Houzz Tour: Beach-Scene Colors for a Picturesque Florida Getaway
When a town's name is Watercolor, and it's on the equally tantalizingly named Emerald Coast in the Florida panhandle, you have a hunch it's going to be a testament to gorgeous design. And, dare I say, kudos to the town’s homeowner’s association, whose building ordinances and architectural limitations have created a harmonious town with a like-minded style that’s rife with what architect Geoff Chick and others call Florida cracker style.
The look takes its cues from old fisherman's shacks and barns that once populated the region, and has evolved to highlight metal roofs, large porches, double-hung windows, clapboard siding, pitched roofs, exposed rafters and picket fences and railings. It’s a style that first took hold in neighboring Seaside, Florida (the Jim Carrey film The Truman Show was shot there), and has taken on a new life by incorporating sustainable, locally sourced materials for the exterior structures and more sophisticated, pricier interiors.
For Houston couple Brad and Denise Williams, the town became the perfect spot where Denise could finally use her two decades of notes and magazine clippings to create her dream vacation home. After Chick completed his construction, Denise outfitted the space in a simple and clean design with blues, greens and beiges that seem plucked right from the beach.
The awe-inspiring exterior has a signature galvanized roof and HardiePlank lap siding with red cedar shingles, all painted a custom soft blue color made to harmonize with all the materials. Gas lanterns, transom windows, exposed rafters on the top tower structure and a detailed railing with a recurring X pattern punctuate Watercolor's architectural style.
The house faces a neighborhood park and backs up to the Point Washington State Forest, a huge natural preserve. The homeowners wanted the structure to connect to an above-garage apartment via an enclosed walkway so that they could walk from the front of the house to the back without having to go inside.
The look takes its cues from old fisherman's shacks and barns that once populated the region, and has evolved to highlight metal roofs, large porches, double-hung windows, clapboard siding, pitched roofs, exposed rafters and picket fences and railings. It’s a style that first took hold in neighboring Seaside, Florida (the Jim Carrey film The Truman Show was shot there), and has taken on a new life by incorporating sustainable, locally sourced materials for the exterior structures and more sophisticated, pricier interiors.
For Houston couple Brad and Denise Williams, the town became the perfect spot where Denise could finally use her two decades of notes and magazine clippings to create her dream vacation home. After Chick completed his construction, Denise outfitted the space in a simple and clean design with blues, greens and beiges that seem plucked right from the beach.
The awe-inspiring exterior has a signature galvanized roof and HardiePlank lap siding with red cedar shingles, all painted a custom soft blue color made to harmonize with all the materials. Gas lanterns, transom windows, exposed rafters on the top tower structure and a detailed railing with a recurring X pattern punctuate Watercolor's architectural style.
The house faces a neighborhood park and backs up to the Point Washington State Forest, a huge natural preserve. The homeowners wanted the structure to connect to an above-garage apartment via an enclosed walkway so that they could walk from the front of the house to the back without having to go inside.
More photos here.
