During college, William Hartog discovered Vero Beach when he tagged along with friends to fish at the Sebastian Inlet. After visiting the quaint little beach town, he suggested that his parents vacation here instead of South Florida.
Those seemingly minor incidents brought Hartog full circle. His mother eventually bought a home in Vero Beach near where he and his wife Lois Conrad ended up building their home at 1201 Isla Verde Square in River Club.
Hartog admits that he thought he would retire to Winter Park near Rollins College where he attended college all those years ago; but as the couple spent more and more time in Vero Beach, they realized this was where they wanted to live.
The couple wanted to create a private oasis in their backyard where they could put a lap pool without losing their greenspace. When they discovered a deep corner lot in River Club, they were “besotted,” recalls Sally Daley, founding broker associate of The Daley Group at Douglas Elliman.
“That’s still the case after all these years,” agrees Hartog.
The home was custom built by Palm Coast Development, and the West Indies-inspired architecture the couple chose is right at home amidst lush tropical landscaping.
Daley notes the exquisite millwork and finishes; the solid-wood, furniture-grade cabinetry and built-ins that Bob McNally, Palm Coast Development owner and CEO, is known to incorporate in the homes he builds.
“Additionally,” says Daley, “the timeless architecture takes on whatever your design aesthetic gives it, so it is broadly appealing.”
Hartog says they wanted the focal point to be the backyard – and it is. As you step from the foyer into the great room, your eye is drawn to the 40-foot lap pool that runs perpendicular to the house. Recessed sliders disappear entirely, and electric screens on the patio can be lowered to “create an open-air” space where indoor and outdoor living merge.
Another design feature the couple wanted, notes Daley, was the floorplan. “The great room is the spine that creates such easy connectivity to all of the house.”
“If you’re in the kitchen, you’re still a participant in what’s going on out here,” explains Hartog, pointing to the living room and patio.
An oversized, 10-foot kitchen island with seating delineates the kitchen and living room spaces, serving function and form, along with the gas range and stainless-steel appliances.
The area is large enough for a full dining table alongside the secondary sliding glass doors that open onto the patio so that guests can be seated close to one another when you have a full house.
An office to the right of the foyer is a great space for overflow guests to sleep. Glass pocket doors allow flexibility with the light-filled space. To ensure privacy, Hartog says there is a pulldown screen for use when the room is needed for sleepovers.
A short hall off the kitchen leads to an en suite guestroom, laundry room, pantry, and access to the oversized two-car garage.
Daley notes the positioning of the three bedrooms, “With bedrooms on opposite corners of the house you have privacy, yet it’s easy to hang in the middle, and everybody fits.”
On the opposite side of the house, pocket doors close off the hall outside the guestroom and bathroom. Daley notes that the pocket doors open to allow you to use the bathroom as a powder room during casual visits. Close the pocket door and it’s a private suite.
Noting the sizes of the rooms and the layout, Daley says, “this plan offers the new buyer immense flexibility to use the house however they want. This is a bedroom but look what a great second family room it makes. With a sleep sofa in here, you could get multiple functions out of it.”
The primary suite enjoys calm and relaxing views of the pool and greenspace with sliders that open onto the patio. A vestibule separates the suite from the great room.
Walk-in closets line both sides of the hallway leading to the primary bathroom, a classic and highly functional design feature. Two vanities, an oversized shower with a bench and a water closet complete the elegant bathroom.
Outside, a summer kitchen and outdoor fireplace add to the functionality and ambiance of the living area. Hartog says that even in the middle of the summer, they enjoy sitting by the fireplace with cocktails once the sun has dipped below the tree line.
A guard-gated community, River Club encompasses 120 acres of preserve with a 14-acre lake nestled among oak hammocks that evoke old Florida. Situated among the natural environs are two clubhouses with full kitchens, two pools, two fitness centers and tennis courts. The riverfront clubhouse offers suites members can reserve for guests.
The community has easy access to a public beach to the east and the Historic Jungle Trail and Jones Pier to the west.
“This community has two pools so that you can entertain at either clubhouse. You get to treat your guests to a sunset at the one on the river. It’s extremely flexible in how you can live and entertain here,” adds Daley.
Photos provided
