Sanctuary Shoreside

A sophisticated second home takes shape with color, flair and creative license at the hands of Carole Weaks.

When a pair of seasoned clients called upon Carole Weaks to design their second home, they knew they’d be in good hands. After all, Weaks had designed their urbane Atlanta penthouse close to a decade before, and this new home would be just as important, cultivated and—considering all the time they’d had to contemplate it—perhaps even more to their taste.

Situated in picturesque John’s Island, Florida, the condominium is nestled on the beachfront in a high-end community along the peninsula’s east coast.

“The view they have both morning and night is just breathtaking, and I don’t use that term loosely,” says Weaks. “It is probably the most glorious sunset I’ve ever seen, and the color of the ocean in the morning is something I cannot even describe.”

Since the couple would ultimately spend six months of the year here, the house needed to be set up like a full-time residence, which meant making the most of every square foot.

From the outset, the designer felt strongly about gutting the existing unit; it was the only way to fully achieve the openness the owners were after. It took a leap of faith to knock down so many walls and expand so many doorways, but Weaks believes it made all the difference.

Throughout the process, they gave her almost unlimited creative license, requesting only something fun and different from anything they had sprung for in the past. “They wanted this to truly feel like a beach home, rather than their previous house, which was full of antiques,” Weaks explains. “They wanted it to feel light and airy, with color and whimsy.”

The naturally stunning hues surrounding the home greatly informed its color palette, which includes complementary shades of melon red and crisp green. And thanks to tempering touches of black, from the living room to the kitchen to the guest bedroom, these shades appear sophisticated, not sweet.

Meanwhile, the master is the very picture of serenity. “It’s right on the beach,” Weaks says. “You can see the ocean from here, and the whole palette is the same as the water outside.” So is the second sitting room, a neutral space featuring a fold-out sofa as an extra sleeping spot.

“They’re so thrilled. They say that they just love the combination of color and calmness,” Weaks says. “They’ve got a little bit of both in a small area.” And if that isn’t interior design magic, well, Weaks has come pretty close.

INTERIOR DESIGN Carole Weaks, C. Weaks Interiors (404) 233-6040; cweaksint.com