Diplomat's Digs

The home, it so happens, has several Jacksonville connections. First, its previous occupant, J. Richard Blankenship, was also a Jacksonville resident before being tapped for the diplomatic post by President Bush. Second, at Blankenship's behest, a Jacksonville company redesigned and refurbished the home's interior last year following damage from a hurricane.

However, Blankenship scarcely got to enjoy the upgraded digs. The Orange Park businessman-previously director of the Mandarin Veterinary Clinic-resigned earlier this year after repeatedly offending Bahamian officials by suggesting that their country was not serious about curtailing drug trafficking.

Shortly thereafter, Rood, founder and chairman of The Vestcor Companies and a major Republican Party fund raiser, was asked by President Bush to take Blankenship's place. The nomination, made while Congress was in recess, was uncontested.

In addition to running Vestcor, a Jacksonville-based company that develops apartment complexes and condominium communities, Rood sits on the board of the James Madison Institute, a think-tank that promotes school vouchers, welfare reform, free enterprise and low taxes.

He had previously been appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and has been a member of the Jacksonville Housing Authority and the First Coast Family Housing Fund.

When Rood departed Northeast Florida for the Caribbean, it meant that Northeast Florida's inexplicable stranglehold on island diplomacy remained unbroken. It also meant that the new ambassador would be soothing disgruntled dignitaries in grand style, thanks to Sisler Johnston Interior Design, now celebrating its 20th anniversary.

Blankenship originally contacted Judith Sisler Johnston for her help in getting the residence back into shape in the aftermath of a particularly ugly storm. Although government funding would have replaced some damaged furnishings, Blankenship wanted a complete makeover. So he not only paid for the new look, he also donated personal furnishings from a Tallahassee condominium that he owned.

"Mr. Blankenship is a patriotic American who wanted to see his country professionally represented by its embassy residence," says Sisler Johnston, who had worked on Blankenship's personal residence on Doctor's Lake. "It was a great honor to design a residence that would accurately reflect the dignity and historical significance of an American ambassador's position within the country."

Certainly, the home fits its surroundings. Although not historic-it was built in the 1960s-its British-Colonial look harkens back to the days when architects exported their traditionally styled buildings to far-flung ports, incorporating local materials to create an enchanting combination of European formality and Caribbean quaintness.

The two-story home, which is tiered and built into a mountainside, overlooks the Cable Beach golf course and the ocean. Pricey private residences on lush acreage and several resort hotels surround it.

Since the ambassador's home is used for entertaining, Sisler Johnston says her goal was to enhance the atmosphere of elegant informality. She also had to cohesively combine furnishings salvaged from the hurricane with Blankenship's donated items and new purchases.

First, Sisler Johnston chose a warm caramel beige for the home's paints, wall coverings, tiles and carpeting and a color palette of green, blue, burgundy and camel for the upholstery and fabrics. She created a more tropical feel by adding classic rattan furniture to a newly constructed glassed atrium and mixing wood, iron and stone accents throughout. In addition, the bathrooms were remodeled and the kitchen enlarged.

Once product selections were made, new furniture, draperies, artwork, accessories and lighting were shipped to Miami, then on to the Bahamas. The Sisler Johnston team of designers and subcontractors traveled to Nassau to complete the installation in a hectic two-day period.

So next time you visit the ambassador's residence in the Bahamas-just be sure you have an invitation because security is tight-don't be surprised if you start to feel strangely at home. After all, there's a lot of Jacksonville mojo in this island outpost.