Ocean view living

Named after its idyllic location, Coastal Florida Keys Home is a vacation property with breathtaking ocean views in the Florida Keys, an archipelago of about 1,700 islands in the Southeastern United States.

“The aim of this renovation project was to give a sophisticated makeover to this approximately 265-square-metre property located in Big Pine Key,” explain the architects from Dkor Interiors (www.dkorinteriors.com), the Miami-based firm that handled the project. “The home design was centred around family connection and togetherness. Therefore, an open layout of rooms that easily flow into one another, decor that celebrates family memories, and big spaces that keep the whole family together were necessary.”

The house extends over three levels, strategically distributed to ensure that each floor and its rooms flow together and meet the various needs of the family: “We planned the space thoughtfully, starting out with the basement, which we designed with children in mind with a kitchen, TV room and bunk beds. The common areas are on the first floor, while all the bedrooms, including the master and guest rooms, are on the second.” There are plenty of dreamy spots: “Such as the master and guest bathrooms, where you can enjoy the view from the bathtub; the bar, in the common area; and the breakfast corner in the kitchen.”

Surrounded by the natural beauty of the Florida Keys, the vacation home has been renovated drawing inspiration from the lush vegetation and relaxing ocean views: “It is a peaceful retreat where our clients can enjoy the unique wonders of the area and spend quality time with their family. Inspired by the home’s location and surrounding nature, we developed the concept of a curated treehouse perched over the ocean, with a palette of sandy neutrals, lush greens, and seafaring blues and aquas. As for materials, we opted for golden woods, which are warm but still light and airy and add to the feeling that the home is floating in a tree, as well as striated stone and rocks with inclusions that look as if they were washed ashore. We also added polished surfaces such as tiles reminiscent of seashells and mirrors to reflect the outdoors, which add sparkle like the reflection of the sun off the water.”

For the project, the practice chose Italian-made ceramic surfaces: “We used Natural Tile by Edimax Ceramiche as the general flooring in the common areas and Mark by Atlas Concorde for the bathrooms”, both collections reproducing the warmth, knots and grain of wood. “We like to use Italian ceramic tile in our residential projects because it combines style and functionality perfectly, is maintenance-free and minimises the risk of chipping and uneven floors. Moreover, thanks to the quality of these tiles, we are sure that installers don’t come up against the kind of difficulties they experience with inferior products.”