Palm Cottage, 12 Odessa

Palm Cottage is a 450 SF vacation home, one of three structures on a small 55 X 100-foot site in the highly acclaimed town of Seaside, FL. Seaside is a resort town, a beach community on Florida’s Gulf Coast, known for its vernacular architecture of large porches, tin roofs, picket fences and the birthplace of “New Urbanism”.

This two-story residence is designed in a Florida Gulf “beach vernacular”. Living spaces are placed on the upper level to maximize the views. Bedroom and bath are placed on the quiet lower level, nestled in among the natural vegetation and sand dunes for privacy.

Palm Cottage, a secluded respite for two, is set in a natural Florida landscape and is entered through a private cutting garden, a short sand path away from the main house and the beach. Palm Cottage contains one bedroom and one bath on the lower level and living and kitchen on the upper level. The two-level building is 450 SF plus the decks.

Palm Cottage is constructed of wood frame with hurricane anchors, and finished, inside and out, with heart redwood T&G planking with stainless steel nails. All foundations are wood pilings. Windows are dual glazed casement, and doors are dual glazed with stainless steel hardware. All roofs are tin. Floors are bleached pickled oak throughout. Hardware, accessories, and furnishings are typical Gulf Coast “beach vernacular”.

Palm Cottage draws upon a paint palette from the calm colors of the Gulf, the white quartz sand, and the blue sky. A pure white is used to sharpen interior horizontal wood plank walls and trim, and the light blue ceilings radiate the balmy ambience of the beach and Gulf. Pickled oak floors throughout are cool to barefoot guests, easily maintainable against the always present white beach sand and soothing to the calming, cool interiors.

The landscaping is all-natural Florida…no grass or noisy lawnmowers. The “wave and star” carved motif of the fence continues the Seastar theme of the main house.