It is not surprising the sensational house at 266 Ocean Way in Seagrove is so romantic and tropical.
Bill Cox, the architect who designed the home for the late John and Pat Moore, also designed the magnificent Casa de Campo resort in the Dominican Republic and Breeze House, designer Oscar de la Renta’s famous tropically-themed house in Punta Cana.
Cox’s work reflects the beauty of the Caribbean and captures the essence of island architecture.
“My parents were trying, I think, to capture that kind of feeling in the home,” says the couple’s son, John Moore III, an attorney who grew up in Vero Beach and practices law here.
Moore and his brothers lived at 266 Ocean Way during most of their college years and he has fond memories of the house. “Each of us brought many home for spring break and the house was a remarkable place for entertaining crowds large and small – one of my mother’s favorite pastimes. I also remember many nights sitting out on the porch watching summer lightning storms over the ocean with my Dad.”
Such pastimes continued under the current owner, Stephanie Pape, and her late husband, Fred, who bought the 4-bedroom, 4.5-bath house with 121 linear feet of ocean frontage in 1994 and made significant upgrades in 1995.
Pape, who grew up in St. Croix, felt an instant connection to the home because of its tropical ambiance.
“I love this house,” she says, sitting in the bright, sprawling living room with a vaulted ceiling that overlooks the ocean. “Being inside, you feel like you’re outside at the same time. It’s warm in the winter and cool in the summer, and there’s a lot of privacy. Everyone has their own way to get outside, and can track sand into their own room.”
The 4,000-square-foot house is highlighted by post and beam construction, a striking cathedral ceiling, broad ocean views and multiple accesses to outdoor areas.
“When I’m building a house for someone, it’s a very intimate thing for me,” Cox said during a telephone interview from his home in Stuart. “I need to intuit what the owners are all about, what they like and how they live.”
Indeed the Ocean Way house is replete with tropical accents, and built with an awareness of the ocean, by offering extensive views and breezes through multiple sliding glass doors, windows, louvres and outdoor seating areas. Ocean air moves gently through the house thanks to the free-flowing openings on the east and west sides of the home – a beach view on one side, a pool view on the other.
A significant feature is a tongue and groove wooden cathedral ceiling in the kitchen, great room – living and dining room – and master suite.
Grier McFarland of Dale Sorensen Real Estate who listed the home for $3.5 million says the aura and history of the house make it a very special one. “The whole idea behind the home is that it has a Zen-like quality,” she says. “It’s a retreat with a Bohemian feel.”
“It gives you a sense of being on a tropical island, not realizing that you are in a gated neighborhood.”
The long driveway offers a feeling of mystery of what’s ahead, and leads to the house where a visitor steps up into a beautiful outside entertaining area. From there, steps lead to a lagoon-style pool framed by nature, with palms, hibiscus and a papaya tree.
Walking up the steps takes one into the front hall where the openness of the house is immediately apparent. Stepping down to the lower level there are three guestrooms, a large family room and bathrooms, as well as access to a covered porch with tile flooring; in all rooms, the sound of the ocean is prominent.
One of the guest bathrooms has a sauna and all of the rooms – downstairs and upstairs – have easy access to covered outdoor seating areas.
A sizable downstairs kitchenette offers greater independence for guests staying on the lower level, and windows overlooking the pool and louvres on an opposite wall allow steady breezes to flow through.
“It doesn’t have a basement look to it because you can see the vegetation, the bougainvillea and there’s outside seating,” says McFarland.
Across the hall from another guestroom is a bathroom, and farther down the hall is a 19 foot by 19 foot family room, also with access to the porch from sliding glass doors.
The third guestroom has a half bath and access to the pool and patio.
While there is tile flooring downstairs, upstairs features handsome Philippines shell stone flooring. The 30-foot by 21-foot great room with cathedral ceiling has a working fireplace. There is an expansive view of the ocean and access to outdoor covered seating.
A 25 foot by 10 foot gourmet kitchen with a breakfast nook has beautiful white glass front cabinets and 6-burner Thermador gas cook top. The cook can look at the ocean or the activity in the great room through a large serving window.
Down a hallway is a 9 foot by 12 foot study/office with built-in cabinetry, and farther down the hall is the master suite, also with access to the covered porch.
The 20 foot by 17 foot master suite includes two bathrooms – one has a skylight, marble vanity and marble shower floor. The other has a Polynesian-style soaking tub and shower, dressing area and doors that open to a patio with hot tub and steps down to the pool.
“If you have guests, you can sneak away for a breather in this house,” says Pape. “Downstairs is like another place. People can be quite independent down there, and a couple can live their entire lives upstairs if they want to.”
Of all of the homes she and her husband shared, 266 Ocean Way is her favorite.
“It’s very laid-back and relaxed,” she said. “It’s built to enjoy the nature. It is not a conservative kind of house. Everyone can do their own thing. The rule is that everyone can do exactly what they want to, then meet at cocktail hour.”
The setting in a tropical oasis in a gated community adds appeal, says McFarland, who also lives in Seagrove and has sold several homes there. She points out that the neighborhood is a mixture of retirees and young professionals with families. It’s close to St. Edward’s School and not far from Beachland Elementary.
The Seagrove community holds regular social gatherings and the vibe is friendly. “We’re not like a clubhouse community but we have casual events where we meet neighbors and make long-lasting friends,” McFarland says.
