"I wanted to create a place in keeping with the old St. Simons," says developer Denval Hamby. Since ground was broken in 1995, this seaside neighborhood has turned out houses reminiscent of those built in the area during the '20s and '30s. Front doors and porches open to a brick street lined with palms, giving the development a small-town sensibility. "I bought the land because I appreciated the trees, the marshes, and the quaintness of the village," says Denval. "It's a place where people live, not just a resort community." The main street of Coast Cottages, the first phase of the project, extends to the development's 300-foot stretch of beach. "When we first started out, we built smaller homes," says Denval. "Then people started asking for bigger houses."
To answer requests, Denval began the final phase of the development, The Villas at Coast Cottages. This section offers 3,500-square-foot luxury townhomes. Such conveniences as enclosed parking, private pools, roof-top decks, and elevators mark these innovative properties. "It's the next generation of beach homes," says Patrick Anderson, vice president for sales and development for The Hamby Corporation.
GREAT ROOM
"When the doors are open in the great room, you find yourself sitting on the beach," says Coastal Living design consultant Linda Woodrum. To create what the architects call a "living porch concept," UV-filtering glass doors and windows wrap three walls of the soaring 25-foot space. Sliding doors open to covered porches and further blur the line between inside and out.
The large room encompasses the living, dining, and kitchen areas, but Linda made the space feel more intimate by clearly defining each section. In the seating area, matching linen sofas flank a brown leather ottoman that serves dual purposes as a footrest and coffee table. Two pairs of floor lamps tower like palm trunks behind the sofas.
In the dining space, Linda chose an extendable pine table and oval-backed chairs. For contrast, armchairs, with a darker finish and subtle plaid upholstery, anchor each end of the table.
To avoid overpowering the room's graphic architectural details with excessive pattern and color, Linda chose neutral tones punctuated with blue accents: the palette of sand, sea, and sky. Vases, plush pillows, and a striped throw coordinate with the Caribbean blue-painted rafters above.
