Contemporary Cool in the Florida Heat

Gregory Harris, assistant editor

This house that sits on the lakefront of Lake Butler in Windermere, Florida is an Aurora Award-winning project that is considered one of the jewels of the Reserve at Lake Butler Sound community. When designing the home and landscape, the homeowners wanted a contemporary style house on a piece of land that evokes images of the tropics.
Photo: Everett & Soule Architectural Photography

Orlando, Florida and its surrounding communities boast many large, elegant homes. Homes enter the elite ?EUR??,,????'??custom residential?EUR??,,????'?? echelon when they meet several criteria, such as having a private garden comprised in part with glass spires, having an Infinity Pool as the focal point of the residence, air conditioning in the garage, and being given a moniker. A home in Windermere, Florida outfitted with a landscape design by Scott Redmon has all of these attributes.

The lakeside landscaping was done with native grasses which create a simple setting for the dramatic architecture. The lakeside plantings also enhance the natural character of the lake, which is designated as a ?EUR??,,????'??Florida Outstanding Waterway?EUR??,,????'??.
Photo: Everett & Soule Architectural Photography

Inspired by Water

This 9000+ square foot home, dubbed ?EUR??,,????'??Overjoy?EUR??,,????'?? sits on a 3/4-acre lot that offers amazing views of Lake Butler. Another water feature, however, served as the inspiration for the home?EUR??,,????'???s design.

?EUR??,,????'??The house was designed with the pool in mind,?EUR??,,????'?? Redmon, Redmon Design Company principal, said.

The entire project was a new construction ?EUR??,,????'??? as opposed to the landscape design being drafted on an existing structure ?EUR??,,????'??? and Redmon said the homeowner new exactly what he wanted for his new home.

?EUR??,,????'??The client had a specific flavor and style in mind as far as the hardscapes and plantings, so the landscape was designed prior to construction,?EUR??,,????'?? he said. ?EUR??,,????'??The client wanted a clean, contemporary landscape and a tropical feel to the site.?EUR??,,????'??

The main design challenge for the project was the tight quarters on site, despite the lot being 3/4 acres. Many homes on the shores of Lake Butler in this area are rather large, and as a result, they are situated on large swaths of land.

?EUR??,,????'??There is zero lawn space,?EUR??,,????'?? Redmon noted.

Very geometric plant beds are defined with charcoal colored concrete edging. The clean bed lines are contrasted by the bold textures of the palms, shrubs and ground covers. The planting scheme is intended to reflect the geometry of the architecture without dominating it. The small shrubs in the foreground are Dwarf Bottlebrush, while the silver palms are Bismarck Palms. The shrubs under the Bismarcks are Plumbago, and the palm in the distance by the house is a Foxtail Palm, with African Iris underneath it.
Photo: Redmon Design Company

Despite a lack of lawn space, the houses in this community are situated in close proximity. Without proper planning, maintaining privacy can be an issue. The landscape design for this house takes into account the privacy issues.

?EUR??,,????'??The primary plants used for privacy were Bamboo and Weeping Podocarpus for the tallest screening plants,?EUR??,,????'?? Redmon said.

These selections offer the privacy the homeowners wanted without taking away the clean, contemporary lines that they desired. The plant palette also satisfies their wish for a site that has a tropical feel.

The distance from the front door of the home to the sidewalk is about 200 feet. From the sidewalk ?EUR??,,????'??? when looking through the glass front door ?EUR??,,????'??? you can see Lake Butler. The driveway is composed of gray travertine, and with the light color of the house, the landscaping brings a bold swatch of color to the property.

?EUR??,,????'??Bismarck Palms (Silver colored palms) were used in the front yard, where total opaqueness wasn?EUR??,,????'???t necessary,?EUR??,,????'?? Redmon said. ?EUR??,,????'??Awabuki Viburnum and Japanese Anise were used as large screening shrubs which would be freeze tolerant, and then ornamental grasses, Plumbago and Thryallis among other plants were used in front for color, texture and seasonal interest.”

This view from the poolside breakfast room illustrates how an indoor room can function outdoors. From this angle, the swimming pool appears level with Lake Butler, and the Medjool Date Palm next to the pool brings color to the home that coexists with the bay trees and sand cordgrass in what can be considered the backyard area of the property.
Photo: Everett & Soule Architectural Photography

Florida Living

Windermere is a small community near Orlando, Fla. Windermere proper has a population of about 2,000, and the town serves as the mailing address for several gated communities. Celebrities including Tiger Woods live in the area, and when the owners of ?EUR??,,????'??Overjoy?EUR??,,????'?? ?EUR??,,????'??? who are natives of upstate New York – decided to build a home in a warmer climate, this area of Florida seemed like an ideal destination.

?EUR??,,????'??The client wanted clean lines,?EUR??,,????'?? Redmon said, referring to both the house and the landscape.

