home of distinction
Beaded board paneling and heart pine floors represent the authenticity of this historic landmark. The archaic floorplan requires passage
through one bedchamber to get to another. (For How To Get This Look details, see page 58.)
are now covered with heavy louvered panels. Combined with
Bahama shutters and hanging pots of bougainvillea, which winter
in the garage, the Whitesideses have cultivated an eclectic look
inspired by a love affair with the Caribbean.
Today the Van Leuven-Whitesides Cottage resembles the mar-riage
of two vintage shingled cottages connected by porches that
offer secluded outdoor retreats for every season. If it’s too hot in
the summer, Arland Whitesides pulls the Sunbrella drapes across
the front, southern elevation. When the sun finds her, she moves
to the east porch. If it’s too windy, she retreats to the north porch.
Tucked between the original cottage and the new addition, the
north porch is buffered on both sides by exterior walls. In winter,
the sun’s low arc finds shelter tucked under the covered entry
porch. Despite all of these cozy outdoor spaces shaded by palm
fronds, if it’s complete anonymity she seeks, she resorts to the
Charleston-esque side garden where, she is especially proud to
note, there is not a single blade of grass on the property that needs
mowing.
“That is why we left town, to get away from all that formal
mess,” Arland says.
Instead, the house exudes all of the charm found in its exposed
porch ceiling that refuses to take a coat of paint, left to peel with
the elements; the appeal of horizontal laid beaded board paneling
in its original living room; and soft pine floors throughout.
The original cottage is typical of others built in the early-20th
century. The elevated structure supported a relatively large living
and dining area, rear kitchen and four bedrooms arranged along
the west elevation above a two-car garage and servants’ quarters.
One of those bedrooms was eliminated to make space for an
office that also functions as a transition area between old and new
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WBM december 2013