DOWN BY THE SEA A Nashville couple carves out the ultimate beach retreat in Amelia Island words by Virginia Chamlee // photos by Jessie Preza
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here’s more to a great vacation house than meets the eye. Just ask interior designer Kristen Biagini, who was tasked with outfitting a new build on the ocean in Amelia Island back in 2016. “Not only do you want the house to look a certain way, but you want it to look different than the primary residence,” she says. Plus, you want it to be comfortable, but still plush enough to accommodate guests. In other words, a vacation house should make one feel well, like, they’re on vacation. The homeowners, who wished to remain anonymous for this article, live full-time in Nashville but have extended family on Amelia Island. So when they decided to build a second home, one that would allow for beachfront family vacations, the quiet island retreat was a natural choice. “They loved the architecture of 30A—the stretch of Gulf Coast highway that includes Rosemary Beach—but had a lot of family history in
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Amelia, and appreciated the quiet, peaceful vibe here.” So Biagini and homebuilder John Garham, along with architect John Cotner, married the two, creating a quiet, Amelia oasis, clad in a white stucco, three-story Rosemary Beach-style structure. The result is equal parts stylish and practical—there’s a place for everything and yet, somehow, still a lot of livable space. With three children, the couple built the home to be an epicenter for vacations, holidays and family getaways. It needed to house a lot of people, but still allow for freedom within its walls. So Biagini designed the home in “zones,” allowing guests space in which they can spend time together, and areas to which they can retire to read a book or rest for the evening. “The goal of this home was to offer everyone a space to retreat that was refined yet coastal and comfortable enough for lazy beach weekends,” says the designer. Mission: accomplished.