Lasting First Impressions
Sit a spell on the warm and welcoming porches, portals, and porticoes of Northwest
Florida.
by Lynn Nesmith
photography by Brian Francis
styling by Paden Reich
SweetTea Journal (Spring/Summer 2008) – Every house tells a story. And like a page-turning novel with an enticing opening
line, certain homes elicit an equally immediate appeal. Something draws you in.
Maybe it’s an embracing canopy of scrub oaks, a pair of cheerful yellow rockers,
a white picket fence, or a cloistered breezeway. Familiar forms and reassuring images
unfold, setting the tone of things to come.
And the message is clear: interesting people live here. Laughter abounds. Friends
and family gather. Embellished tales are retold. Lasting memories are made.
A waterfront setting tends to foster a special connection with its people and the
place. Along the sinuous coastline that defines Northwest Florida stands more than
its fair share of welcoming gestures at holiday getaways and permanent family homes.
The temperate climate and the prevailing breezes off the Gulf of Mexico continue
to encourage a carefree interchange between indoors and outdoors. It’s a convivial
setting for play and relaxation, as the old-fashioned connotations of warm-weather
living retain their appeal when time seems to move at a different pace.
Whether a historic home in downtown Apalachicola or a memorable courtyard house
in a New Urbanist neighborhood along County Road 30-A, this collection of eclectic
structures offers a friendly détente between the past and present—and
an unbridled optimism about the future. In the picturesque town of WaterColor, a
new home recalling a venerable Southern farmhouse beckons friends and family to
linger on the deep front porch, while a pair of oversize swinging daybeds anchors
the two ends and offers the perfect spot to laze away a summer afternoon. A traditional
cottage along one of the first streets in Seaside hides its diminutive charm behind
a shelter of windblown oaks. Farther to the east in the emerging community of SummerCamp
Beach on St. James Island, a raised cottage nestles amid a forest of pines and saw
palmettos.
No matter the style or the stance of each of these homes, the architectural language
is gregarious and gracious. And the accent is decidedly Southern. The door is open.
Come on in.
LEFT: Reminiscent of a venerable Southern farmhouse that has stood the test of time,
this new vacation home, designed by architect Lourdes Reynafarje and located in
the town of WaterColor, commands respect without shouting for attention.
RIGHT: The romance of the shingle style’s pitched rooflines, prominent gables,
and dormers instills a welcoming sense of scale to the homes of WaterSound Beach.
LEFT: One of the original Camp Palm hunt camps in Indian Pass, the Hendersons’
home is a gracious reminder of the real Old Florida.