Wild at Heart - Jax Magazine February 2015

PRESENTING THE VERY BEST OF NORTHEAST FLORIDA FOR 31 YEARS
FEBRUARY 2015 // JACKSONVILLEMAG.COM
Wild at Heart
THE CAPTIVATING, YET CONTROVERSIAL HORSES OF CUMBERLAND ISLAND
RUN
FOR IT
FOOT RACES
THAT TROT
ACROSS JAX
BEAUTIFUL
PEOPLE
10 WOMEN WITH BRAINS,
HEART & UNDENIABLE ALLURE
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BEER,
CHEESE &
CHOCOLATE!
MAKE THIS A
TRULY DECADENT
VALENTINE’S DAY

SWEET
DREAMS
How an empty
beach lot became
exactly what one
First Coast couple
was wishing for
words by JULIET JOHNSON
photo by DEREMER STUDIOS

—Matt Kane
MATT KANE AND HIS WIFE, Dr. Alexis Kane,
had moved enough. “Why not just build
what we need and be done with it,” said a
frustrated Matt after yet another househunting
junket. He knew a builder, a guy
who had acted as the alumnae advisor for
his fraternity at Jacksonville University. A
so-called “dream builder.” In fact, that is
the name of Shawn Starr’s company: Your
Dream Builder.
Together, the trio checked out lots in
San Marco and Avondale and then, on
Starr’s recommendation, headed to the
beach. There, with more selection, and
closer proximity to Alexis’ work, they
quickly found a prime spot. “It is a stone
cold location,” Matt beams. “With the best
backyard you could imagine.”
But what to build Alexis wanted French
rustic, while Matt leaned toward a
Colorado mountain home. Starr and his
team saw commonalities between the two
styles, selecting wood and glass as central
elements and settling on a contemporary,
shingle-style beach cottage look for the
exterior, and organic urban modern on the
interior. With a turret. Because it’s a dream
home, and the Kanes have daughters.
FEBRUARY 2015 JACKSONVILLEMAG.COM | 65

photos by WALLY SEARS
ut building at the beach, on the oceanfront, is an
altogether different sort of house-building experience.
Engineers have to consider wind speed in addition to
everything else required by the area’s rigorous code. An
oceanfront location put the home under the jurisdiction
of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The DEP wants
your house to survive a storm not necessarily for the sake of the
homeowners, but for the damage it could cause to the dunes and
surrounding property were shingles and windows to come loose.
Because the DEP is empowered with a right to an opinion, homeowners
must apply for a building permit at the state level, in Tallahassee.
What takes two weeks locally, takes three to four months at the state
capital (and that’s just the time required to get the application in the
right hands).
Once permitted, the pouring of concrete begins. The Kanes were
building a three-story, 3,400-square-foot home, which required 40
concrete piles that were 27 feet deep. Starr added a crawlspace in
case of a high storm tide, and started the first floor seven feet up,
where he was also required to place two steel i-beams, 22 feet x 12
inches. It’s a huge investment, one that no one will ever see, and is
one of the less obvious reasons homes on the oceanfront are more
expensive. It’s not just the limited supply of lots with unobstructed
ocean views, but also the expensive way structures must be built.
The exterior is a striking combination of grays and black with a
fresh yellow front door. The materials of wood shaker and board and
batten siding, with a standing seam metal roof, are coastal
vernacular around here, made hip and edgier in black. Thanks to
foam insulation, the black has no impact on the temperature inside
the house.
66 | JACKSONVILLEMAG.COM FEBRUARY 2015

Matt’s favorite design element is the
“spatial differential of the three-story
foyer.” Its simplicity is as impressive as its
clever cantilevered landing, which is
designed so that the last flight floats to
the private master suite on the third floor.
Four massive glass globes (Pottery Barn
finds) dangle at varying heights on a
bronzed chain, filling the space with style
and creating a custom-design effect.
A guest room with full bath is tucked
away down a short hall, but visitors
wouldn’t notice. The ocean view draws
you in as soon as you enter the front door,
through an open concept great room,
kitchen and dining space. The kitchen has
a stand of rich, dark cabinets which look
more like furniture than fittings, and a
large island of white corian which holds
the stainless steel sink and a built-in
breakfast bar. Often these large central
islands are the focal point of a kitchen,
but not here. Rather than more dark wood
cabinetry, Alexis opted for floating white
shelves to display the family’s fine china.
This meant that the herringboned white
subway tile now goes all the way to the
ceiling. The light refraction from the tile’s
multiple surfaces adds a lustrous element
without fuss or fancy. It’s extremely
affecting, opening up the space so views
and sunlight prevail freely.
Opposite page, from top: The casual comfortable kitchen was dressed up with dark cabinetry from Woodsman, which sits in striking contrast to
white Corian counters, white china, white tile and stainless appliances that include a Verona gas range; The Restoration Hardware dining room set
was recommended by the designer, Carrie Krauss, who was relocated to Atlanta, to work for RH just as construction began. This page, from
top:The second floor was in need of an accent, so a glass door that slides on a barn track now acts as practical accessory; Simple slipcovered
seating furthers the salt life vibe; accent pillows match the dune grass almost exactly.
© DEREMER STUDIOS
FEBRUARY 2015 JACKSONVILLEMAG.COM | 67

