“Our family had salvaged wood from old farmhouses and collapsed barns, and collected remnants after Hurricane Opal,” Terry says. “Building a beach house with it was so us, with Tony’s family having been in the timber business for three generations and knowing where every piece came from.” The family’s deep history with wood is evident in every corner of the home, where the ceilings are topped with pine timbers and antique pine floors run throughout the house. In keeping with the home’s muted palette, some of the wood has been gray-washed, lending the space a lived-in beachy look. Brick and Venetian plaster walls act as textural counterpoints to the home’s many wood iterations. The home’s exterior is clad in wood milled from salvage pieces Tony had. They were able to do some things that really set the home apart with that wood, including adding 4-by-8 foot rafters and beveled siding. An inviting swing daybed graces the home’s wide front porch. Even with white sandy beaches and turquoise water nearby, the couple is content to spend time relaxing in their Florida home. For the back entry, they used salvaged brick flooring to add age-worn appeal to the area’s utility zone—and ease worries about wet feet on wood floors. To counter the scale of the 14-foot ceiling in the entryway, a chunky rustic bench and rich wood flooring were chosen to ground the space. Upon entering the beach house, you get the immediate feel for the salvaged, antique style this family loves. The home opens into an oversized family room that’s ideal for entertaining. Cabinets flanking the fireplace tie in the reclaimed wood look, while Venetian plaster walls (done by the couple’s artisan friend) add soft dimension and texture to the expansive space. The home’s pops of orange appear muted in the dining area, where a brick arched doorway frames the view into the kitchen. A reclaimed cypress range hood is the focal point in the kitchen, while a wheel from an old hay rake is the foundation for a standout chandelier above the dining room table. In the hallway, sconces made from salvaged pieces double as art sculptures. An oversized landscape painting nods to the waterside locale and is a great way to bring a vacation aura to any home, landlocked or not. Doors reclaimed from a house in New Orleans (sanded and waxed to enhance their natural tones) catch the eye in the primary bedroom and grant privacy when necessary, while gray wainscoting details help cozy up the high ceilings. Upstairs bedrooms open to a much-loved screen porch. This space is perfect for the family to hang out with each other and friends that come to stay, or simply have a cup of coffee in the morning and read a book. Outdoor ceiling fans keep things cool in the balmy Florida heat.
