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Key West Style: Classic Revival, Creole cottage, Queen Anne regal, Conch concoction, fanciful Victorian, sleek modern, Beat bungalow, concrete contemporary—the architectural influences are as varied as the fishermen and pirates, writers and artists, entrepreneurs and salvagers, elite and refugees who have called this southernmost spot home.
But, there is a prevailing spirit of place here, born of elements which many of the homes have in common: Railings, frilled with fretwork, wrap the porches and verandas, where wicker rockers offer front row seats for watching palm fronds gently slap each other in the light wind. Bright blooms of bougainvillaea add dashes of hot pink to lushly layered landscapes. Colorful louvered shutters keep tropical storms at bay and help moderate interior temperatures, all the while making bars of the streaming sunshine as it sneaks inside on tropical breezes. Ceiling fans slowly circle over intimate arrangements of chairs made of rattan, bamboo, and cotton cushions.
Bright whites make for classic cool interiors, while key lime greens and lemon yellows add zest to walls, fabrics, and furnishings. And everywhere, there are conch shells: standing as door stops, serving as flower vases, napkin holders, and centerpieces, and joining sprigs of coral to line shelves as sculpture. Key West inspires design impulses born of its outpost tropical site, and we are pleased to offer a glimpse, as culled from the pages of the newly published Key West, A Tropical Lifestyle.
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In the Spring issue of La Vie Claire Magazine |
