One growing family crosses “the Ditch” to build the house of their dreams
words by Juliet Johnson // images by Jessie Preza
Jacksonville is full of secret enclaves, one of which is tucked between Nocatee and “the Ditch”—what Ponte Vedra Beach residents affectionately call the Intracoastal Waterway. At the end of a cul-de-sac, on a watefront lot they’ve owned for years, now sits a tall, contemporary home for Sandy and Mike Antonopoulos. You might attribute the stunning, peaceful structure in perfect harmony with its setting to a clever architect and inspired builder. But you would be missing the magic that flickers when six creative souls collaborate, without ego or edict, to create a magnificent residence.
The Antonopoulos family were comfortably ensconced in a large oceanfront unit in Old Ponte Vedra when their life began to change. Sandy’s parents required more support just as bubbly, energetic grandchildren arrived. “The condo’s stairs and the harsh environment of sand and wind from an angry ocean,” recalls Sandy, made her yearn for something more tailored to their four-generation life. She felt ready for a modernist approach and made a list of what was important: parents, boat, kids, gym, a view somewhere peaceful. As luck would have it, they already owned a lot. So why not just start fresh?
Mike is a semi-retired land developer and civil engineer. A new, out-of-the-box design felt fun for him. Sandy went to school for interior design, and has an infectious enthusiasm for high design paired with inventive practical solutions. She had worked with interior designer Lisa Gielincki on the couple’s condo and knew she would turn to her again on the new project. She hunted down the builder of an impressive and unusual contemporary on Ponte Vedra Boulevard, Irina Johnson of Aria Homes. Irina introduced Nicholas Renard of dig Architecture, and the team was set.
In residential architecture, modernism is defined by “form following function,” where strong horizontal and vertical lines meet at crisp 90-degree angles, with no moldings or twiddly ornamentation. Thanks to large windows and open floor plans, the margin for error and approximation is zero, making this kind of building more disciplined and sometimes more expensive. Concrete and steel are deliberately exposed—often in asymmetrical compositions—and the whole point is that frame is as important aesthetically as the textured layers of tile, fixtures and fabrics on top.
“Modernism speaks to a streamlined, simpler life,” says Gielincki. “We often see this choice for our empty-nester clients, no longer interested in collecting stuff or maintaining a large impressive home. Balance and layers of texture become a huge part of our design in these kinds of projects.”
Mike and Sandy’s house pairs modernist principles with careful and sometimes surprising choices. For example, the front yard is laid out geometrically, with short, tight grass and severe white pebbled beds—not out of botanical preference, but so that Sandy can see any snakes from the house and take appropriate action. There is rope lighting tucked behind harsh horizontal elements that glows warmly and lights a space that would otherwise have a sleek line interrupted by a lighting fixture.
The house comprises a main living floor with a staircase at each end to two separate bedroom spaces: one for the grandkids, and one for guests, with Mike’s office next door. The color palette started with a green glass vase. “I love this color and all the colors in it,” says Sandy. From there, they picked copper as a primary accent, with creams instead of stark whites and dark olive greens and grays, echoing the natural palette of North Florida’s landscape. The floors on the first floor are all the same material, in one ongoing stroke—for consistency, yes, and with aging-in-place a forethought for sure, but also for ease of use with things like a vacuum cleaner, which runs right into its storage closet in the laundry room without having to be hoisted up onto a ledge. It is a remarkably clever home, with many terrific design ideas providing inspiration for others.
The front door opens to a foyer dominated by a floating staircase and backed by a dramatic copper wallpaper. The open space houses Sandy’s grand piano where she and her granddaughter wrestle with Three Blind Mice and other starter pieces.
The living room, kitchen and lanai are dominated by a dramatic, glowing copper-leafed glass tile backsplash. In a delightful twist on hanging copper pots, here the wall is copper, and the pots are stainless for the induction cooktop, which senses the shape and location of the cookware to heat anywhere on its surface.
The copper wall in the kitchen is balanced by a coppered leather Eames chair in the living room, where a stacked stone hearth holds both a wide gas fireplace and a curved TV. Bookshelves look recessed and pushed back to elongate the room but are part of a hallway to the master suite, gym and in-law studio apartment.
Sadly, Sandy’s parents need a different care option than the 1,200-square-foot space built with them in mind. Still, there is no shortage of willing guests for the pleasant space with open sitting room, dining area, morning kitchen, separate entrance and amusing bathroom. Sandy jokingly calls the bathroom “the Dungeon,” thanks to a cement block pattern on the wallpaper. But of course, it is much more fun and dainty thanks to copper speckles and a medicine cabinet that lights up when opened.
The master suite is stunning. Another wide gas fireplace sits opposite the bed, surrounded by dark ceramic tile that replicates weathered concrete. The contrasting flame and stone is augmented by smooth grasscloth wallpaper washed in metallic paint for a shimmering tactile quality carried farther onto the leather headboard and echoed in a nifty mid-century dresser. The master bathroom has many interesting features, but it is the slab of magnificently-veined, granite that takes your breath away. Here, in this most private space, a gold granite slab forms one side of the shower, connecting the view of the preserve to the north and the waterway to the east.
The interior is stunning, of course, but the view is the real draw. And soon, there will be a dock, so that the couple can get their beloved boat onto the Intracoastal.
Says builder Irina Johnson of the project, “it was an extremely thoughtful process. I was impressed by the way the team was able to combine their interior design creativity with a very level-headed engineer’s approach to selections and planning.” Architect Nicholas Renard agrees, adding that there is a different standard on modern builds that Irina understands. He enjoyed the structural challenges brought on by the pool being located so close to the house, and the various staircases that had to accommodate numerous objectives.
“Everyone worked so hard,” Mike and Sandy concur. Perhaps the crew was inspired by the scripture that Sandy wrote on the framing, a different Biblical quote selected for each room, the evening before sheetrock was installed. Or perhaps it was the sense of building something new, beautiful and different.
CREDITS
Interior Design, Lisa Gielencki • Interior Design Builder, Aria Homes • Architect, dig Architecture • Cabinets & Appliances, First Coast Supply • Windows/Siding/Trim Manning, Building Supply • Closets/Trim, Patterson Brothers • Staircase, Southeastern Ornamental Iron • Plumbing Fixtures, Hollingsworth • Tile, Design Materials • Tile Installation, Owens & Owens
