Winter Park Home is a Sculptural Stunner

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After regularly eyeing a Winter Park land site for a decade, a local couple’s patience paid off. Over the years, their search for the perfect lakefront location for a home had evolved into an enjoyable hobby. But when a lot situated on a peninsula overlooking Lake Maitland unexpectedly became available, they wasted no time acquiring it.

“Winter Park is beloved for its brick streets, extensive tree canopy, and the chain of six lakes connected by navigable canals,” says the homeowner, a long-time area resident who swiftly purchased the land for him and his partner. “With unparalleled dual lake views on a quiet thoroughfare—all within a short walk from the downtown historic district—this particular site is truly one of a kind.”

After years of admiring his Florida work in various design publications, the couple knew reaching out to Minnesota architect Charles Stinson for their new build was the right choice. “The first time Charles visited the site, within minutes, he had climbed up on the second-story roof of the existing home to get a sense for sightlines,” notes the owner. “We could immediately see an artist at work—his mind already spinning with concepts to incorporate the home into the surroundings and take advantage of its unique location.”

Encompassing 6,700 square feet with water vistas from nearly every room, Stinson’s transparent design melds vertical limestone stacks with soaring horizontal roof and terrace planes, creating sculptural, individual forms that appear to float. Composed on-site and old-school—with ink and colored pencils—his thoughtful composition brings nature to the forefront, responding to sunrise and sunset views. “When you study architecture, they tell you it’s all about arranging boxes and carving holes—almost like cave architecture,” says Stinson. “When designing homes like this one, I envision living in trees, being a bigger part of nature—harmonizing with the natural surroundings—to create a very Zen-like feel.”

A joint effort by Stinson’s in-house architectural and interior design teams, the collective intent was to engineer a home that would fluidly connect to the Florida landscape. “We quickly learned that Charles, along with colleagues Chuck Thiss, Ben Bower, and lead interior designer Kim Streeter, shared our appreciation for detail,” says the owner. “An architect’s plans are sometimes taken as a ‘suggestion,’ leaving many decisions to be made in the field. Their design plans included every detail—even precise locations for outlets, switches, and vents.”

One of the team’s first exterior selections, an ivory-hued Alabama limestone cladding, created “the springboard for the tones carried throughout the interior,” says Streeter, “while informing the main level’s terrazzo floor.” The limestone arrives at a mill not far from Stinson’s Minnesota offices, so to gain insight into its origins, the clients set out on a field trip for a first-hand look at the process. “Seeing the massive limestone blocks coming in on trucks and transforming into pieces of precision-cut stone is just one example of the level of engagement we shared with them in the process,” notes the homeowner.

Streeter’s muted interior palette further enables the lake views to dominate, and the open floor plan’s broad sightlines ensure the owners stay connected with their guests from all vantage points while entertaining. “Tabu Tay cabinetry finishes complemented with super-matte Italian-designed Fenix surfaces generate a balanced blend of textures,” adds Streeter, “lending contrast to dark-stained rift white oak interior doors and cabinetry on the second and third levels. For continuity, the terrazzo floor’s base hue repeats in the Italian plaster walls, which had minerals added to create dimension and a little sparkle.”

Rewarding on many levels, the building experience presented an intensely dynamic and creative process, with numerous aspects inspired by the homeowners’ impeccable taste. “Their trust in the collaboration allowed the project to flow,” notes Streeter. “When a design is completed to this level of precision, it brings me great joy and satisfaction.”

For Stinson, each architectural endeavor becomes the homeowners’ personal story, naturally unfolding over time, shaping the outcome with each step. “The soul of our architecture is connection, and the site is where it begins,” he says. “It is the context and catalyst for understanding a vision, and it sets my work in motion.”

Story Credits:

Architecture by Charles R. Stinson, Chuck Thiss & Ben Bower, Charles R. Stinson Architecture + Design, Deephaven, MN

Interior Design by Kim Streeter, Charles R. Stinson Architecture + Design, Deephaven, MN

Builder Charles Clayton Construction, Winter Park, FL

Landscape Architecture by Mills Design Group, Oviedo, FL

Text by Jeanne Delathouder

Photography by Corey Gaffer, Mendota Heights, MN

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