Timeless INTERIORS

PURPLE CHERRY TAKES A TRADITIONAL APPROACH TO A BETHANY BEACH DREAM HOUSE.

- NANCY A. RUHLING

When it comes to buying or designing a new home, there's one basic criterion that notoriously tops the proverbial checklist: location.

You know, the kind of shingle-style home that you would come across in the Hamptons or Cape Cod.

Top to bottom: The sunroom, which has a fun vibe, features a sky-blue ceiling, a bold blue tile around the fireplace, and a circular wicker pendant in two shades of blue. Even the tic-tactoe board on the games table gets into the act: Its playing pieces are metallic starfish.

In the living room, whites, blues and greens blur the lines between indoor and outdoor spaces. The chandelier, plaster white, appears to disappear.

Timeless. Nothing too fancy.

He and his wife looked at several houses, but none of them seemed to be quite right.

So when they were offered the chance to buy an extra-large vacant lot facing the ocean, they decided to take the plunge and build their own dream house.

"My vision of a simple beach house went out the window," the husband says, adding that they ended up building a legacy compound that will serve their family for generations.

The 8,000-square-foot, four-level house has seven bedroom suites and three half baths, enough to accommodate them, their two grown sons, and any grandchildren who appear on the scene in the future. (A bunk room was included in anticipation of their eventual arrival.)