Down by the Bay

It s the surprise at the center of the lollipop: Lollipop Bay on the northwest side of the island of Wrightsville Beach where it borders North Lumina Avenue Circle Drive and Parmele Boulevard acquired its name from two distinct features: the channel from the Intracoastal Waterway resembling the stick of a lollipop with the bay being seen as the candy.

The surprise is the home of Ray and Pam Sharpe which draws a lot of attention from the water and the land at the end of Parmele Boulevard.

The Sharpes  New England inspired Shingle Style exterior is contemporary Cape Cod.

 I know that a lot of cars stop and look at it   Pam says.

The Sharpe home was designed by architect David Lisle of Lisle Architecture & Design. Nothing blocks its waterfront views from indoor and outdoor living spaces. Because the bay wraps around both sides of the house front rooms frame sunset views and rear windows frame the sunrise.

Pam says   You can look in both directions and just see water.

The Sharpes  summerhouse dream began 15 years ago in 1999 when they purchased the lot on Parmele. They were living in Rhode Island and wanted a home for visiting their family in North Carolina. In 2001 Lisle created house plans that started to formulate a dream for the Sharpes.

 We hit it off right away   Pam says.

The couple sat on the plans for ten years and without any contact with Lisle decided they were finally ready to build.

Lisle says Pam called and asked   Do you remember me?  Lisle replied   Absolutely   and they began to revisit the plans.

He explains   It is very rare that you can have the opportunity to touch the building at one point and then come back ten years later and readjust things. Working with them twice is really a gift. 

Choosing a builder was a natural decision as well. Homeowner Ray Sharpe went to high school with the late Chris Stone of Stone Montgomery Construction. The architectural detail on the house was a challenge but well executed by Stone s son Josh Stone and business partner Robert Montgomery.

 With all the arched eyebrows it s something out of the ordinary   Pam says.

Lisle designed copper eyebrow dormers on both elevations that required flawless construction.

It wasn t until 2012 when ground was broken but during those ten years of dreaming Pam Sharpe had been collecting pages from Beautiful Homes Elegant Homes and Coastal Home magazines. She created a binder with many torn out pages of design ideas that she wanted Lisle to recreate accurately.

 Everybody told me to stop buying magazines   she laughs   the architect my husband and the builder.  When trying to explain her inspiration for the house to Lisle Pam says   It was just a feeling — I can t put my finger on it. 

With her openness to his ideas Lisle was able to unleash his creativity and find unique ways to add architectural character.

 They weren t trying to max out their site by going lot line to lot line. It allowed me to create more character to the house   he says.

Those elements included curved towers and the sloping roofline that called for additional details — oval and curved windows. The curvature created distinctive form and its reiteration became a motif forming a mutualistic relationship between the exterior convex curves and interior concave curves framing incredible views from round rooms with cozy window seats a round shower in the master bath. With such emphasis on the site location and maximizing views Lisle explains   The best way to form views is in a circular and round room.

With no disruption of views the open floor plan is enhanced with a coastal color palette that is cool and calming. While traveling to Australia years ago Pam found the color scheme that she would implement almost a decade later.

 I wanted blues and greens throughout the house. I guess the downstairs would be the blue floor and the upstairs would be the green floor   she says.

The living area has a subtle mix of patterns and blue tones playing off of neutrals. These colors were tied in to furniture and custom window treatments that were selections suggested by interior designer Tina Williamson of T. Williamson Interiors. Williamson started working with the homeowners approximately one year ago. Pam says Williamson was very intuitive to her style.

 The palette was already set in the house   Williamson says.  Pam loves blues so we started shifting away from the blues and going with a complementary palette. 

She mixed neutrals like sand taupe and silver which created the coastal contemporary appeal the homeowners were looking for.

Adjacent to the living area the dining room accentuates the curve motif. Architectural details like an eyebrow arch over an oval window are standout features. The round table round rug and large drum shade pendant are enticing. The scale of the light fixture along with the dangling crystals and chrome finish create a polished yet intimate ambiance over the table.

Nestled in the northeast corner of the rear tower is a cozy window seat in the breakfast nook. Pops of blue and green in the pillows saturate the banquette with color. In this space Pam wanted two things: the window seat and a table that looked like driftwood. The table was custom made by local woodworker Wendell Patterson of Patterson Woodworking. He used reclaimed barn wood to achieve the look the homeowner envisioned.

nother design detail Pam referenced from a magazine feature inspired by wood inlaid inside of a tray ceiling was created in the master bedroom. The room had a great foundation but Williamson needed to put some finishing touches in the space including the drapery that softens the corner windows with texture and color. She chose a large floral print that tied in the wall color but also balanced the warmer blues with calm cooler tones.

The upstairs as an extensive guest suite with three bedrooms. The largest guest bedroom occupies the top level of the southwest tower with a bench seat that follows the curvature along the front of the house.

Green walls in the guest suite are accented by orange pops of color in the tropical bedspread valances and pillows. Another guest bedroom made for the Sharpes  grandchildren includes a mixture of colors and a bathroom that has beaded board wrapping the space from floor to ceiling. Pam loves the cottage feel and wanted a lot of beaded board incorporated in the bathrooms of her home.

While the upstairs shares similar features as the first floor the ceiling defines the upstairs bonus room. A collaborative design idea between the architect and the builder the arched beams are meant to be reminiscent of a ship s interior. Lisle drew the arched beams and Josh Stone of Stone Montgomery Construction crafted the cross beams at the apex of the arches.

Down by Lollipop Bay in Wrightsville Beach the Sharpes enjoy their dream home from comfortable outdoor living spaces many sunrises and sunsets shared with friends and family. The architecture of 124 Parmele Boulevard will continue to grab attention from the street and from the water.