Pool and original house
Guest house and dining pavillion
You may have read about a house we designed in Key West in the June issue of Traditional Home magazine. Shortly before the article went to press, the homeowners had the opportunity to purchase the house immediately behind theirs. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity to combine two properties with such historic significance in the heart of old town Key West. On March 14, 2010, I did a blog post entitled “Southernmost Before and After” showing pictures of what is now the guest house in the following series of photos. Check those out first, and you will not believe the transformation shown in the following images. The photos are arranged as if you were walking through the space.
Our goal was to make the two houses seamless, as if it has always been the way it is now. The property behind the main house had the same size lot, but a much smaller house. We were able to remove all the un-historic portions of the house, and add on a fantastic guest house. The original part of the house is now the “dining pavillion”, an outdoor dining and seating area that is perfect for entertaining. In order to complete the picture, we added a master bedroom suite, a loft sleeping area, a small kitchen, powder room, and a small sitting room. It really is paradise transformed.
In order to maintain the casual feel the owner wanted; we used linen fabrics, comfortable upholstery, original old house details, and striped the floors with white a green paint to really enhance the cottage feeling. We also intensified the same color palette that was used in the main house. It really got punched up for more impact. The results are pretty dramatic.
Pool and guest house
Dining pavillion
Restored exterior of the guest house
Dining pavillion
Dining pavillion seating area
One of a pair of sideboards in the dining pavillion topped with French black clay pottery
Dining pavillion at dusk with the l.e.d. lighting in the pool illuminating the house
Kitchen
View through the guest house
Living room
Powder room
Sleeping loft
Seating area in the master bedroom of the guest house
Antique blue lamp adds an unexpected pop of color in the bedroom suite
Guest house bedroom with plasma pop up cabinet
Vintage key lime painted Italian chest and custom pagoda style mirror in the guest house bedroom
Guest house master bathroom
We worked on the main house some too. New French style doors were added to the master bedroom, allowing direct access to the pool area, and a former deck space was converted to an office for the homeowner.
Main house master bedroom
Main house master bath with new vanity area. Vanity is an Italian antique.
New office area
18th century Italian cabinet as a credenza in the new office
