Summer House in Florida

Good morning Friday, good morning dear readers. Remeber the movie The Truman Show? With Jim Carrey? Well, the house we are going to see today is built in the town where the movie was filmed.

I had seen and admired a couple of photos of these rooms but not the house they belong to until now. This summer house is located in a place called Seaside in Florida. It was in this town where the 1998 movie The Truman Show was filmed.

Seaside was founded in 1981 and it is the first town in the United States to follow the precepts of the New Urbanism: a movement in city planning that favors the pedestrian over the car, that believes that all residences should be a short walk from the town center, and that tries to foster a sense of community—of people actually living together. The idea of this easy going town was concieved by developer Robert Davis and designed by Miami architects Andrçs Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk.

Now this particular residence was built and designed by Robert A. M. Stern Architects.



As you can see in this photograph the high dunes block an ocean view from the first floor, so they had to come up with a solution to give the living and dining rooms a view of the ocean. What they did was to reverse the usual placement of rooms. Three of the four bedrooms are on the first floor, and the living and dining rooms are on the second floor, where the bedrooms usually are. The master bedroom, which has the best view of all, is on the third floor.


Painted coffered ceilings in the living room and dining room. Built in shelves flank the fireplace. A huge area rug brings the living room neatly together.


The dining room is in the same area as the living room. You can see the same built in shelves in the previous photo.


The kitchen’s pocket doors open to views of the town. Didn't know I liked yellow kitchens. But I do!


This porch with a magnificent sea view is right off the living room. If you have a look at the first picture you can see this porch with its curtains on the second floor facing the sea. There are other houses quite near so the curtains here offer privacy. The house has three porches, one on each floor and all facing the ocean.


The guest room off the entrance hall. Stone and marble floor.


One of the children’s bedrooms has a built-in sleeping nook.


On the first floor, facing the dune there's the children’s screen porch with wicker furniture and enclosed by French doors. I like the detail of the lanterns attached to the columns and the hanging settees.


The master bedroom on the top floor opens onto a porch.


To support the porch roof, Stern conceived a dramatic single column.


The south façade.

All images and information from Architectural Digest.

I have linked this post to Toot your Horn Tuesday at Leah's blog and also at SimplySweetHome where Jerri is hosting a MckLinky party. Thanks Jerri!