellow and white and luxurious silks and velvets. The most dramatic element here is the angled tray ceiling. "Around the perimeter of the angled part there is applied molding," Strasser says. "To define it further, we used decorative painting inside the panels."
A luxurious master bath completes the picture. Schreier designed a recessed, circular ceiling trimmed with molding to echo the circular medallion on the floor. The ecru-finished, wood-paneled walls and freestanding bathtub contribute to the room's spa-like ambience.
The grounds are equally elegant. Landscape architect Bill "Ike" Isenhower designed the hardscape and landscape in the manner of old Palm Beach, with tall palms, trimmed hedges and manicured lawns. Like the architecture, the landscaping is kept simple. "If you introduce too many planting materials, you're not highlighting the structure," he says. "And our goal here was to keep it simple, so the architecture can be showcased."
Isenhower's strategy was to create a "time estate feel" by introducing walls and a landscape buffer on the street side, and pristine, rolling lawns on the ocean side. He used Paspalum grass, a new hybrid that is exceptionally wind- and drought-resistant, to surround the pool area. The pool itself looks like a jewel, with its cobalt-blue glass tiles and geometric facets. "The water looks as blue as you'd see in the Aegean Sea in Greece," Schreier marvels.
Another of Isenhowers signature elements is a canvas canopy-covered lounge area on the north side of the pool. "Clients adore those open, canopy-covered areas," Isenhower says. "They always gravitate to them."
As for Pulte, he is most pleased with the results. "The house met my expectations and went beyond," he says. "The quality that was achieved is exceptional, considering we built that house, start to finish, in 11 months. It took a tremendous amount of planning and foresight."
The bright, cheerful kitchen has creamcolored glazed cablnetry and a glazed tile hood surround. 'Behind the glass cabinets on either side of the range hood are glass windows, so that light filters In through the cabinets,' Schreier notes".
Landscape architect Bill 'Ike" Isenhower created a 'true estate feel' by Introducing walls and a landscape buffer on the street side and pristine, rolling lawns on the ocean side. He used Paspalurn orass, a wind and drought resistant hybrid to surround the pool area.
Architect Benjamin Schreier of Affinit! Architects articulated builder Mark Pulte's vision of grandeur In a classic Georgian house with distinct Florida accents. True to the Georgian style, the structure Is symmetrical and simply massed. Understated ornamentation, roof pediments and copper gutters underscore the traditional Georgian vernacular. The symmetrical structure Is organized In three parts, all overlooking the pool and ocean beyond.
The central outdoor living area Is accessed through a series of sliding glass doors that pocket In the living room. Prevailing breezes and breathtaking views of the Atlantic assure the constant usage of the outdoor living areas. One of three outdoor seating areas Is decorated In grass greens and cobalt blues, echoing the colors of the natural surroundings. An outdoor fire place can be utilized during cooler, winter months. A complete outdoor kitchen and barbecue area is nearby.
The pool looks like a Jewel with Its cobalt-blue glass tiles and geometric facets. 'The water looks as blue as you'd sea In the Aegean Sea In Greece,' architect Benjamin Schreier notes. A canopy-covered sitting area at the north end of the pool, Invites repose." Clients adore those open, canopy-covered areas,' landscape architect Bill 'Ike" Isenhower muses. 'They always gravitate to them.' |
