Many people are still not familiar with the natural beauty of Indian River Club, located in South County, and that is truly their loss. Founded in 1995, the community, with 211 single lots, has grown up around its world-class 18-hole golf course.
“We call it a hidden treasure because people who do not venture to the south part of the county don’t know what they’re missing,” said Peggy Hewett, a realtor with Norris & Company, and an Indian River Club resident.
Mary and Frank Harkins, the current owners of this week’s featured home at 793 Hampton Woods Lane SW, are originally from New York City. They moved first to Stuart and then relocated to Vero Beach when they found Indian River Club.
“We had been looking around,” said Mary Harkins. “When we came into Indian River Club, we just exhaled. And I did not even play golf at the time.
It is a very friendly, welcoming community.”
More than just a golf course community, Indian River Club is a sanctuary of well-preserved old growth pine trees, pristine lakes and a rare scrub jay habitat. Nature has been preserved with such care that the club has been designated an Audubon International Signature Sanctuary, the organization’s highest rating.
Architecture in the community is a gracious mixture of old Florida homes, local Riomar style, and Carolina low-country cottages.
This week’s featured house was built by renowned local builder David Croom. It is an elegant concrete block and stucco courtyard home, large enough for a couple who like to entertain, yet intimate enough to be a cozy retreat, with rooms painted in warm, vibrant colors.
A shaded driveway comprised of brick pavers leads to the green-doored garages and the entry, which leads in turn into a light-filled screened-in atrium, the perfect spot for a relaxing cup of coffee in the morning.
“When it’s raining, you bring the outside in,” said Hewitt, remarking on the floor to ceiling screens
This house flows graciously from one area to the next. The kitchen separates the formal area of the house from the informal. It opens into the relaxed family room, with a pass-through to the formal dining room, where the couple entertains often.
Just past the atrium is the formal living and dining area, with high ceilings and cool, mint-green walls and white crown molding. There is a wood-burning fireplace for those chilly winter nights.
Tall, graceful French doors lead out to a screened-in patio overlooking the first hole’s tee, the first fairway and the ninth green. The patio is just the spot for cocktails before dinner.
“We are homebodies,” said Mary. “We have people in for dinner parties, mostly.”
The kitchen is open and spacious, yet extremely efficient. Jurassic green granite counter tops and wood cabinets are functional and gorgeous. It is equipped with updated appliances, including a range and microwave.
Mary Harkins had the center island lowered a bit, and has placed sofas in front of it, so her guests can be comfortable while she prepares a feast. Books feature predominately in the spacious, informal great room/family room, with one wall devoted to book cases holding hundreds of volumes.
Through the great room is one of the bedrooms, which Mary, who has an amazing sense of color, painted a deep coral, and turned into study, where the couple watches television and reads.
For maximum privacy when the couple entertains overnight guests, there is another bedroom, which was originally a cabana. The guest room opens into the atrium, around which the house is built.
The master bedroom is a restful nest, with light wood floors, white plantation shutters, lavender walls and a white ceiling with a fan. The adjoining master bath has a deep tub, a walk-in shower, a white tile floor, and more plantation shutters, giving the room a fresh feel.
The Harkins love their house and are sorry to leave it. All that makes it bearable is that they are moving three doors down on the same street, into a house with a pool.
The Harkins’ 3-bedroom, 3-bath home is close to all that the club has to offer, including the driving range, clubhouse and swimming pool.
“It’s a way of life. We have all ages here,” said Hewett. “People are always upsizing or downsizing. We have many people from the beach who came to play golf and ended up buying homes here.”
