Fantasy escapes lure us away with enticing locales--cruises to the Greek isles, tours of Provence, treks through Italy. All of those places come to mind for Bill and Jackye Lanham as they make their way from their Atlanta home to their favorite oceanfront getaway. And the best part is their destination is only a few hours away.
"This is where we go to hide," Jackye says of their home in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. "Bill and I work really hard and need a place that is just low-key."
Jackye, an interior designer, and Bill, an attorney, have been nourishing their souls at the beach for 30 years--an elixir that reminds Jackye of her youth, having grown up on the Atlantic in Virginia Beach. The couple had rented houses on the Florida coast until 1989 when they decided to buy this place, with its commanding view of the surf.
Over the years, the house has become a haven for all things nautical that Jackye and Bill collect--seashells, sharks' teeth, maps, globes, bottled ships, scrimshaw. "When we bought it, we put our stamp on it," Jackye says. "It's really been a work in progress as far as collecting things for it. It's all a fantasy."
Just don't imagine the house as some kitschy oceanside souvenir shop. About a year ago, the Lanhams decided to give it an overhaul. They drastically changed its exterior and fine-tuned the interiors with architectural touches that make it feel more like a breezy Italian villa than just a weekend getaway.
"It's not really what you think of as a beach house," Jackye says. "I lived in Greece, and Bill and I love to go to Italy, so all those things are sort of in our souls. Plus, we just love the ocean so much."
