HOME SPOTLIGHT

Crushing It Before Gray Berryman and his wife, Alison, moved to the Outer Banks in 2002, they lived in Colorado, where they worked as wilderness therapy counselors and lived out of their trucks with camper shells. “It was a very nomadic life,” Gray says. “So the idea of actually having a house seemed like a lot of work.” Enter: the humble fl at top. When a local real estate agent showed the Berrymans a 1960s era, aqua-blue fl at top near Avalon Pier, the young couple didn’t even bother touring other houses. Come fall, they were all settled in, and come winter, they were spending extra time in the grocery store just to avoid returning to their heatless home. But nearly 20 years later, Gray considered the fl at top once again while building “Orange Crush,” a three-bedroom, threebathroom home in Southern Shores that takes inspiration from both the original Frank Stick-created fl at top as well as another Outer Banks icon, the beach box. Construction began in July 2020 and the home was fi nished the following June. The two-story house features a pool and outdoor lounge area, a small covered deck with ocean views, and a bright interior decorated with subtle details that are collectively reminiscent of the era when fl at tops reigned supreme. “There’s a lot of romance to the fl at tops – but the reality of a 1950s or 1960s fl at top is very diff erent,” Gray explains. “They’re not necessarily all in the same condition, and they’re not shiny. They’re very earthy. This house is a little bit more – the fi nishes are smoother and slicker, and it has a more modern touch to it.” While the mid-century modern atmosphere feels natural in the house now, it wasn’t necessarily an easy vibe to capture. With ongoing supply chain issues due to the pandemic, Gray had to order certain décor items – like the home’s retro Big Chill fridge – months in advance. Another challenge: convincing the tile guys to use black grout.

The Orange Crush in Kitty Hawk fl aunts its signature color in its roof eaves (top left). Subtle orange accent pieces and plenty of windows give the house a welcoming, spacious feel in its bedrooms, top-level living room and its bright modern kitchen (bottom, left to right).

Slightly retro décor reminiscent of the 1950s when Frank Stick-designed fl at tops dominated the Southern Shores landscape takes center stage in The Orange Crush – but the house also boasts more modern touches such as a six-foot-deep private pool.

“It was a bit scary when they were like, ‘We don’t use this for a reason,’” Gray laughs, noting that a darker grout tends to accentuate tiles that are e ven slightly crooked. “But they did a great job. At fi rst, when everything else wasn’t in, I thought, ‘Oh god, they were right. We messed up.’ But after the lights and everything else was in place, it was perfect.”

In testament to the house’s name, the overall theme is also simple: the color orange. It provides a vibrant pop of warmth to the front door, the house’s nameplate (which looks as though it came straight out of a 1950s diner) and the roof eaves, which contrast starkly with the otherwise bright white exterior paint.

If it had been up to Gray alone, the color would have dominated the inside of the house as well – think orange fl oors, orange countertops and a completely orange kitchen island.

“Thankfully, that was vetoed,” Gray says cheerfully.

With the help of interior designer Amy Crisler of Urban Cottage, the orange theme instead became a subtle addition inside the house. While white is the dominant color throughout the interior, orange accessories such as throw pillows, oven mitts, blown glass artwork and barstools continue to act as a visual surprise. There’s even a bottle of citrus orange soap by the kitchen sink.

But color isn’t the only motif. As a passionate outdoorsman, it was important for Gray to create a home that’s as sustainable as it is stylish.

“Tearing houses down after [a couple decades] is ridiculous,” Gray says. “If you can put more thought into a plan and really get the details right, then hopefully it’ll last a long time.”

For Orange Crush, some of those details include wider eaves to help with energy effi ciency, a fully covered deck to minimize long-term maintenance, and adding extra front steps to proactively mitigate any potential fl ood damage.

And as for the story behind the eye-catching color scheme? There really isn’t much of one. It’s simply always been Gray’s favorite color, and it always will be – ideally for as long as the house is still standing.

“Orange is the new black,” Gray quips. “That was my saying long before the TV show took it over.”