The home at 160 Seaside Trails in the gated Indian Trails community is filled with charming architectural details encompassed within a grand design.
Outstanding features include a great room with a 15-foot high ceiling and massive stone fireplace that was inspired by the magnificent West Indies clubhouse on Marsh Island, and a kitchen with lighted glass-front cabinets and Brazilian granite counters.
Columns, arches and custom woodwork fill the home with elegance without detracting from its easy flow and warm livability.
Designed by homeowner Linda Bolton, the house with its blend of English cottage and West Indies architecture conforms organically to its lushly landscaped setting in this sought-after ocean-to-river subdivision a short distance north of John’s Island.
The community is loaded with amenities including a beach clubhouse on the ocean and a marina on the Indian River Lagoon; a main clubhouse with heated pool, fitness center and meeting rooms; and a tennis center with 5 clay courts, a tennis shop and a pro onsite.
“This is a very active tennis community with plenty of opportunities for anyone who is a tennis player to engage and connect with other tennis players,” says Kelly Fischer, a broker associate with Treasure Coast Sotheby’s International Realty, who listed the home for $950,000.
The clubhouse was remodeled a year ago and the roads were recently repaved, so a new owner will not have to worry about any extra community assessments, according to Fischer and Bolton.
Besides the onsite amenities and activities, residents enjoy reciprocal seasonal memberships for dining, golf and boating with other area clubs.
Bolton’s home enjoys a privileged location within the community that is close to the front gate but still completely private. No other homes are visible from the backyard, yet it is only a few steps the clubhouse and tennis courts.
“My grandsons will tell you, if you plow through the bushes in the backyard, you end up at our clubhouse which is really quite lovely,” says Bolton. “It is a wonderful community.”
At .43-acre, Bolton’s raised lot at the end of a cul-de-sac is one of the largest in the community, according to Fischer.
The beautifully proportioned house, built in 2007, has more than 5,000 square feet of living space under roof, including a gracious veranda in front and a covered loggia in back, and more than 3,100 square feet under air.
There is a circular motor court with pavers and a center island with flowering plants. The driveway continues to the side of the house where the entrance to the three-car attached garage is located, out of sight from the street.
Entry to the house is via a grand, columned front porch and then through French doors with sidelights.
The entry door is flanked by two additional sets of French doors and all three sets have clerestory windows above.
The front door opens into the great room that Bolton modeled on the Marsh Island clubhouse. The back wall is composed mainly three more French doors with fanlights above, making the high-ceiling room exceptionally bright and airy.
“In the winter, when the weather is nice, the doors stand open to allow the ocean breeze to blow through,” says Bolton, who is a business consultant and court mediator. “It is a nice way to live.”
To the right of the great room is an intimate café area set into a bay window looking out at the back garden area and a large family room that is open to the gourmet kitchen.
The kitchen is equipped with top-of-the-line appliances, including a double KitchenAid oven with warmer drawer and a cooktop with a popup vent feature.
There are two deep sinks with disposals and lots of cabinet space, including some cabinets with mullioned glass fronts that add to a cottagey, country kitchen ambiance.
Beyond the kitchen is a one of the home’s three first-floor bedrooms, a full bath, a well-equipped laundry room with two windows to let in light, and the staircase that leads to a bonus room upstairs that could easily be made into a fourth bedroom.
“The plumbing is already set up to put another bathroom up there if a new owner wants to use the room as a bedroom,” says Fischer.
Another complete guest suite opens off of the family room. It has a full bath with glassed in sunken shower and an exterior door that opens onto a private patio.
“One thing I think is special and unique about this house is its versatility,” says Fischer. “It is conducive it is to any kind of living, whether it be a family with children, or couple who entertains guest from up north, or someone who may have a multigenerational household, with an adult child who is divorced and needs to come back home, or an older parent. With this back suite, they have a home. The house is designed to accommodate all kinds of situations.”
To the left of the great room is Bolton’s office, which could be used as a den or library, a powder room and the luxurious mater suite. The bedroom has a handsome tray ceiling, walk-in closets, a therapeutic shower, and a deep, jetted soaking tub.
Like the suite in the opposite wing, the master opens onto a private patio.
The house is built in a kind of U-shape, encompassing a section of green lawn where an infinity pool would fit perfectly, extending to the edge of the raised lot. Bolton is having plans for the pool drawn up, so that a new owner can easily install one if desired. If not, the clubhouse pool is only a two-minute walk.
Besides its great location in Indian Trails, Linda Bolton’s charming and lovingly cared for home is, like others in the community, close to town and to other attractions and activities, such as dining at the Disney Resort a mile or so north, swimming at Wabasso Beach Park, surfing at the Sebastian Inlet, kayaking, boating and fishing in the Indian river lagoon, and a wide range of exhibits, classes and excursions at the Environmental Learning Center just over the Wabasso Bridge, a great educational and recreational resource for families.
Another plus for people with children, Indian Trails is in the area served by Beachland Elementary, one of the most highly regarded grade schools in the county.