Triumphs of Design

No matter what your personal tastes, building that dream-home fantasy often requires calling on an architect or a residential designer. Indeed, Northeast Florida has no shortage of distinctive residences, many of which have been conceptualized by architects or residential designers who specialize in residential structures.

One can assume the owners of these homes are well pleased. But how do the authors feel about their works? We asked a few local professionals to tell us about their favorite designs. Although we quickly learned that our question was tantamount to asking a mother to name her favorite child, we nonetheless received some interesting responses.

Mind you, these homes aren't necessarily their favorites-we couldn't get anyone to rank one of their creations above another-but they are particularly interesting or significant in some way.

At the very least, they demonstrate the amazing architectural variety found in Jacksonville's high-end homes.

Gerard Vermey/Studio V

The Berger House

It rises up from the beach like a giant sandcastle, glistening in the sun. "My clients wanted something in the International style, which is a very modern look," says architect Gerard Vermey. "The husband grew up in Long Island, and he loved the glass houses you see in the Hamptons and other places along the coast."

The problem with the Hamptons-style glass-and-steel look, however, is Florida's unrelenting heat. "We had to adapt the idea to the sun and humidity of Florida," Vermey explains. "Otherwise it would have been too hot in the house to live there. They had 75-feet of oceanfront and wanted as much of the house as possible exposed to ocean views."

To accommodate the clients' wishes, Vermey designed a 3,500-square-foot masterpiece that makes ample use of towers and curved lines. The master bedroom occupies a circular room with open space all around the bed. The baths are circular, as is the playroom. Outside, paver stones in and around the pool give the illusion of walking on water.

"We wanted a house that looked like it came out of the sand," Vermey says. "And with all the curves, every minute you get a different picture. When the sun comes up, the house has one silhouette, and as it travels through the sky, different aspects of the house are accented."

Photo courtesy of Gerard Vermey

Kevin Gray/Kevin Gray and Bryan Architects

Inspiration from Normandy

Gated community architectural review boards tend to get nervous when confronted with an unusual set of plans. That's what happened when residential designer Kevin Gray's clients commissioned a home straight out of France's Normandy region-and they wanted it right on the golf course in one of Jacksonville's most exclusive communities.

"We had to adapt it to meet all the community covenants and restrictions while retaining Loire Valley appeal," says Gray. "It was a challenge. But what was really exciting was working with a client who wants to be involved on a day-to-day basis; someone who knows the difference between an authentic product and an artificial one and who'll look at both and weigh the difference."

The 7,800-square-foot home-with many authentic European architectural details-looks unlike anything in Northeast Florida. Built around a center courtyard, it offers views from every room while maintaining complete privacy from golfers strolling just beyond the lot line. Amenities include a world-class wine cellar, two turrets with a quilting room and two-story study, his-and-hers offices, hearth room, family room and dining room with disappearing screen.

But Gray says the house is most remarkable for its authenticity-including such touches as a split-wood shake roof. "We considered going with slate," says Gray. "But the clients realized that if they wanted an authentic look, they needed to go with wood."

The shutters, all of which are operable, are painted to look weathered and feature cast iron shutter dogs. Clay chimney pots were used for the fireplace flues and some of the tile flooring came from a vintage Parisian building. Even the wrought iron railing around the courtyard was inspired by railing found surrounding an old well in France.

Gray notes that the home was the most expensive built in the neighborhood that year-yet it isn't ostentatious. "It's a very inviting home," he says. "The entrance is downplayed. You don't walk in and get the feeling someone is trying to one-up anybody."

Photo courtesy Gray & Bryan Architects

Joe Cronk/Cronk & Duch Architects

The Shepherd House

Architect Joe Cronk's clients wanted to bring a touch of paradise to Northeast Florida, commissioning a design with British West Indies flair for their lot on A1A.

"The homeowners loved the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club and they wanted a house that took advantage of the ocean breezes," says Cronk. "They bought the lot, approved the design and said, 'Tell us when it's done.'"

The finished home is yellow, part stucco and part wood siding with blue trim and lush green landscaping. It has louver-enclosed loggias for entertaining and relaxing and a metal roof to catch the music of summer rains. At a relatively modest 4,000 square feet, the home-with its expansive covered porches-seems larger. "It's a comfortable house with a lot of traditional, West Indian-inspired touches," says Cronk. "It suits the local lifestyle."

Photo courtesy Cronk & Duch Architects

Deryl Patterson/Bloodgood Sharp Buster

A Neighborhood Row