Orchid Island Golf & Beach Club is a one of the great residential jewels of the barrier island, extending graciously from the Atlantic Ocean to Indian River Lagoon, and Ken and Nan Morton’s breathtaking estate at 121 Seaspray Lane exemplifies the beauty and quality of the community.
Visitors will find themselves completely captivated before they’ve even set foot inside. A palm-lined drive leads to the elegantly arched, gated pavilion which, in the manner of a luxury resort villa, offers entrance to a garden courtyard – a beautifully-landscaped outdoor environment starring a serpentine, free-form pool/spa. Charming twin cabana suites flank the pavilion, with courtyard access: enticing, private spaces for extended family, children or guests. One of these is especially parent-friendly, offering washer-dryer and changing table.
There is an abundance of room, as well, for adults to enjoy the ambiance of this exquisite outdoor entertainment space, where guests can relax by the pool, or dine alfresco on the veranda, served by a summer kitchen, conveniently located nearby, on a covered porch. Here, the designated cook (often Ken) is close enough to participate in the conversation, except, he says, when everyone heads for the pool. This well-appointed work space flows into a seating area and includes grill, roaster, deep fryer, sink and fridge.
The perfectly placed fire-pit invites family and friends to gather round, seated on deck lounges or perched on stools in the pool. The Mortons say the treat of choice for their grandchildren is s’mores, the marshmallows toasted to gooey perfection over the fire-pit.
As gorgeous as this courtyard paradise is by day, it transforms into a glittering, magical space when the stars come out, easily accommodating the most sumptuous parties. On a clear, cool night, homeowners can choose to relax in the hot tub with a glass of wine and, when the schedule is right, enjoy a front-row seat to a launch from the Kennedy Space Center.
The Mortons designed and built their house with extraordinary attention to detail from start to finish: Nan, with her combination of whimsy and artistry, flawless eye for color, and organizational skills, collaborated with designer Scott Fritz, to create a traditional-inspired showplace that is, at once, highly functional and absolutely stunning. Nan loved the creative challenge, and says, in choosing the home’s unique design elements, “Scott used what I have, what I love.”
What the Mortons love best are the art and artistic influences of Japan, where they lived and worked for years, until the devastating, magnitude 7 earthquake of 1995 destroyed their home in Kobe and almost killed Nan. Her upbeat charm and enthusiasm belie the back issues she still deals with. Although the Mortons dearly love their beautiful home, which they have filled with a collection of Oriental furniture and objet d’art, with children grown and gone, they say it’s time to downsize.
Entered from the French limestone foyer, beneath stately, columned archways, the living room with its coffered ceiling and elegant French limestone floor, and the library, warmed by a glowing hardwood floor, open, via double glass doors, to a terrace overlooking the award-winning 18-hole Arnold Palmer golf course. When all doors are flung open from the courtyard, front room and rear patio, the home can easily accommodate well over 100 guests, says Nan.
Ken points out a clever living room feature: a television concealed behind a strategically positioned painting. The library is anchored by a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf wall, and shares a common wall and double-sided fireplace with the living room, its deep red stone surround from a chalet in the Burgundy region of France.
The Mortons’ home is positioned so that the view, overlooking a shimmering lake and ribbon of woodland beyond, with the same grass used for both home and golf course, gives the feeling of an estate stretching across the water into the green distance. White pelicans, says Nan, can often be seen enjoying the lake’s pleasant serenity.
The picturesque lake view also serves as backdrop for the elegant, bay-windowed formal dining room, which offers access to the patio. To facilitate convenient and gracious entertaining, the dining room is served by a sumptuous bar/butler’s pantry featuring rich, glass-front cabinetry, in which the Mortons display glass and dishware. Here, too, Nan says, is where male guests frequently congregate.
The liberal use of windows and double glass doors throughout, the broad archways and 12-foot ceilings provide flow and welcome the soft ambient light. From space to space, Nan has created a subtle build of color, from a pale pinkish palate to rich, deeper shades, relaxing to energetic.
A short hallway, with storage cabinets on either side, leads from the bar to the kitchen. Nan explains this strategic area serves as a buffer between the kitchen and the entertainment spaces, and also provides plenty of easily accessible room to stash party decorations.
