Alfresco Living in Tavernier Contemporary Coastal Home

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A Georgia couple won the view lottery when they purchased the Key Largo lot on which their home is now located. Sharing a channel on its southern border with a portion of Islamorada, the Tavernier spot is a place where sunsets are pure poetry. Poised on scenic Florida Bay, the contemporary coastal residence comprises 6,700 square feet of air-conditioned space and 2,300 square feet of outdoor grounds intentionally designed for yearlong alfresco living.

To guide the design vision of their island oasis, the clients conveniently kept it local by enlisting Tim Leard, an architect with MHK Architecture and director of the firm’s Islamorada studio.

“The home’s modern coastal design, with its white stucco and dark roof, creates high contrast against the crystal blue water and lush landscaping,” says Leard. “The floor plan includes a main-level primary bedroom and an open layout that allows a fluid transition from indoor to outdoor entertaining areas. A massive second-floor living space for visiting family includes several en suite guest rooms.”

After consulting with Leard on the layout and size of the structure, the owners brought in Atlanta interior designer Audry Suennemann, a seasoned professional with more than three decades of experience. “These clients love entertaining and are almost never in the house without guests,” notes Suennemann. “Knowing this and how often their family from Homestead visits, we used every inch of the public spaces to provide as much seating and comfort as possible.”

Open to the design team’s interior modifications, MHK collaborated with Suennemann to unify the living and dining areas—once separated by a wood-stained ceiling—by implementing one cohesive treatment with white recessed beams. “I love the texture they create,” says the designer, “casting light and shadows without distracting from the beautiful Ochre light fixtures.” Further uniting the spaces, she incorporated Calacatta gold marble into the kitchen design and living room fireplace surround. As a result, the eye dances between the two marble details amid a soft color palette inspired by the clients’ request for a bright aesthetic.

Interior arches were added to soften the cased openings leading away from the main space to other areas of the house, their shape accentuated by the large rings of mercury glass on the chandeliers. “Lighting is one of the most important aspects of a curated home,” says Suennemann. “Each project presents a new opportunity for creating an illumination experience offering curiosity, enrichment, beauty, and grace.”

Thoughtfully devised for function, an elaborate alfresco living area includes a dining table for six, a roomy sectional, a custom concrete console, and four swivel chairs that can swing toward the TV, the ocean, or the pool. “Among the design highlights of this island home are the extensive covered decks, porches, and oversized outdoor entertaining spaces all focused on the view and the connection to the infinity-edge swimming pool,” says Leard. “We put as much detail in the outdoor spaces as in the interiors.”

Beyond the water, vivid sunsets, native mangroves, and flickering residences along Founders Park deliver meditative views—and the owners enjoy front-row seats to it all right from their backyard.

“The architectural and construction teams’ willingness to get the design right and find solutions for ideas that seemed impossible to execute created a truly special place,” says Suennemann. “This home is as breathtaking as it is comfortable and a true refuge for those who live in it.”

Story Credits:

Interior Design by Audry Suennemann, Suennemann Interiors, Atlanta, GA

Architecture by Tim Leard, MHK Architecture, Islamorada & Naples, FL

Builder by Brett Ekblom, Native Construction Contracting, Tavernier, FL

Text by Jeanne de Lathouder

Photography by Lori Hamilton, Naples, FL

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