Larry and Patricia Casale discovered the home at 4116 Shoreland Dr. in Central Beach while taking a bike ride through the neighborhood 20 years ago. After chatting with neighbors, they decided to take a look inside.
That was all it took for them to fall in love with the home. The couple, who came to Vero Beach because they were tired of snow after living in Park City, Utah, for nine years, knew it would be the perfect place to raise their children.
Larry was a pilot for Delta Airlines and had been based in Miami at one point, so they knew they wanted to get back to a warmer climate. The Casales had vacationed in Melbourne and already picked out a home there before their serendipitous drive south on A1A Vero.
“As soon as we drove into town, we knew this is where we wanted to live,” recalls Larry, “especially after Patty found out about Saint Edward’s School.”
Of all the homes they’ve ever lived in, Patty says this is her favorite.
Behind a lushly landscaped yard, a circular, brick-paved driveway peaks near the front entry – a welcoming mix of wood, brick and glass. The glass-enclosed foyer allows guests to stop and take in the sunlit space ahead. At the center of the house, an atrium-like area lined with clerestory windows – which are typical of midcentury modern architecture – creates a sense of space and light.
Encompassing the right wing of the house, the owner’s suite is accessed off this space through a set of double doors. The large bedroom opens onto a private patio through several sets of sliding glass doors with Shoji panels that provide privacy while allowing diffused light into the interior.
Along a short hallway that descends toward the rear of the house are a walk-in closet and spectacular bath resplendent with a soaking tub, dual sinks and features including a glass-block shower, skylights and a brick accent wall.
The openness of the home flows freely as you head toward the center of the house where a dining room and sitting room are sited between the kitchen and a spacious family room where there’s plenty of room for quiet chats by the fireplace with its travertine face while others play a game of pool or watch television.
Beamed, vaulted ceilings, skylights, transoms and a wall of glass doors are just a few of the interesting details that add to charm of the house.
“The home is very livable,” says Patty, noting that you feel like the outside is inside. “With all this glass, it’s like you are living in the trees.”
Three bedrooms and three bathrooms, one with a Roman shower, are located on the left side of the house, with a galley kitchen sitting between the reception room and guest wing. The kitchen has plenty of storage space. The brushed metal backsplash and high-end appliances complement the warm wood, and the setup is perfect for entertaining.
Toward the front of the house in this wing, a laundry room, access to the two-car garage, a pantry, a secret craft room and a powder room finish off the space.
The Casales enjoy puttering on the shaded patio with their plants. With an abundance of intriguing plant life, there’s little grass to maintain. Walking through the yard, Larry points out bamboo; a Nam Dok Mai mango tree from Vietnam, which produces giant mangoes; a dessert mango tree; cinnamon, moringa, rainbow eucalyptus; and ylang-ylang trees. He notes Coco Chanel selected the latter for its heady scent to make Chanel No. 5.
“It’s so much fun to live in Florida because you can grow so many different things,” Larry says.
The Casales won’t be going far – just a few miles further down the island to The Moorings, where they’ve purchased a condominium. “This has been a great house, but it’s time for us to downsize,” says Larry.
With both of their children grown and living with their families in town, there’s no reason for the couple to maintain such a large home.
In addition to the proximity to everything that living in the Central Beach area offers, Larry notes Shoreland Drive enjoys a particularly low traffic volume. “The neighborhood here has been just wonderful. This is such a small street that unless you live here, there’s no reason to drive down it. It’s like a cul-de-sac, a through street cul-de-sac. You get very little traffic.”
Patty agrees, adding, “It is so convenient.” Besides being close to the beach and the shopping and dining district on the island, the home is close to mainland services and amenities as well. “Everything you need is on Miracle Mile. I do about a 3-mile loop and get everything I need. I will miss the house.”
The home feels like it has always been here, says Marsha Sherry, The Moorings Realty Sales Co. managing broker. “To be in the middle of Central Beach and to have this privacy is a rare find.”
The Flag Point Shores corner of Central Beach is a quiet neighborhood featuring bungalow-style homes. Cultural offerings are nearby at Riverside Theatre, or the Vero Beach Museum of Art. Riverside Park offers tennis and a boat launch with the City Marina and an off-leash dog park a bike ride away.
Photos provided
