seaside serenity

To make the most of a narrow lot, a family takes a top-down approach to relaxed beachfront living

- By Stephanie Hunt

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To keep the home's height from feeling out of scale, smaller gables break up the roofline, and big third-floor windows—great for lighting up the main living areas—are tucked into the roofline, not unlike those in a French mansard roof.

get outside

Despite the home’s verticality, the owners wanted plenty of outdoor living space. Architect Ty Nunn complied, tucking in balconies and porches on the upper floors. Privacy with those vistas is a bonus feature.

Allyson and Paul Riser and their four kids had been vacationing on the Florida Panhandle for years, but “we were a little late in discovering Seaside,” Allyson says. When they finally visited, the Little Rock, Arkansas, family immediately understood the appeal of the town along the state’s picturesque Scenic Highway 30A. “We loved the family-friendly energy, with fun food trucks and kids out biking everywhere,” says Allyson. Their one stipulation, though, once they started looking for property: an ocean view. “It’s a 12-hour drive for us. If we’re doing that, we want to see water,” she says.

The one water-view lot still available was prime—right in the center of the action, nestled by the beach pavilion and Seaside’s town square—but narrow. So the Risers, well ... they rose.

Architect Ty Nunn designed a vertically oriented, three-story family home with an inverted floor plan and enough porches and bedrooms to accommodate the kids—and now the grandkids. “We wanted it homey and warm, but practical for a vacation house,” says Allyson, who tapped Birmingham, Alabama-based Fran Keenan (a longtime family friend) and colleague Sara Walker of Fran Keenan Interior Design for Keenan’s signature “Southern elegance” style.