Inner Peace

In Alys Beach, Florida, a modern stucco façade with louvered shutters provides for both breezes and privacy. It’s clean and almost monolithic,” says architect Bill Ingram.

Adding texture and warmth, a patterned jute rug anchors a tailored daybed and chairs from Cisco Home in front of the modernist fireplace by architect Bill Ingram. The flint bronze table lamp is by Caste.

A tranquil pool runs along the front elevation’s unique screen of louvered windows, enhancing the connection with nature.

“It’s clean and almost monolithic, but it’s also open and airy with punched out spaces and screen louvers. It has a quiet appeal.” —Bill Ingram

Used when returning from the beach, the rear entrance has a Dutch door painted in stripes. The square concrete planter is by Jon Perry from Medusa Stone.

A driftwood chair with a fur throw accents the plush linen-covered sofa and chairs from Verellen in the formal living room. The wall sconces are by Apparatus.

When the contractors dropped the veiny Calacatta marble intended for the kitchen countertops, the homeowners opted to pair the intact piece with white Corian counters. The wicker pendant is by Gervasoni.

An African clay-beaded chandelier from Klaylife makes good use of the high ceilings in the formal dining room, where rope-back chairs from Palecek surround an oak dining table by Blackcreek Mercantile & Trading Co. Rattan wood wall sculptures by Katie Gong hang above the dining room fireplace, which has a clever cutout that allows the flames to be seen from the kitchen. The African chandelier is from Klaylife.

A woven pendant from Mast Alys Beach adds an organic element to the sunny second-floor guest suite, which is furnished with a four-poster bed by Reid Classics and an African ceremonial beaded chair.

Circular black mirrors from Casamidy are suspended in front of the floor-to-ceiling window in the well-illuminated master bathroom. The tub is from Waterworks.

Blue draperies by C&C Milano pay homage to the sun and surf while establishing a unique identity for a stylish guest suite furnished with a bed from Cisco Home and a chair from Mast Alys Beach.

An oversize chandelier from Petite Friture takes full advantage of the lofty ceilings in the master suite, where custom plaster side tables by Ben Bludsworth flank a bed by Holland & Sherry. The table lamps are from Bleu Nature.

A colorful painting by Rex Ray enlivens the white Venetian plaster walls in the office, where pendant lights by Flos perfectly illuminate an 18th-century Spanish desk.

A favorite spot of the owners, the swanky rooftop entertainment area includes a pair of hanging chairs by Dedon and a daybed by Lee Industries around a woodburning fireplace.

Although the brilliant white manse is located on an often traveled promenade, the family enjoys complete privacy on their well-appointed rooftop, which includes a poolside entertainment area furnished with pieces from Dedon and Lee Industries.

With its beautifully landscaped streets, pristine white sand beaches and stunning bright blue ocean waters, the planned community of Alys Beach on Florida’s Gulf Coast seems tailor-made for the Instagram era. 

In fact, people regularly pose for photos at the posh pocket park just steps from the entrance to Joe and Mary Clark’s house, which makes a dramatic backdrop. “It’s clean and almost monolithic, but it’s also open and airy with punched out spaces and screen louvers,” says architect Bill Ingram. “It has a quiet appeal.”

Walk through the arched doorway and across a tranquil pool, and you’re in a private courtyard, the bubbling water drowning out the sounds of the walkable street that often attracts visitors. “It feels like you’ve just entered your own world,” he says. 

Indeed, the structure stands behind a two-story louvered screen painted in the same white as the exterior stucco. As a result, it feels like a private, light-filled retreat despite its location near a main thoroughfare leading to the beach. “They let natural light and breezes in,” Ingram says. “Perfect for the beach.”

That light subtly reflects off of the textural white Venetian plaster walls. Leaning into the simple palette, Mary—an interior designer who owns several local lifestyle boutiques—selected tailored furnishings in neutral fabrics accented by rustic textural pieces. 

In the family room, for example, a jute rug plays off the linen-covered furnishings. And in the formal dining room, she paired a clay-beaded African chandelier and rope-back chairs with an elegant custom round oak table. “This is a serene, sophisticated beach house,” she says, noting color comes from the sand, the water and the verdant palm trees outside.

When color is used, it packs a punch. A graphic painting punctuates the white walls in the office, where an African rug and an antique desk balance the contemporary architecture, streamlined leather chairs and modern white pendant lights. 

And evoking the surf and sky, powder blue draperies complement the white walls, painted flooring and pecky cypress ceilings in one of the well-appointed guest suites. “The house is very interactive but there’s privacy if you want it,” says Mary.

One of Mary’s very favorite spots is the rooftop, where, shaded by a pergola, two stylish swings and other modern furnishings surround a woodburning fireplace just steps away from the swimming pool. The couple often sit out there to relax and gaze at the twinkling carpet of stars overhead. “Bill created a dream house for us,” says Mary. “It’s a masterpiece.”

INTERIOR DESIGN Mary Clark, Mast Alys Beach, (850) 909-0406; alysbeach.com/mast ARCHITECT Bill Ingram, Bill Ingram Architect, (404) 348-4497; billingramarchitect.com