Clockwise: Ghost wood boards contrast with soft bedding and contemporary
bedside tables in this third-floor master retreat;The wood ceiling in Matt’s
office is made of utility oak with a mineral rub; Guests are comfortably accoutered
with seating in an oversized shower, a wide rectangular sunken sink
and broad white Carrera marble surround.
The great room’s nine-foot-high ceilings are accentuated with
repurposed barn beams from a timber yard in North Carolina.
Curiously, these beams are suspended, not resting on columns. Hung
from above, they had to be installed by crane while framing. This is
why the builder insisted that all of the couple’s decorative choices be
selected before construction began. This would allow them to get a
better sense of the budget, and make the whole process faster and,
hopefully, less stressful.
The dining room is the first room in the turret. The room’s 12-foot
diameter ensures infinite panoramic views and serious people-watching
potential—or birds, or fish, if that’s more your thing.
The second floor is considered the children’s floor, with two bedrooms
connected by a Jack and Jill bathroom, a playroom, an office and
a laundry room. The whole point of a custom home is, of course, the
special touches—like the laundry room’s sliding glass door on barn
door track and the playful pebble floor in the children’s bathroom.
68 | JACKSONVILLEMAG.COM FEBRUARY 2015

This page, from top: Daughter Sloan’s room is spacious and tidy now, but
her new baby sister will be bunking in shortly, and a big lesson in sharing
begins; The master bathroom boasts a drive-through shower and soaking
tub with a view; This balcony, tucked beneath the eaves, offers a private
place to enjoy the ocean view.
att’s office claims the second
room of the turret. His double
desk, sourced online and then
custom-made, lends an organic
flavor, while Matisse’s Son of
Man reminds him of all that’s hidden in plain
sight. Matt runs a software company and is a
“civic engager.” He sits on four boards, a commission
and the Mayoral taskforce for JaxPort.
(He credits his time management skills with
his ability to spend any time in that idyllic
space at all.)
Clever custom design ideas continue onto
the third floor. Tucked into the roof line, the
bedroom, bathroom and closet have interesting
angles to play with. The retreat includes a
sheltered private balcony, just big enough for
two Adirondack chairs that make for an ideal
perch on which to watch the sunrise. The
master bedroom features an accent wall of
ghost wood. Ghost wood boards come naturally
in 16-foot lengths so there are no joins in
this 15-foot space. It adds a rough, textured
finish without being expensive nor requiring
extra stain or seal.
Between the bedroom and the spacious
walk-in closet is a fun master bath, with
“drive-through shower” and a magnificent
slipper-back soaking tub with a view. Alexis
wanted a place she could relax with a great
view. This bath tub, in its own alcove, delivers.
The shower is called a drive-through
thanks to it being open at both ends. The ultimate
in practicality for the morning rush
hour, the shower’s large black tiles give it a
sleek modern look, and the marble tile floor in
herringbone pattern once more ties top to bottom
in design motif.
As you can see, Matt and Alexis are slow to
buy furniture. Partly because they like a distinctively
plain simple look, but mainly
because they prefer to acquire things over
time—things that will represent each era.
Right now, the Kanes have babies, and lots of
large plastic toys, rattles and ride-alongs. But
soon, as any parent will tell you, life will give
way to a whole new set of parameters.
Highchairs get replaced by balls, rackets and
surfboards; the ‘Sing and Play Farm’ gets
exchanged for American Girl Doll paraphernalia;
the LeapReader becomes a Nintendo
becomes an iPad. They have time for their furnishings
to evolve as need dictates.
He may not like moving, but Matt can be a
patient man. Fall of 1999, on campus at JU,
Matt opened with “You look really lost.” Now,
15 years later, he and Alexis are married, living
in their “forever home,” with a second
baby girl on the way. Dreams do come true. ]
For more articles written by Juliet Johnson, please visit http://JulietJohnson.com/clips
FEBRUARY 2015 JACKSONVILLEMAG.COM | 69