MLS# 756139

4BR | 2 1/2 BA | 2,583 SqFt

Offered at $1,750,000

After making an indelible mark in Seaside with his boundaries-testing “Dog Trot House”, New York architect Walter Chatham went on to design a trio of projects — the first of Ruskin Place’s 20 row houses and the sum of his work in Seaside. They were featured on the cover of Architecture magazine the year they were built. One of them was Desire. Rising to the challenge of reconciling Modern architecture with traditional planning by reinvigorating the familiar 19th-century row house profile, Chatham gave Desire a traditional, symmetrical, almost tropical, appearance, with top-hinged wooden shutters and green matching trim against neutral wood siding. In tandem, he rendered a subtly industrial interior, with galvanized-pipe towel bars & hooks and a perforated floating stair that makes its

way to an open-air terrace with 180-degree views of the Gulf and town. Chatham devotees will see the angular, corrugated metal stair tower there as a nod to his Modernist leanings.

On the east and west sides, he popped up the roof line to allow for a pair of tall, transomed windows to capture as much natural light as possible into the piano nobile on the third floor. The inverted arrangement is intentional, providing a natural progression between the main living area and rooftop terrace, while freeing up the first floor to remain open to the possibility of its intended use as the commercial portion of a live/work space, though it currently serves as residential. A newly serviced elevator, tucked out of sight, makes travel between them all effortlessly efficient.

A Chatham-designed console, custom-made for the space, lends a perfectly understated effect to the main living area. With its alternating, elongated checkerboard-style blocks of green and white on top, the piece is telltale Chatham.

The symmetry of the western elevation continues with a pair of park-facing doors on each of the two remaining floors, one of which opens onto a second story balcony overlooking the park and the other onto the park itself, below. 

Bedrooms share central baths on each of the two lower levels, finished with lustrously durable porcelain tile to bring in even more light still.

Perfectly suited to Ruskin Place's eclectic urban vibe, Chatham's effect - in this versatile space with its special acclaim and endless possibilities - is undeniable. It can just as easily be a 2-, 3-, or 4-bedroom vacation rental lockoff or converted into any number of live/work combinations with retail/gallery space on the ground floor. 

All this time, Desire has been in the care of its original owner. With a little luck, its next will be just as mindful of this rare Seaside gem. Will it be you?

Stay tuned for interior and rooftop terrace updates to come from local designer Luanne Kelly.

Offered at $2,150,000

5 Bedrooms 6 Baths

3,549 sqaure feet

MLS 749539

Like new re-do! 44 Crossvine is completely remade and repainted from the inside out with all new chef's kitchen, wire-brushed oak floors, marble countertops, wooden Shaker-style cabinetry, and designer furnishings. The re-imagined 3549sf space, with its breathtaking, open sense of arrival and 12' ceilings, can easily accommodate two families in five bedrooms with 2 masters, a full bunk room, pull-out sofa sleeper, and 6 full baths over 3 levels. Add to that another 2200sf of outdoor living space with screened/unscreened porches on the first and second floors (accessible from all bedrooms) and a pavered, trellised patio/grill area. The incomparable setting is one you don't see often in WaterColor. At the quiet end of a lightly traveled cul-de-sac, it overlooks 2 seemingly private ponds from both the side and backyard. There's even room to add a pool and full summer kitchen to the existing outdoor fireplace and screened dining porch. 44 Crossvine is as close to brand new as you'll get for the price. It's a must-see/must-have!