Inside a Florida Riverfront Home Where Art Meets Rustic Elegance

Set on a nine-metre bluff overlooking Florida’s St. Lucie River, this home takes an unexpectedly European approach to coastal living. Designed by Melhorn Architecture & Construction with interiors by Design Studio JAC, its contemporary architecture draws on the traditional Belgian farmhouse, translated through simple gabled forms, broad overhangs and a series of distinct pavilions.

For the homeowner, an avid art collector, the ambition was to create both sanctuary and gallery: somewhere rational and functional, but equally calming and inspiring. Accordingly, the palette remains muted, tactile and deliberately restrained, allowing the art and surrounding landscape to command attention.

Authenticity lies in the materials. Antique oak beams salvaged from European churches, cathedrals and barns span ceilings, while rough-sawn white oak floors are fumed rather than stained to encourage a natural patina. Roman clay plaster softens the walls and vein-cut travertine brings texture to bathrooms and wet areas. Outside, coral stone, lime-washed cypress and a cedar shake roof connect the architecture to its four-acre setting of ancient oaks and mature fruit trees.

The process was equally considered. Designer Jourdan Hammond travelled to Belgium with architect John Melhorn to source finishes and work with specialist artisans, even flying in a lime-plaster team to achieve the desired effect. Against this richly textured backdrop, artworks by Bosco Sodi, Antoni Tàpies and Richard Serra sit alongside vintage Pierre Jeanneret and Hans Wegner pieces. The effect is less pristine than a deeply personal home, one that will become richer with age.

Credits

Text by Catherine Mo

Photographs: Justin Bruns & Christian Arevalo