Carolina Strategically situated on Point Place at the 68 WBM street’s curvature with panoramic water views overlooking the elbow where Motts and Banks channels meet, Dan and Denise Smith’s new 5,000-square-foot permanent South Harbor Island home is reflective of both the area’s coastal surroundings and of the family of four’s overall lifestyle. The sprawling home is a semblance of symbiotic symmetry and architectural layering — seamlessly blending craftsman size and spacing with coastal style inspired by the vernacular Wrightsville Beach look. “It can be difficult to make new construction look like the traditional Wrightsville Beach cottages. Every project is a challenge, and there are always a variety of issues and constraints,” says architect Cothran Harris, noting older Wrightsville Beach cottages typically had small rafters and columns and were oftentimes only six or seven feet above the ground. In addition, lattice work on earlier cottages was more a delicate aesthetic than functionally sturdy. Notably, wider and sturdier rafters used for the horizontal banding of the Smith home’s 1,200-square-foot open-air ground floor deck meet new flood regulations. This archi-tectural design element, coupled with the Ipe deck’s surface raised two feet, transformed this outdoor area into a livable and aesthetically functional space. “It’s probably my favorite room,” Harris laughs, admitting a few times when on-site during construction he would kick back on this covered deck and watch the boats go by. Positioned on one and one-half lots overlooking Motts Channel, Dan and Denise Smith’s new permanent home on Harbor Island showcases the Carolina Cottage exterior style, an architectural blend of the area’s traditional beach cottages along with the structural sturdiness of craftsman-style houses. COTTAGE BY Lou Anne Liverman PHOTOGRAPHY BY Joshua Curry ASSISTED BY Jon Benton may 2015 home of distinction
Wrightsville Beach Magazine May 2015
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