French Country

The roof does most of the work on this elevation. It pitches steeply the way European country houses do, and five sculptured clay chimney pots sit along it. That is the kind of detail most builders would talk a client out of, because it costs real money and does nothing a plain flue would not do.

Natural stone covers the walls, cypress timber frames the exposed structure, and a turret marks the entry. Cypress is the right material for anything exposed to weather in Florida, and it ages into a color that no stain reproduces convincingly.

Inside, the plan runs from the foyer and staircase through the living room, dining room, family room, and kitchen, with the primary suite set apart from the rest. One of the main views looks out across a lake.