The back of the house wraps around a large simple pool so that each room has an intimate and immediate relationship with water. The still character of the pool allows reflection of the architecture when viewed from many areas within the house. The waterfall is 30 inches high and falls into a three-foot deep catch basin. The spa (bottom center) is 7' x 7' inside. The plants in the containers on each side of the spa are the Dwarf Bottlebrush Plants.
Photo: Everett & Soule Architectural Photography

The aforementioned swimming pool is the central feature of the house. Views of the pool are available from many points in the house, and the pool?EUR??,,????'???s setting appears to flow seamlessly with Lake Butler. The pool area was designed with very crisp hardscape detailing that mimics the architectural detailing of the home. The gray limestone creates a cool color scheme that enhances the blue colors of the water and house.

The pool?EUR??,,????'???s water spills down into a catch basin and a spa lies beyond that area of the water feature.

?EUR??,,????'??The spa drops down far enough to offer privacy from the rooms in the house,?EUR??,,????'?? Redmon said, adding that the spa?EUR??,,????'???s location does not take away from the perceived transition from the pool to the lake.

Large palm trees placed on either side of the pool help to bring colorful, vertical features to this portion of the house, and they tie in with the natural berm that sits between the house and the lake.

?EUR??,,????'??The lakeside landscaping was done with native grasses which create a simple setting for the dramatic architecture,?EUR??,,????'?? Redmon said. ?EUR??,,????'??The lakeside plantings also enhance the natural character of the lake, which is designated as a ?EUR??,,????'??Florida Outstanding Waterway.?EUR??,,????'????EUR??,,????'??

The planters used on the project reflect the clear lines of the architecture, and bold textured plants create contrast to those lines for excitement. This planter contains a Soft Tip Yucca. The terrace material is composed of gray limestone, and Oldhami Bamboo was installed to the right of the terrace area for privacy.
Photo: Redmon Design Company

Landscape Preservation

This region in Central Florida receives about 50 inches of rain annually, requiring the landscape design to have aggressive drainage measures in place.

?EUR??,,????'??The neighborhood developer installed a continuous swale along the shoreline of all the waterfront properties in the development, and we had to ensure that we did not encroach into it or alter the capacity for stormwater retention,?EUR??,,????'?? Redmon said. ?EUR??,,????'??Native grasses were used along the shoreline to promote wildlife and blend the designed landscapes into the surrounding natural fabric.?EUR??,,????'??

Redmon noted that designing a landscape that encourages very positive drainage is key, adding that water runoff around the house has been handled without incident. Redmon described the irrigation plan for the site as ?EUR??,,????'??pretty traditional?EUR??,,????'?? with the use of spray heads as the choice for watering.

?EUR??,,????'??The berm and swale in the area catches the stormwater before it reaches the lake,?EUR??,,????'?? he said.

The Master Bedroom garden features shapes and colors that are unique to this private space. Dwarf mondo grass and crushed glass create dynamic color contrasts and the shapes represent flowing water, with glass spikes and stainless steel spheres used as accents to create contrasting shapes.
Photo: Redmon Design Company

Muscular Hardscapes

Limestone, travertine and concrete pavers are in abundance around the house, with marble and limestone flooring inside the home giving the property a strong feel. The driveway and motor court design is very geometric in shape. The gray travertine and charcoal concrete pavers create a cool color scheme and rich appearance to the front hardscape scheme. The homeowners suggested that a simple circle amidst the straight lines in the motor court be added to the design to create some diversity from the strong vertical lines of the architecture.

Plantings around the motor court add color to this area of the site, and Redmon said the homeowners had strong feelings for the ground cover that should be in place.

?EUR??,,????'??The turf grass is St. Augustine, as mandated by the community,?EUR??,,????'?? he said. ?EUR??,,????'??The clients were very particular about the types of plants they liked, but we used Dwarf Bottlebrush, Indian Hawthorne, Agapanthus, Dwarf Jasmine and Xanadu Philodendron as ground cover.?EUR??,,????'??

The fountains at the entrance of the residence are approximately 12' x 12'. The exterior face of the fountains is gray Limestone (which matches the back porch). The driveway pavement field (shown in front of the fountain) is gray Travertine and the driveway band is charcoal colored concrete pavers.
Photo: Redmon Design Company

Secret Garden

One colorful aspect to the site that cannot be seen from a majority of locations on site is a secret garden that sits off the master bedroom. When looking out of a large window in the bedroom, the homeowners see the garden comprised of dark green and blue colors that sits in stark contrast with the lightly-colored house. Beyond that is the green grass of the berm at the back of the house, and beyond that is the blue of Lake Butler.

This garden features dwarf mondo grass and crushed glass that creates dynamic color contrasts and the shapes represent flowing water, with glass spikes and stainless steel spheres used as accents to create contrasting shapes.

This view from the right rear terrace looks parallel to the shoreline toward the left property line. Lake Butler is located 90 degrees to the right. The planters and trees here (Soft Tip Yucca in the planter) are similar in design to other areas of the residence, including the use of gray limestone for the terrace. A Medjool Date Palm anchors this area, and Dwarf Oyster Plants (at the base of the palm tree) were included to add more color to the landscape.
Photo: Redmon Design Company

A Successful Project

Redmon described all aspects of this project as a success, from the client?EUR??,,????'???s involvement in the design and build out of the site, to the overall contemporary feel of the site.

?EUR??,,????'??This project is much more along my personal style,?EUR??,,????'?? he said. ?EUR??,,????'??This project was extremely rewarding from a client standpoint.?EUR??,,????'??