JANUARY 2012 JACKSONVILLEMAG.COM | 4746 | JACKSONVILLEMAG.COM JANUARY 2012

What happens when a family transitionsfrom a ‘town’ house to a sand castle?

immy Buffet may sing of “changes in lati-tudes, changes in attitudes,” but for onelocal family, getting a new perspective onlife has had more to do with altering theirlongitude.

The Arnolds were perfectly happy living in San Jose.Their Old World European-style home was rustic, yet elegant,and fit their “townie” lifestyle to a “T.” It was familiar andcomfortable, convenient to work and their daughter’s school,and ideal for entertaining (something they do a lot of). Sufficeit to say, they had no plans to move.As much as they loved their house, the Arnolds always had

an affinity for the beach, so when a prime piece of real estatewent up for sale in Ponte Vedra Beach, they snatched it upwith the intention of making it a second home.

At the time, a house already sat on the property, but thecement block structure was clearly unsalvageable and had tobe demolished, giving the the Arnolds the opportunity to startfrom scratch.From the get-go, the couple had a very distinct vision of

what they wanted their home-away-from-home to be. Forstarters, they wanted it to look and feel “completely different”from their existing home. Where their San Jose house is for-mal with dark-stained, hand-scraped wood and heavy furni-ture, they desired an ultra-casual beach house full of lightand devoid of clutter. They wanted to limit the size to 6,000square feet or less to create a home that was in keeping withits Ponte Vedra Beach environment. They also knew theywanted to work with architect and interior designer MichelleBalfoort of Balfoort Architecture in Stuart, Florida.

a shore THINGHaving worked on a prior project

with Balfoort, the Arnolds knew shehad the ingenuity, creativity and,most important, a similar vision astheirs, not to mention the skills todeal with challenges like fitting afive-bedroom, six-bathroom home—and a guest house—on the long,narrow site and altering a traditionalfloor plan to capitalize on its locationrelative to the beach.Though the Arnolds’ home is

located on the west side of PonteVedra Boulevard, the lot directlyacross the street is empty, allowingthem a direct oceanfront view.Balfoort wound up inverting thefloor plan so that the family room,kitchen, dining room and mastersuite would be located on the second floor—affording the mostspectacular views of the ocean—with formal living room and guestbedrooms taking up the first floor.Nearly every room in the houseoffers at least some view of theAtlantic.

This page from top: Among the many treasures in the Arnolds’ living room is a painting they commissioned from C. Ford Riley in theback wall niche; for those who prefer more tranquil waters than the ocean, a swimming pool with infinity edge hot tub and soothingwater features should do the trick. Opposite page: Architect Michelle Balfoort refers to the home’s design as “coastal modern.”

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As with the exterior, Balfort introducedunexpected architectural detailsthroughout the house to create visualinterest, from the white-washed, tongue-and-groove ceiling in the living room andselect cypress, vaulted ceiling in thefamily room, to the use of wainscoting,bead board and ship lap siding in theguest bedrooms. Balfoort was very deliberate in her

choice of finishes. Viewing the beach asa “tactile experience,” she chose materi-als that evoked its many textures.Smooth surfaces like marble countertopsand glass tiles capture the smooth andreflective nature of the ocean, while natural-finish oak flooring and travertinesurrounding the pool suggest the rough-ness of the sand. Even the penny tiles inthe guest house shower, she says, feellike “pebbles between your toes.”The design was also careful not to

make overt references to the beach, opting instead for subtle nods as foundin the gently curved staircase “to createsoftness and movement” and the unusu-al wall treatment leading to the secondfloor—a Venetian plaster finish, createdby Gordon Meggison of Free HandStudios, that mimics the undulatingwave patterns of the ocean.“The goal was to create a sense of

place that not only defines thismoment,” she says, “but also imparts asense of timelessness of all the collectivebeach memories of the past.”While Balfoort and the Arnolds

handled the design, space planning andselection of finishes, Amy Johnson ofBeach Chic Design in Ponte Vedra Beachwas brought in to handle interior decor.

Referring to the home’s architecture as “coastal modern,”Balfoort employed elements of the vernacular style (such as spacious porches with wide overhangs) with details that reflectedthe environment (such as the sky blue exterior paint and two-tonerailings in white-washed and natural wood), then added architec-tural details like tectonic columns and decorative brackets underthe eaves to create visual interest. Most important, she designed aspace that maximizes two of its greatest assets. “The east and west facades were designed to completely open up

to allow prevailing ocean breezes to fill the space,” Balfort says,“and deep Southern porches are perfect for filtering light andallowing natural transitions between the interior and exterior.”Inside, she kept the floor plan “open and airy,” giving each room

a “sense of lift,” and skipped the idea of a foyer altogether to rein-force the home’s sense of casualness. By incorporating cozy nichesthroughout the house, she managed to make the space feel capa-cious and intimate at the same.

