Famed architect Norman Jaffe’s comment that a house should provide a “dreamlike, romantic journey” that offers occupants the opportunity for self-discovery as well as shelter applies perfectly to the elegant waterfront home at 506 River Drive in Riomar Bay.
Designed by Scott Layne of Moulton Layne PA and built by JC Welton Construction in 2007-2008, the Windsor-style main home and two-story guest house include a total of five bedrooms and six and a half baths in 5,100 square feet of air-conditioned space.
The floor plan is lively and flowing, full of pleasant surprises; the architecture both classic and subtle, with bold elements like the beamed vaulted ceilings that characterize the home’s public spaces and a wealth of delicate sophisticated details.
The landscaping on the .56-acre property is truly exceptional, on par with what one might find in a top-notch botanical garden, with a wide array of palms and flowering plants, meandering stone walkways, coral boulders and Buddha statues, pebbled courtyards and playful fountains, including one made from an antique Thai water jar. A wonderful interpenetration of interior and exterior space links the natural and domestic worlds in an almost magical way.
“This house is a true pleasure to show,” says Jane Schwiering, co-owner of Norris & Company Real Estate, who co-listed the house with realtor Anne Wallace for $3,995,000. “Everyone loves it. The realtors who’ve seen it have joked about pooling their money and buying it themselves for incremental living.”
A visitor’s romantic journey begins with a walk down a stone-paved walkway, lined with slender Christmas palms bright with red berries. Walls close in from both sides, making the sense of passage more dramatic.
As it nears the double front doors, the path parts and flows around a massive coral boulder in the entry courtyard and then reaches the front porch.
“My stepdaughter and I drove down to No Name Key and bought it from Dan the Coral Man,” says the homeowner, who is downsizing after her husband passed away last fall. “He gets his material from one of the two remaining legal coral quarries. They have a crane and they lifted it onto a flatbed truck and the truck pulled right up here and lowered it in place.”
The dark wood front doors have multiple glass panes, and there are French doors on the opposite wall, so the river behind the house is visible before one enters. Immediately inside is a wide shallow foyer. To the left, a vestibule leads to an en suite guest or child’s room with peaceful views of two courtyards, one with the Thai water jar fountain, one with Japanese-themed landscaping with large smooth black pebbles. To the right, a second vestibule leads to the powder room and laundry.
But the main attraction is straight ahead, in the spacious, island-themed living room. It’s most striking feature is a high vaulted ceiling with exposed beams supporting tongue-and-groove planks, all painted white, like most of the rest of the extensive woodwork that provides decoration and dimension throughout the house.
Three French doors open onto the patio that overlooks the pool and lagoon, with a fine view of the 17th Street Bridge in the distance.
“I love the view of the bridge,” says the homeowner. “It’s beautiful with the lights at night.”
The left wall of the living room upon entry is occupied by white-painted built-in cupboards and shelves that contain an oversize flat-screen television with surround sound. The dark American walnut floors contrast perfectly with the white woodwork and trim.
The right side of the living room, opposite the entertainment system, connects to the dining room, where the ceiling drops down low to create a sense of intimacy.
Beyond the dining room, the ceiling soars again in another beamed reverse hip vault over the large, well-equipped kitchen. A massive island topped with wormy chestnut dominates the room, which also includes a suite of high-end appliances and scorched granite counters. A butler’s pantry ideal for catered affairs opens off of one corner.
The homeowner says the home easily accommodates dinner parties of 20 or more.
Behind the kitchen and open to it is a family room the architect named the river room, which the homeowner says is her favorite place in a house full of amazing spaces. It has another vaulted beamed ceiling, a gas fireplace and a bay window sitting area tucked away beneath a shallow arch and surrounded with windows that let in views of the pool, flowering yard and river.
“I like all the different ceiling heights Scott created in the house,” says the homeowner, who is from Michigan and has a home in Chicago. “That is a technique that Frank Lloyd Wright liked to use.”
To the left of the living room, in the wing opposite the kitchen and family room wing, is a beautifully equipped office, full of built-ins and offering great views, and the master bedroom and bath suite. The hallway that leads to the those rooms is a work of art in itself, with a recess in one wall where a rectangular table fits neatly and provides space for display of photos or artwork, and an oval rotunda that enhances a sense of transition and possibility as one enters the private part of the house.
There are separate his and hers baths with attached walk-in closets. Her bath is highlighted by the monolithic use of white marble for the tub and floor and walls. His bath has an oversize shower with a floor-to-ceiling glass front.
The master bedroom looks out on the Japanese courtyard on one side; on the other, French doors lead out to a private patio with a deep whirlpool spa surrounded with flowering plants and decorative coral stones watched over by a statue of a seated Buddha.
The back yard, which runs along a 135-foot seawall, is a little piece of heaven with curving paths, interesting changes in levels and more flowering plants. There is a seating area right on the water, where the homeowner says evening drinks are often served, a dock with 6,000 pound boat lift and water steps to make it easy to launch a kayak or canoe.
The view is sweeping, encompassing at least 200 degrees and taking in the mainland and island shores along with the romantic prospect of the bridge.
“You can look down and see the fish in the water and if you want to go for a quick swim, it is right there,” says the homeowner. She adds that “an incredible amount of wildlife” passes by her property, including dolphins, manatees, pelicans, eagles, ospreys and otters.
The palm-shaded swimming pool is another feature that evokes Frank Lloyd Wright, with a series of interconnect rectangles of water, restful and inviting.
The house has another en suite bedroom in front, accessed from the entry courtyard, and a spectacular two-bedroom guest house.
“Scott wanted a wow factor in here and he got it,” says the homeowner.
There is one en suite bedroom downstairs and another directly above, accessed via an attractive and serviceable staircase with a small balcony area.
The wow comes from main living room, which rises the full two stories with a floor-to-ceiling window wall at one end. Opposite the window wall is a wall of built-ins for storage and entertainment that includes a mini-kitchen.
The walls are paneled with shiplap siding most of the way up, which creates a pleasing sense of being outside and inside simultaneously, since the material is normally used for exterior siding. Looking up, one expects to see open sky, not a ceiling. The effect is enhanced by light blue paint on the ceiling and around the top of the wall above the wooden siding.
The homeowner says she and her husband considered building in Windsor when they came to Vero Beach but decided on Riomar Bay because of the in-town convenience and the friendly sociable character of the neighborhood.
“We had a number of good friends here and we liked to go out and eat a lot and didn’t want to have to drive 20 minutes to get to a restaurant,” she says.
“‘Between the bridges’ is the buzzword, now,” says Ann Wallace. “People love the convenience.”
The homeowner will continue to enjoy a “between the bridges” lifestyle in her new home. She bought one of the East End townhomes now under construction on the ocean right in the middle of Vero’s village by the sea.
“I am looking forward to opening the windows and hearing the surf,” she says.