The large, masterpiece kitchen is a chef’s dream-come-true, pairing top-notch appliances with furniture-quality cabinetry, which Nan designed for maximum use of space, including a clever below-counter, corner cabinet arrangement that provides ease of access and far less wasted space than the typical “lazy-Susan” style.
The island, one of Nan’s favorite creations, pairs a creamy half circle of marble on one side, with a wood, checkerboard butcher block counter top containing a sink. So delighted was Nan with the hand-crafted, dark-and-light wood cutting block counter that she didn’t want to use it as a cutting block: Instead, she has re-purposed the leftover checkerboard cut-out from the sink for actual chopping. Refrigerated drawers provide convenient access to salad making ingredients.
The U-shaped black soapstone countertop/workspace houses sink, Wolf 6-burner gas cooktop, warming drawer and two dishwashers. On the side adjoining the family room, the deep red custom counter top, of heat-resistant Pyrolave (glazed lava), ends in a gorgeous curve of red and cream onyx.
To either side of the kitchen are the breakfast nook and family room. The family room boasts a striking beamed ceiling, French doors to the courtyard, and a full-wall media center with custom-designed display shelves.
The sunny breakfast nook is nestled along corner window walls and features a convenient computer desk alcove which cleverly conceals, within its back wall, all that annoying wiring, out of the way but still totally accessible.
With the beautiful green granite counter extending along three walls, and the plethora of storage space, “laundry room” doesn’t exactly do this versatile room justice. In addition to the ubiquitous washer/dryer, its cabinets store supplies of all kinds, with corner windows providing lots of natural light. In Japan, Nan learned the art of sorting laundry, and has designed this room to accommodate several sorting categories. Each family member is responsible for sorting his or her own stuff. If they don’t, she says, they get to do their own wash. Off the laundry room is the “Dog Bathroom,” so named because of its whimsical paw prints wallpaper.
Opening to the terrace and golf course view is the lavish master wing, its plentiful French windows welcoming the soft tropical light. His and hers bathrooms provide luxurious personal space: hers, in the palest of pink shades, features Japanese-influenced storage panels, delicately hand-painted by a local artist; a beautifully feminine, built-in dressing table with make-up friendly lighting; a lavish, Roman Jacuzzi tub beneath sunny double windows; and a glass-front shower featuring lovely, easy-to-clean, miniature blue glass tile. A television, in a cabinet near the tub, is available should madam desire to spend some quality time soaking and unwinding.
His bathroom, in deeper, masculine tones, houses a water closet and glass shower. Its centerpiece is a handsome, furniture quality, dark wood sink/cabinet unit, with granite counter top and plentiful storage above and below.
A stunning ironwork door opens into the wine room, which houses wine racks and a 2-zone cooler. The unique door was custom crafted by framing a heavy, intricately wrought double-sided gate, turned by age to a desirable verdigris, and painstakingly balanced to open and close smoothly.
The graceful, curving staircase leads to the second floor of the main house, a versatile space which offers another bedroom suite, an artist’s studio, kitchenette, and office, and opens to a balcony with sweeping fairway views. The studio has of course, excellent light pouring in from windows on two sides, as well as plentiful storage, and appealing, grass-textured wall covering. The office possesses a more masculine ambiance, with cocoa-hued walls, desk, storage and a clever, faux floor-to-ceiling replica of an oriental cabinet, concealing the chimney.
The spacious, three-car garage features an air conditioned “control center” room, where repairs on any of the home’ various systems can be accomplished without having to enter the living spaces. Also from the garage, a staircase (permanent not pull-down) leads to a storage area homeowners will surely come to love: a long, perfectly shelved “attic” space for storage of seasonal décor and anything else a homeowner wishes to stash away. Through a door, at the end of this storage passage, is still more storage space, in a less finished but totally usable area.
This private Orchid Island resort community has as its crown jewel a West Indies-inspired Beach Club and also features an extensive tennis/fitness center. A short drive south on A1A is the charming Vero Beach village, with its restaurants, shops and parks along and near Ocean Drive. Nearby, also on the island, are the well-known Riverside Theatre (Equity) and the Vero Beach Museum of Art, both located in Riverside Park, a popular venue for festivals and events throughout the year and offering tennis, racquetball, an event field, jogging trails and boat launch.
