Alys Beach Home Boasts St. Tropez-Inspired Style

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On a light-filled corner of Alys Beach, steps from the highly Instagrammed Turtle Bale Pedestrian Path, stands a home that feels at once retro and entirely of the moment. The new residence is a collaboration between architect Cameron Hughes and interior designer Catherine Christie-Zanghi, both of Chancey Architecture & Interior Design in Tampa. Their efforts yielded a custom home that distills the community’s crisp white aesthetic through a more cosmopolitan lens: a touch of St. Tropez, a whisper of the 1970s, and a whole lot of personality.

The owners are Atlanta-based semi-retirees who wanted a place where they could gather family and friends on a regular basis. “They love to entertain and fill the house with people,” says Christie-Zanghi. “The home is joyful, layered, and full of collections that tell their story.”

After purchasing the new lot, the couple tapped Chancey for both architecture and interiors, a decision that would make the process cohesive. “The clients let us do our thing,” says Christie-Zanghi, who is well-familiar with the area. “The aesthetic evolved naturally. I love color, but Alys Beach can be a lot of white, so we decided for something a little St. Tropez.”

Fresh from her own trip to the French Riviera, Christie-Zanghi infused the interiors with a sunny informality: tactile materials, whimsical art, woven elements, and trimmings layered like jewelry against pale walls. “I work in textures and layers of materials,” she explains. “Every room in this house has a moment of discovery. The overall design is not monolithic; it’s lively, retro, and customized to the owners’ lives.”

While Christie-Zanghi composed interiors with soul, Hughes was busy shaping the bones. “This was a ground-up custom build,” the architect notes. “In Alys, everything is snug, with zero lot lines, so you must be intentional about light and space.” Additionally, the home lot sits beside the pedestrian path that leads to the town’s most photographed landmark, Turtle Bale Green, a park with a central grassy mound resembling a turtle’s shell and numerous bronze turtle sculptures created by artist Dan Dutton. “We needed to respond to the residence’s prime location,” says Hughes. “We oriented the courtyard to capture that energy while maintaining privacy. If you listen carefully, you can hear people outside going on about their daily lives and that’s part of the charm.”

Hughes begins each project by studying context. “I take the clients’ program, meaning the rooms they need, the way they live, and layer it over the realities of the site: sun angles, pedestrian paths, community codes,” he says. For Alys Beach projects, that means a rigorous design review process. “A board gives feedback on every submission,” explains Hughes. “It’s demanding, but it’s what keeps the community cohesive and beautiful. You have to work within a very limited palette, think white stucco and white roofs, but that restraint is what pushes you toward balance and craft.”

The result is a home that quietly stands apart. Within its white walls, Hughes created opportunities for surprise: perfectly placed windows to pull light into the core, a sculptural stairwell that feels Mediterranean in its sweep, and a courtyard that doubles as an outdoor living room. “They wanted places for future grandchildren, bunk space, and an office,” he says. “But they also wanted it to feel easy and flowing from one space to the next.”

That sense of flow is palpable inside, where Christie-Zanghi blended antiques with contemporary pieces and artisan finds from the owners’ travels. “It’s a joyful aesthetic,” she says. “Tons of layers that the owner loves.” Against the architectural rigor of Alys Beach, her interiors add warmth and wit. From Murano glass to linen upholstery, every texture feels right.

For both designer and architect, the project underscores what Chancey does best: creating homes that breathe with their owners’ personalities while honoring a sense of place. “We listen to clients and bring them something unexpected,” says Christie-Zanghi. “This house evolved with the homeowners’ excitement. We just met them where they were.”

Hughes agrees. “The design here responds to context,” he notes. “But within that, there’s room for individuality. When architecture and interiors move in the same rhythm, that’s when Alys Beach magic happens.”

Story Credits:

Interior Design by Catherine Christie-Zanghi & Jennifer Bedore, Chancey Interior Design, Tampa, FL

Architecture by Cameron Hughes & Stephanie Young, Chancey Interior Design, Tampa, FL

Text by Stephanie Davis Smith

Photography by Jean Allsopp, Birmingham, AL

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