When a New York–based family decided to build a ground-up getaway home in Wellington for trips with their daughters—both competitive equestrians—designer Tom Scheerer looked to the sport as his muse. "Without being too obvious, we used certain elements that were reminiscent of barns and stables," he says, adding that the clients wanted their new home to feel akin to Scheerer's own, on Great Abaco Island, in the Bahamas, where the shutters fling open to the breeze.
It's certainly airy, and that's by design. The home is an enclave of five "barns" (parents' and daughters' wings, a living space, a garage, and a guesthouse) that fringe a swimming pool and garden. "When we get a suburban lot, we like to keep the center open and have the buildings form a courtyard," says Peter D. Moor, principal architect at Moor, Baker and Associates Architects, in Vero Beach, Florida. "You have a private garden and leave suburbia behind." It's not waterfront, but "you get the sparkle of that [pool] water filtered through and around the buildings and trees," adds architect Chris Baker. References to barn life include not-so-on-the-muzzle touches like walnut travertine floors that look like saddle leather; inky window frames embedded in stucco, reminiscent of Cape Dutch horse farms; and leather-wrapped, oil-rubbed bronze hardware. But arguably one of the home's most distinctive aspects is something you can't see. The homeowner is a fervent environmentalist, and "her barometer was, 'I want the house not to smell like a new house,'" Baker recalls. "We really had to vet all the materials so that they were not toxic in any way."
One other thing the home doesn't have? An open kitchen. "I don't really like open kitchens," Scheerer says. "It's too messy, and it doesn't give you the hierarchy of spaces." As a compromise with his clients, who wanted one large room, he designed a room divider to balance the hearth at the opposite end of the living and dining area. "There's circulation on all sides, but [the kitchen is] slightly shielded from the main room."
And everything can stand up to a steed. "The thought was, this is a working house," Baker says of the forgiving finishes. "You should be able to bring your horse through here."
Courtyard
Pictured above.
The home centers on this outdoor space, with a pool inspired by horse watering troughs. "The raised edge makes it a little garden-esque," architect Peter D. Moor says.
Family Room
Cheerful art by Polly Apfelbaum balances the equestrian finishes. "We didn't want to make [the house] overly masculine," Scheerer says. "The girls are the stars of the family." Pendant: Noguchi. Dining chairs: Design Within Reach. Dining table and sofa: custom.
Kitchen
The range wall and island are framed in pecky cypress wood, which is native to Florida wetlands. Backsplash: Fireclay Tile. Shelves: Urban Archaeology. Pendant: CB2. Barstools: Pottery Barn.
Powder Room
The motif of the Popham Design tile has "a very subtle vibration of horse hooves or the rhythm of horses moving," Scheerer says. Faucet: Kohler.
Media Room
Scheerer got the animal heads in the Camargue region of France, where wild horses live: "I's an old tradition, to make [them] out of straw." Paint: Slate Teal, Benjamin Moore. Sofa: custom, in Peter Dunham fabric. Ottomans: Wayfair.
Girl's Bedroom
A vintage folk painting fits the theme. Bed: Anthropologie. Folding stools: Serena & Lily. Rug: Annie Selke. Paint: Simply White, Benjamin Moore.
Primary Bathroom
Dining Porch
"It's Florida, so outdoor dining is necessary," Scheerer says. Only native plants were used in the garden. Exterior paint: Simply White, Benjamin Moore. Table and benches: BenchSmith. Chairs: Frontgate. Side table: Serena & Lily.
