When architect Roger Gritton’s customers approached him in a custom house, he knew that his business’s biggest challenge will be their preferred Southwestern style. “We’d never previously created a layout from the client’s selected style. Fortunately for us, the [customers] could see that although this style was new to us, we’d shown the capability to learn and adapt. I think we were able to make their dream home,” states Gritton.
The final result? A home that’s symbiotic with its surroundings, symbolizing the homeowners’ love of horses and deep respect for nature and the outdoors.
at a Glance
Who lives here: An equine-loving couple and their kids
Location: Florida’s northern peninsula
Size: 7,950 square feet
That’s intriguing: All doors and beams were made of laminated barn wood and timbers.
Gritton & Associates Architects
The kitchen materials and color palette embody Southwestern style. Ceramic tiles, a mantel-style variety hood, rough-sawn timber beams and ceiling, rusticated brick floors and stucco walls evoke the feel of Arizona, where the owners previously had a home.
Gritton & Associates Architects
The tall cabinets near the skillet have metal rails installed at the top, and a ladder slides for simple access to items in the bigger cabinets (much like the way libraries use ladders for books). The ladder tucks neatly across the side of the cabinetry when not being used. Gritton states, “The ultimate aim for the kitchen was to be hot, inviting, functional and a bit unexpected.”
Gritton & Associates Architects
The home’s architectural massing divides its profile to avert a boxy look and feel like a hacienda. “We tried to make the house feel like it was added onto many occasions and built organically by using different roofing materials in different pavilions: horizontal roofs with parapet walls or sloped roofs with Spanish clay tile,” states Gritton.
Gritton & Associates Architects
A number of the exterior spaces on the back elevation are coated, due to Florida’s torrential summer rains (as opposed to the uncovered patios of this arid Southwest). The living room windows function as focal point with a number of large, stepped, fixed panes of glass. Wings open at obtuse angles to reach out and embrace the horse pasture and surrounding environment.
Gritton & Associates Architects
The stairway’s natural shape makes it feel like it is carved from a mud wall. A beautiful chandelier in the round tower component generates comparison with the milky, light-washed ceiling. A dried chili pepper garland wraps round the railing, adding a personal touch.
Gritton & Associates Architects
From the covered porch, you may see the pool, horse paddock and side yard. A corner fireplace anchors the porch, and the visible flue accents the ceiling elevation. Splashy colors on the fireplace complement the most vibrant Adirondack chairs.
Gritton & Associates Architects
The living room serves as a gathering space and provides optimum views of the pool and horse paddock. Gritton states, “The substances remain consistent in this room: clay tile floors, stucco troweled walls, wood-beam ceilings. All the accessories are the homeowners’ touch and create a personal feel in this space.”
Gritton & Associates Architects
The foyer hall sets the tone of the home. Openings leading to the wings flank each side. These openings are stabilized by timber beams and shaped to resemble “donkey” door openings — a unique touch.
Gritton & Associates Architects
“Notice the way the clay tile flooring changes pattern into some 45-degree [angle] which helps you to define the distance and anchor the dining table,” states Gritton. Rough- sawn wood timbers framework the tall coffer from the ceiling, and green paint accents the arched market, which uses another beam as a display shelf for more accessories.
Gritton & Associates Architects
The back porch is one of many that include heavy timber columns and beams, coupled with rough-sawn wood mounts. The majority of the porches serve a dual purpose as flow corridors. Lantern-style wall sconces line the porches to provide light as well as Western detailing.
Gritton & Associates Architects
River stones add an outdoor texture to the shower, which has been designed to feel spacious, “almost as though you were taking a shower out in a horse stable,” states Gritton.
Gritton & Associates Architects
The homeowners wanted the tub to create the space feel as rustic as you possibly can. “We did this by putting it on a platform and employing a traditional stand-alone tub with a foundation,” states Gritton. “The tub is lit with a rustic wrought-iron chandelier. Decorative heavy timber beams and the same heavy-duty iron plates continue to give the illusion which the timbers, posts and beams are actually structural.”
Authenticity has been of extreme importance to Gritton’s customers, who wanted both the exterior and interior to stay true to Southwestern style. Gritton says that the residence is “a beautiful, approachable home that doesn’t feel quite as large as it actually is. Kudos to the homeowners for the personalized layout details; they are what attract the home to life.”
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