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Key West Stylin’

Key West draws me in for so many reasons. It’s part of the United States, but feels like the Caribbean. It’s casual, laid-back, and tolerant. And it’s truly stylin’. There’s nothing more relaxing than pedaling a conch cruiser through the streets of Old Town past the beautifully unique island residences. There’s an elegance, a permanence, and a mystical presence I cannot explain. Today, I share my love and admiration for the homes of my home-away-from-home. Enjoy!

Larger homes in Cayo Hueso reflect the Spanish heritage of the region, with Spanish colonial architecture, such as this home on the right, with a full length porch on each level to take advantage of the tropical vistas.

Most homes in Old Town feature white picket fences, perhaps as a territorial measure due to miniscule lots. Whatever the reason for their being, the fences add a cozy, whimsical appearance to these homes.

Key West properties feature an abundance of plantings, whether in the form of palm, banyon or ornamental Royal Poinciana trees (shown below), and a variety of tropical shrubs and flowers.

Many of the larger Old Town homes are traditionally painted white, yet some reflect the Caribbean influence of the Conch cottages, in colors such as pink, blue, and green. Victorian touches, such as gingerbread detailing is common, too.

Of course, part of island life is coping with extremes–the tropical heat and hurricanes. Shutters serve a dual function, allowing in a breeze while protecting its residents from the sun’s rays and destructive winds, like on the house shown below.

House after house in the Old Town section of Key West is an attraction unto itself–another reason this place is home-away-from-home for many of its visitors. You can’t help but want to lounge on a shady porch with a refreshing drink surrounded by nature’s beauty.

Someday I plan to live in one of these beautiful homes. What is your dream style of home, and why?

12 comments on “Key West Stylin’

  1. Love these houses. Being a mere 6 days from key West this was a timely post. We love all the unique homes all over the island. Each trip we find our house to call home someday and it always new and different.

    1. Can I say I’m jealous? Have a wonderful getaway. You and the love of your life deserve it. 🙂 We haven’t made plans for our next trip down to the Keys but my current story is set there, and I visit there every evening…in my thoughts and in my words.

    1. Hi Rhonda! These homes are amazing, aren’t they? And there’s one after another in Old Town. My husband tells me we wouldn’t love it as much if we had to follow our daily routine there. I disagree. 🙂

  2. I love Queen Anne victorians, gingerbread detailing and long sweeping porches. Carved mil work, mouldings, etc thrill my heart. I also love log cabins. Talk about opposites. Jeesh. Why do I love these? Don’t know. I just appreciate the craftsmanship.

    By the way – beautiful pictures. So tempting.

  3. Those are gorgeous homes. I love the Victorian style with the wrap around porch.

    And I love the white picket fences. I live in one of those subdivisions where the houses are 20 feet apart. My front yard is basically a commons area–even though we are expected to keep it landscaped and we pay taxes on it. I’d love to put up a fence (or a concrete wall), but deed restrictions prohibit it.

    My dream house used to be the style shown in the pictures you have here. However, as I get older, I realize that I don’t want to have to climb stairs. What I’d love to have is one of those Hill Country style stone houses like this:

    http://www.gailstonerealty.com/homes/images/H0096/H0096a.jpg

    I’d like to have only one story but still have a fairly large house. I’d love a big kitchen where I can get up to all sorts of undertakings. I’d like to have a windowless entertainment room. And I’d like to have the master suite separated from the other bedrooms.

    Dream big is what I always say.

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