Text: Tiffany Adams
Photo: Jessie Preza
As a native of West Palm Beach, the shore has always been a place of relaxation and fun for Amy Adams. “Growing up in Florida, that was what you did on the weekend—you went to the beach,” she says with a laugh. Wanting the same memories for her three children, Amy sought to create a seaside retreat where they could escape the day-to-day and spend time together.
With their primary home in Charlotte and her two sons in college in the Southeast, Georgia’s Sea Island proved to be the ideal destination. While golf courses lured her two boys and the beach appealed to her younger daughter, plenty of family activities such as pickleball, bike riding, and community gatherings at The Cloister gave it high marks in her book. “People here are so gracious and nice that in some ways, it’s like a small town,” the designer notes.
In 2022, she found a home that fit their needs and put it under contract over the phone. “In Sea Island, a lot of properties you might want to purchase need a renovation. I didn’t want something that had to be completely reworked because I was afraid that before I knew it, my time with my kids would be over,” she says.
Built in 2019, the house has a floor plan that allows everyone to have space of their own but also indoor and outdoor areas that are large enough for hosting groups. “It had good bones, but it was drab,” Amy recalls. “Being from Florida, the Mizner architecture with the barrel roofs and Spanish tile was very appealing to me,” she says, referencing Addison Mizner, whose signature aesthetic graces many of the island’s properties from original residences to newly constructed ones modeled in the style.
Tapping into vendors she works with frequently in Charlotte, such as Coley Home, who specializes in custom furnishings with a fast turnaround, as well as new artisans she met in the area, Amy was able to quickly update the house in just a few months. Fresh paint, updated lighting and hardware, and colorful furnishings are hallmarks of the personalizing makeover, all of which were inspired by a singular wallpaper.
“It all started with the Gucci pink heron wallpaper,” Amy says, noting that rather than covering the full expanse, she framed two panels as focal points. Pulling coral and pink from the panels, she carried the palette into the adjoining living room and bar area, enlivening the gathering spaces. “This house is more colorful than my normal day-to-day taste,” Amy says. “It feels very playful and whimsical.” The philosophy continues upstairs in her children’s bedrooms and a shared lounge area, where the palette turns to blue and green hues, but the refreshing crispness that signals a departure from the humdrum of an everyday routine remains. “In some places I went wild, but it’s still me,” she notes. “The house has such great architecture that I didn’t want to over-decorate.”
Other elements point to what Amy calls her “Old Florida” style influence: the Gray Malin and Slim Aarons prints that depict famous shorelines and tropical settings; the pecky cypress—a material often used in the region—that shows up on the kitchen ceiling; and subtle yet telling frond motifs seen in the wallpaper of the primary bedroom and lounge area and on the living room’s drapery fabric.
Additionally, a rhapsody of natural textures that appears on everything from bed frames and side tables to rugs, light fixtures, and accessories communicates a casual, laid-back feel. “There’s something about leaving your house and unwinding,” Amy says, who notes the family enjoys the vacation home as much in the winter as they do during warmer months. “I can easily piddle away a day here,” she adds. “When I look up to see it’s already four o’clock, I know I am relaxed.”
