I’ve come to realize Spanish / Mediterranean architecture is one of the reasons I LUV living in a warm climate, had always wanted to. Much of Florida, California, they’re the types of homes & other structures which pair perfectly with bougainvillea, which engender visions of warm evenings entertaining or just hanging out by the pool, of large covered lanais with furniture beckoning you to stay awhile, relax. Inside, it's the warmth of materials, from wood floors and hand-painted tiles, to wrought iron fixtures, gates, railings. Movies, televisions, photo shoots, I knew about them before I'd ever experienced them.
I am thrilled to have my first listing in Winter Park -- with long-time Local real estate expert Pam Stewart -- be such a home, in a community and a state where this aesthetic is so celebrated. I remember our first days in Winter Park being drawn to the campus of Rollins College, wandering its tree-lined walkways, enjoying something LUVly at every turn. Truly, it is no surprise the Princeton Review has spotlighted the Rollins College campus as the "Most Beautiful Campus" in America, wonderful examples of Spanish / Mediterranean architecture at every turn.
Fresh from South Florida when we moved here, one of the things I truly did LUV about living further south was the architecture. It was the first time I'd lived in an area where it was so popular, could be so easily viewed and enjoyed. I remember attending a party in a neighborhood where Anna Korinkova & Enrique Iglesias both had homes. The home we were at was truly spectacular, like the set of a movie set somewhere in Spain. Interesting outdoor to indoor transitions, a variety of fountains, covered lanais. Another time, we were fortunate to attend an event at the Versace Mansion on Ocean Drive, Joss Stone performing out by the pool. The huge atrium after you enter, the ornate design elements & extensive mosaics around the pool, the rooftop entertainment area, all amazing.
Florida has so many well known, long celebrated properties of this design family, from Vizcaya in Miami to The Breakers & Mara Lago in Palm Beach, to so much of our neighbor to the north, St. Augustine. For me, it is the the signature architecture of the state, the homes of which I most think when I think of Florida.
The front facade of my listing at 1230 Sunset Drive has these graceful columns framing rounded arches, echoed by tall windows behind. It is a space which reminds me of one of my favorite walkways on the Rollins College campus, picture shown above. As with grand homes, castles, monasteries and more in Spain, across southern Europe, indoor and outdoor spaces merge, are designed with the outdoors in mind. This is Florida and the weather is a big reason we live here. Large lanais, spacious terraces, living in Florida is about often being, living outdoors.
Our first home in Florida was of a Spanish design and it changed me. Built in the 1930s, with native Florida woods (Dade County Pine & Pecky Cypress) and wrought iron, French doors and large windows, arched doorways, it awoke in me a LUV of design I did not previously know I had. Once you go Mediterranean, I’ve found, it can be challenging to see yourself living in any environment which doesn’t evoke similar emotions, ones which seem to feed the soul as well as the eyes.
Aside from being a tasteful tribute to this popular architecture style, 1230 Sunset Drive is perfectly situated within the community. As our traffic patterns have become more sharply defined over the years, we can't help but appreciate the ability to get where we are going via multiple routes. From 1230 Sunset, the arteries to take you elsewhere include quick & easy access to Palmer, Howell Branch, Lakemont, Temple and Aloma. With not just a single way to get wherever you are going, but often numerous. I've always thought there are basically four ways to get from west to east -- and vice versa --- in Winter Park, and this listing is close to three of them!
The home sits up a bit from the quiet bricked street in front, amplifying your sense of arrival. A small terrace with awning captures your eye to the right, as a series of rounded arches are echoed by large, tall windows behind, several columns serving to frame them. As I have spent time in the home over the last week since listing it, inside I am again and again taken by the amazing amount of natural light inside. Today, while hosting a first open house at the home, it dawned on me just how over-sized the windows are, in height throughout, in size overall upstairs on the landing. They are BIG and the windowsills are deep.
There is so much to LUV, LUV, LUV about this home and full details and a large group of photos are available here:
https://stellar.mlsmatrix.com/Matrix/Public/Portal.aspx?ID=29780717733&L=1
Won't You Be My Winter Park Neighbor is even more appropriate in this case, as I live super close by and can often show it with short notice.
I can be reached by phone at 407.539.3977 or email at iluvwinterpark@earthlink.net.
Won't you be my Winter Park neighbor?