Jacksonville Magazine Clip | Beachy Keen | Sept 2014

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56 | JACKSONVILLEMAG.COM SEPTEMBER 2014

A PONTE
VEDRA OASIS
MELDS
COMFORT
WITH STYLE
A
KEEN
AN ARCHITECT, A BUILDER AND
an interior designer walk into a
bar. A recipe for disaster? Not
when the clients know what they
want—for Kathy and Jack Gleason,
that was a lot.
Among the requests: open-air
space and a “home that can run
on auto pilot,” bean bag chairs
and no more pink. Ever. (That
specific request came courtesy
of the couple’s sixteen-year-old
daughter).
The architect (Cliff Duch, of
Cronk Duch Architects) took all
of the requests into account,
eventually suggesting an Anglo-
Caribbean look. The builder
(Michael Lenahan of Aurora
Custom Homes) concurred,
adding that the home needed to
be made of “quality, durable
materials—something low maintenance.”
And thus, the building
began.
Duch sent the Gleasons to
Windsor, a community in Vero
Beach filled with white stucco,
Anglo-Caribbean houses—what
he calls a blend of “classic
Southern and island home styles,
with a contemporary appeal.”
With steeply pitched metal roofs
and vertically proportioned windows,
this style allows for lots of
natural light.
BY Juliet Johnson
PHOTOGRAPHS BY Wally Sears
SEPTEMBER 2014 JACKSONVILLEMAG.COM | 57

The Gleasons had purchased a great lot, but it came with a few challenges.
Running alongside a golf course, the house would have beautiful views of a tranquil
lagoon in the distance—if it weren’t for the tee box in the foreground. Sitting just one
block from the ocean, there would be good breezes from the east but, as it sits on a
corner lot, it was exposed, without much privacy.
Wanting to have as many of the primary living spaces run along the golf course
(which sits to the left of the property) as possible, the master bedroom was angled so
as to create protection to the north. The original plan called for a sizable wall and
shrubbery to save golfers’ potential embarrassment teeing off into a parallel fairway—and
the home from the odd amateur’s slice.
“Part of making the most of Florida living is recognizing that we live around our
homes as much as we live in them,” says Duch. So, in lieu of a foyer, guests arrive at
an entry loggia, where they’re greeted with teak arm chairs and charming pressed
copper lanterns. The door opens directly into the great room.
58 | JACKSONVILLEMAG.COM SEPTEMBER 2014

Clockwise from left: Rising above
the mantel is an original iron and
glass sculpture from local artist,
Kim Young. With an insouciant
nod to the “breezes,” the furthermost
flower is meant to look adrift
in the wind; like much of the home,
the kitchen design took inspiration
from the ocean; a storage area
beneath the stairs (located in
back of the butler’s pantry), was
elevated to a wine “cave” with custom
wrought iron grapes and grillwork;
the family spends much of
its time outside so the architects
at Cronk Duch added porches
and the pavilion to shade from the
sun and make good use of the
ocean breeze.
SEPTEMBER 2014 JACKSONVILLEMAG.COM | 59

Affectionately referred to as the
“Incredible Shrinking Room” (“It was
always being made a little bit smaller
as we tried to fit this house on the lot,”
says Kathy), the great room has soaring
21-foot ceilings with dark wood beams,
symmetrical French doors and a limestone
fireplace. The palette of neutral
beiges, blues and greens is reminiscent
of sea glass, enlivened with punches of
cheerful coral.
A northern arch in the room leads to
the master suite. The master bathroom
makes good use of its coastal surroundings
in an intricate, shell-encrusted
mirror. A transitional hall leads from
the master suite to what builder
Lenahan calls “The Backyard Event.”
Indeed, the outdoor area is a bit of an
event, and includes seven outdoor
rooms, fountains, a fireplace and more.
Inside, just ahead of the outdoor space,
sits the massive kitchen.
For the kitchen, interior designer
Paula Lewis, of Del Mar Designs, continues
the blue palette. Here, the lighting
takes center stage. A chandelier
resembling marsh grasses hangs above

Opposite, clockwise from top left:
The architects made good use of
natural light throughout the home;
the master bathroom feels almost
spa-like with its soft light and
punches of color; Jack Gleason's
study comes complete with a large
globe—a nod to his many travels as
a pilot. ; among the teenage
Gleason's requests was a bean bag
chair, which features prominently
in her bedroom; vaulted ceilings
show off the avocado-colored
walls in the master suite.
This page: The home's dining
courtyard comes complete with
Summer kitchen and fountain;
shades of blue and teal feature
prominently throughout the home.
SEPTEMBER 2014 JACKSONVILLEMAG.COM | 61

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the dining room table (a hold-over from the
Gleasons’ former NJ Arts and Crafts era),
and copper kitchen pendant lights channel
overturned copper buckets. Arguably the
most unique part of the kitchen is the hood
over the six-burner gas range. Backed by a
rich panoply of blues, grays and copper in
glass and slate mosaic tile, this hood is
nickel-treated to resemble zinc, with copper
accents. The mix of natural elements—
metal, stone and wood—resonates “happy”
for the homeowners. With a coffered bead
board ceiling above, the space is grounded
by stone countertops, honed to a finish
called “leather dune.” The cabinets came
from Millwork in Orlando, and the Del Mar
Designs custom antique-style dresser
makes a good home for hot beverages and
fondue.
Dark hickory floors continue throughout
the first floor. In Jack’s study, a mighty desk
dominates with a small freestanding
globe—fitting, since he’s a pilot. Walls are
covered in unique grass cloth and an antler
chandelier, a fond reminder of the family’s
annual trek to Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
The master suite is exactly the sanctuary
one would expect. With vaulted ceilings,
limed beams and soft avocado walls, it
might be the coolest room in the house.
The master bathroom has ample natural
light, thanks to vertically proportioned windows.
It fell to Lewis to make sure the couple
could see themselves in the space.
Octagonal mirrors—works of art themselves—were
mounted over the windows in
62 | JACKSONVILLEMAG.COM SEPTEMBER 2014

The 1,200 square-foot evening courtyard comes complete with
a fireplace and spa.
such a way as to let light in all around
them. Polished nickel and bronze fixtures
and custom-designed cabinetry add sculptural
interest and continue the Anglo-
Caribbean aesthetic into even the most private
of spaces.
Across the courtyard—past the summer
kitchen, the sunbathing corner, the fountain
and the main dining table—is the guest
suite, an oasis in soft aqua. It’s utilized
year-round, so the space is as intricately
designed as the rest of the house and features
a rattan bed, capiz shell bedside
lamps and a sea grass rug—as opposed to
the usual mashup of attic treasures and
family hand-me-downs one would normally
find in a guestroom.
For the design team, the family’s
requests to make the entire home feel like a
luxury beach house was a welcome project.
“Here was a family who said, show us how
we can enjoy our lot to the fullest,” remembers
Lenahan. “Let us feel the outside on
the inside. Let us feel like we’re on permanent
vacation. Show us how to do Florida
for 12 months a year. Here was a family
open to all that we and the lot could offer.
Somehow, the home fits the neighborhood
while being nothing like the homes
that surround it. For Floridian living, it
doesn’t get much better.
SEPTEMBER 2014 JACKSONVILLEMAG.COM | 63