This Sandcastle-Inspired Vacation Home

This sandcastle-inspired vacation home in Florida basks in the beauty of its beach side location while subtly celebrating its eighties influences

- Karen Tee

When it comes to a holiday home by the beach, function can sometimes take precedence over form. After all, it is essential to ensure the durability of the building in the face of environmental factors such as heat and humidity. But this wasn't the case with American architect Jeffrey Dungan, who considered both factors equally while building this sandcastle-inspired house for a family in Alys Beach, Florida.

Dungan had to incorporate a strict design direction and work within specific constraints that the town's architects had previously laid out-he says this actually allowed him to be even more creative in his approach to building the home. The result is a strikingly stylish 5,500 sq ft abode with a private pool set in a courtyard that features curves and arches on its stucco facade. A predominantly white palette keeps the abode's overall appearance restrained and subtle.

"I view the aesthetic of this house as a little sandcastle, as we used a lot of soft curvatures in the exterior walls and rounded edges rather than 90-degree ones," says Dungan of his design approach. "A good house always tells a story. The story begins with the exterior and continues inside, but inside it becomes more layered and intimate." A light palette anchors the design scheme with the addition of wood detailing in the rafters, wall panelling and floors to soften the space and create an "inviting and comfortable" warmth. "I also implemented a terrazzo floor that is cool to the touch in such a hot environment so that it feels refreshing. At the same time, this flooring is also great with wet bathing suits and teenage kids," he says.