This page, clockwise from bottom left: Interior decorator Amy Johnson felt it was important to givethe den a more masculine feel, which she accomplished with a custom upholstered chair in “men’sshirt fabric” and antique suitcases used as an end table; Originally, a banquette was planned for thedining room—until everyone realized they wouldn’t be able to see the view, so Johnson had a talltable custom made of walnut to use with comfy bar chairs; the curvilinear second-story ceiling andwinding railing soften the home’s modern elements. Opposite page, from top: The Arnolds’ 13-year-old daughter’s room practically screams “sleepover” with its multiple bunk beds; With aguest room as luxurious as this one, done in shades of purple, it’s a wonder guests ever want toleave; Sleek and sophisticated, the master bathroom epitomizes the home’s modern design leanings.

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didn’t want flip-flops and shells every-where,” she says. “Instead, we wanted it tobe our interpretation of the beach: the feel,the colors, the textures.”Johnson nailed the feel with her furni-

ture choices: overstuffed sofas and comfybeds with fluffy pillows (most of which shedesigned herself) and cozy blankets thatvisitors want to dive right into. Color-wise,she represented the surroundings by stick-ing with neutral shades of white and taupe,which she accented with various shades ofblue and gray and punches of green andpurple. And with design materials rangingfrom linen and leather to sea grass and jute(even feathers and barnacles), she certainlycaptured the beach’s varied textures.That’s not to say there aren’t remnants

of the sea to be found in the home. Johnsonincorporated whimsical pieces like a wickerstarfish, seahorse wall hanging and tropicalfish sculpture into the decor and gave theArnolds a large glass display case with adriftwood finish in which to display shells,sea glass and sharks’ teeth collected ontheir own beach-combing adventures.Johnson was careful not to overdecorate,

choosing only select decorative items andartwork, including a piece commissionedfrom C. Ford Riley, to feature. “The archi-tecture is so beautiful, I didn’t want to doanything to take away from it,” she says. “I only wanted to enhance it.”The same can be said for the view.

Decorative window treatments are kept to aminimum so as not to obscure nature’sown artwork. Roman shades, however, areinstalled in the bedrooms to block out thelight and provide privacy—all of which addsup to the overwhelming feel of peace thehomeowners experience every time they setfoot in their new home. “We feel like wecan kick our feet up and just stare at thatbeautiful ocean all day,” they say.Sounds like the making of another Jimmy

Buffett song. ]

Builder/general contractor: Charlie Arnold,Regional Development, LLC

Architect/interior designer: Michelle Balfoort,Balfoort Architecture, Stuart, Fla.

Interior decor: Amy Johnson, Beach ChicDesign, Ponte Vedra Beach

Landscape architect: Kelly Elmore, EuthenicsStudios, Atlantic Beach

Pool design: Parry Pools

Countertops: Belmarmi, Neptune Beach

Tile: Tile Market of San Marco

Cabinetry: First Coast Supply

Wood flooring: A&B Hardwood Flooring

Lighting: Stewart Lighting

Faux finish artist: Gordon Meggison, FreeHand Studios

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Credits:

“The homeowners, whom I’ve known foryears, came to me and said, ‘You live atthe beach; you have three kids. You knowwhat works,’” Johnson recalls. “They saidthey wanted a home that was casual, laid-back and livable, where guests could plopdown on the couch, kick off their shoesand be comfortable—but still be beautiful.”With “functionality and simplicity” as

her mantra, Johnson selected furniturethat was inviting and comfortable but alsokid-friendly. In the living room, she chosea basic linen/cotton sofa and rounded-backswivel chairs, then covered them withwhite duck fabric slip covers. In addition tobeing machine-washable (which is conve-nient when someone spills red wine on thesofa, as happened during the Arnolds’ firstparty in their new beach house), slip-coversallow the homeowners to change the lookof a room just by zipping on a different col-ored or patterned cover. The sectional sofain the family room is similarly fresh andclean but durable. Like Balfoort—and the homeowners—

Johnson didn’t want the decor to be a lit-eral representation of a beach house. “We

This page, from top: The 900-square-foot detached guesthouse features an open floor plan with a kitchen, diningarea and living room; the guest house bedroom and bath-room are every bit as open, airy and comfortable as themain house; with views of the ocean and pool area, theguest house is a vacation unto itself.

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