SRQ Magazine | Home of the Year 2020

BEST OVERALL HOME — BETWEEN $1 TO $2 MILLION - PLATINUM WINNER

THE SCHECHTER HOUSE

SEIBERT ARCHITECTS

The owners asked for a 4,000-square-foot, four-bedroom house that would take advantage of its elevated waterfront location, provide an indoor–outdoor lifestyle and be filled with natural light. The program is organized into two main volumes, with the courtyard, media space and office volumes as both the link and separation between the two. The main spaces in the house are aligned along the waterfront to capture the preferred views and open into the pool cage for bug-free indoor–outdoor living. The glassed-in courtyard brings light, vegetation and sky to interior circulation, where views to the water are not provided. The pool area and waterfront yard are terraced to provide flat outdoor space for activities, children at play and to moderate the transition down to the water. Stepping the site also allows one to see the water’s edge from the interior of the house rather than only distant water views. The entry to the house transitions up to floor level with a raised entry forecourt let into the house’s massing. The entry foyer floats between the entry forecourt and the interior courtyard. Attention is given to the experience of moving through the house. With the house all on one level, ceiling-height transitions create spatial hierarchy, define boundaries and articulate circulation. Over main spaces, radiused wood ceilings allow natural light to spill in from above and provide an enhanced sense of openness and a lightness of spirit. These curved forms contrast with the more serious rectilinear nature of the design, bringing a lighthearted quality to the house—which is uplifting to its inhabitants.

Architect: Seibert Architects, PA Contractor: Yoder Homes & Remodeling Kitchen Cabinets: Dura Supreme Cabinetry Landscape: Grant’s Gardens Pool By: Water Designs of Sarasota Photographer: Ryan Gamma Photography