After visiting Florida’s West Coast for 10 winters, Rodney and Kimberly Miller felt like it was getting too crowded. So they began looking for a place with a more laid-back environment for their southern sojourns.
Fortuitously, a neighbor near their Sunapee, New Hampshire, home mentioned Vero Beach and the Millers decided to give it a try. After just one visit, everything clicked.
“This place has everything we’re looking for – a great vibe, it’s upscale yet casual and has plenty of good restaurants,” Kimberly recalls saying to Rodney.
“We were hooked and never looked back,” she adds.
When the Millers looked at 200 E. Sea Colony Dr., Unit 2D, Kimberly was immediately drawn to the end unit. “It had such great bones and such a unique outdoor space.”
“This is the most desired location in the building because it offers so much privacy,” says One Sotheby’s International Realty broker-associate Cindy O’Dare, who is co-listing the home with her partner Richard Boga for $3.2 million.
Kimberly sought to create “a transitional but elegant feel” during the renovation of the “luxurious beach retreat,” she says, noting “few surfaces were untouched and no expense was spared. It’s truly turnkey.”
“This is by far the prettiest condo currently on the market. It’s very rare to find a place so well done with the beautiful finishes of this unit. The attention to detail is painstaking,” says O’Dare.
With more than 4,000 square feet of indoor-outdoor living space and stunning ocean views from almost every room, the condominium lives like a house. According to Kimberly, “it’s a tropical oasis where you feel like you are on vacation every day.”
Guests enter through an elegant lobby before heading up to the condominium via private elevator while the owner parks in the air-conditioned, two-car underground garage.
The elevator opens into a private vestibule which sets the tone for the unit with a chic blue and white print wallpaper of palm fronds complemented by a white chandelier.
From the foyer, sweeping views of the sea and sky are visible through the open corner wall of glass overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
The volume ceilings and marble floors, custom millwork and other interesting architectural features and fine details throughout add a touch of elegance to the beach chic décor. In the living room, a grass-cloth wall surrounds a slim modern television and an electric fireplace adds warmth.
The beachside owner’s suite is accessed through a vestibule to the right of the foyer, allowing for complete privacy from the guest wing. The spacious room enjoys private access to the terrace where you can take in the first rays of the sunrise.
A walk-in shower with rain showerhead, soaking tub, water closet and walk-in closet ensure everything is at hand to pamper yourself after a day on the beach.
The gourmet kitchen is strategically placed between the formal oceanfront areas and the family room to take full advantage of the views and natural light. High-end appliances, a breakfast nook and island cooktop allow for the preparation of everything from formal dinners to casual family-style gatherings, and a powder room is handily placed nearby.
“Quartz counters, white cabinets in the kitchen and newly honed ivory marble floors create a feel that is crisp and clean,” says Kimberly.
An office, laundry room and two guest suites enjoy sunset balconies allowing guests to take advantage of private outdoor areas without disturbing the owners.
The expansive oceanfront veranda encompasses 900 square feet of wide ocean views and includes a new summer kitchen with three distinctive “rooms” – one for lounging, one for dining and one for enjoying views from a covered seating area.
“Even with the three ‘rooms’ there is so much open space for other activities like yoga. The ocean veranda is truly magnificent. It is equally wonderful to have the west veranda for sunsets,” says Kimberly.
A gate and path lead to the private dune walkover to the beach. “You walk out the gate and you’re at the beach or the pool in a second,” Kimberly notes.
When they first looked at Sea Colony, Kimberly admits that she didn’t take notice of the amenities. She was pleasantly surprised when they moved in.
You can walk the beach, work out in the fitness center and take a dip in the pool. When faced with an overabundance of guests, a one-bedroom guest suite is available for a reasonable fee.
Residents gather regularly in the ocean-side clubhouse to socialize and cook out on the community grill. Storage lockers are also available for residents to store their beach paraphernalia.
“This home is perfect for someone who wants privacy but also wants to be part of a small community,” says Kimberly. With 16 single-family homes on the west side of A1A and 12 condos in a single building on the east side, residents get to know one another easily.
The guard-gated community includes an oceanfront clubhouse with a pool, spa, tennis and pickleball courts, fitness center, guest suite and private beach access. The subdivision is just a few minutes away from Ocean Drive shopping and dining, the Vero Museum of Art and Riverside Theatre.
Photos provided
