Previous page: Before, the casual gathering area was smaller in size due to sliding glass doors that led to an outdoor porch. By eliminating the porch the space was expanded and now includes the dining room. The bonus is an unobstructed view of Riomar Bay. “The space being so open it was essential that everything work together, while at the same time giving some division to comfort in mind as well as being subtly stylish,” says Winston.
decided to return to the seaside town where they had begun their married life they zeroed right in on it. “I’ve known about it from the very get-go, ever since it was built,” says Jim, who in 1965 was fresh out of college and one of the first teachers hired at the then-new Saint Edward’s School on Club Drive. “Most of the people who bought in the Bayou originally lived in Riomar or Central Beach. It was always a little secret and had really never come of age until recently.” After the couple left Vero Beach they continued to keep in touch with long-time friends like Realtor Jeanine Harris. “She knew that Bayou West was experiencing a renaissance and her husband Bob said, ‘Call the Carneys, they just might be interested.’ “We talked and she told me about all of the changes that were going on there. I actually bought our first apartment sight unseen while I was standing on a balcony in Beacon Hill,” Jim chuckles. “When we were moving into our place Laurie started talking to a woman who lived just above us and she told her she was thinking about selling. It was one of four three-bedroom units in the complex and we wanted to have it one day.”
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hat day came and the Carneys snapped it up. “You can’t find a better location – the view of the water with its wildlife is amazing and there’s always a wonderful breeze,” Laurie enthuses. “It’s community life without a gate and you don’t have to depend on a car for every move. We walk a lot and ride our bikes, all over the place. There’s such a feeling of freedom here.” However, there was one, not-so-small problem – the second-floor apartment was a flashback to times past. The floor plan reflected an era when rooms were spaces unto themselves. The view alone called for a more open and seamless flow of the main living areas. Enter the couple’s daughter Winston, an interior
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“The antique Asian doors were an immediate yes,” Winston enthuses as she describes the dining room with an antique mirror running the length of one wall and designed to be a backdrop of texture and light without drawing attention to the reflection. “The vintage Maguire chairs are upholstered in Nancy Corzine ‘Ocean Reef’ fabric and the eight arm chandelier is a faux bamboo piece I found while hunting around one day with my mother.”