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The One rises slightly above a grove of live oaks in Southern Shores.
Finding The One A concrete and timber retreat that feels right at home in Southern Shores STORY BY AMELIA BOLDAJI
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orld War II had just ended when Frank Stick – a celebrated artist, author, conservationist and developer – purchased about 2,800 acres of land slightly north of Kitty Hawk. It was a reported $30,000 investment of a lifetime (equaling approximately $430,000 today), but Stick had ambitious plans to create a tranquil ocean-to-sound community there – an area which he dubbed Southern Shores. Seventy-five years later, Southern Shores still owes a great deal of debt to its founding father in many ways, including his popularization of the town’s signature flat top houses in the late 1940s – a design concept that remains deeply ingrained in local architecture, and continues to thrive in various forms to this day.
The One in Southern Shores is a perfect example of that legacy. Built by Raleigh-based architect Nathaniel Meiggs along with his wife, Sarah, The One is a four-bedroom home with a distinctive rectangular shape that blends well with its surrounding sea of ancient live oaks – a type of structural harmony with nature that would’ve made Stick proud. “The Outer Banks is a very special place,” Nathaniel says. “We wanted to celebrate its architectural history and carry on that legacy of thoughtful design.” The One’s flat roof is an obvious nod to Stick, but other, less apparently inspired features include the house’s use of concrete and its spacious floor plan that highlights exposed juniper beams and cypress paneling. And the Meiggs N O RT H B E ACH SU N | 2 9
