A Regal Retreat in Admiral’s Cove
Florida Design - April 2021A marvel of Old World architecture, a South Florida retreat recalls the chateau-like splendor of northern mansions
For his waterfront vacation home in Admiral’s Cove, an exclusive enclave in Jupiter, Michigan businessman Alan Markovitz wanted to retain the classic French style of his northern estate.
Markovitz “is enamored with the beauty of Old World architecture—the timeless designs and strength of the materials that make them last forever,” says Louis “Lou” DesRosiers, president of the award-winning, Michigan-based DesRosiers Architects, who designed the home.
Though traditional French chateaux are two stories, generous ceiling heights and the natural slate mansard roof, with its decorative, two-tiered stone cornice and ornate copper dormers, give this one-story, 6,800-square-foot home heightened grandeur.
In materials and design, exterior elements work together to evoke the aesthetics of the French Renaissance—beginning with the perimeter’s 6-foot-high, wrought-iron gate atop limestone piers. Limestone steps lead to the front entrance, which is shaded by an elaborate cartouche canopy. The home is clad in cast limestone with sculpted filigree embellishments on strategic facades, and punctuated by the heft of imported, double-leaded Italian windows.
From the interior floorplan to the ocean-side, disappearing-edge pool and spa, DesRosiers says, “It’s like you’re in a twenty-first-century French villa,” with all of the modern conveniences.
Story Credits:
Text by Cathy Chestnut
Photography by Jason Nuttle Photography, West Palm Beach, FL
For his waterfront vacation home in Admiral’s Cove, an exclusive enclave in Jupiter, Michigan businessman Alan Markovitz wanted to retain the classic French style of his northern estate.
Markovitz “is enamored with the beauty of Old World architecture—the timeless designs and strength of the materials that make them last forever,” says Louis “Lou” DesRosiers, president of the award-winning, Michigan-based DesRosiers Architects, who designed the home.
Though traditional French chateaux are two stories, generous ceiling heights and the natural slate mansard roof, with its decorative, two-tiered stone cornice and ornate copper dormers, give this one-story, 6,800-square-foot home heightened grandeur.
In materials and design, exterior elements work together to evoke the aesthetics of the French Renaissance—beginning with the perimeter’s 6-foot-high, wrought-iron gate atop limestone piers. Limestone steps lead to the front entrance, which is shaded by an elaborate cartouche canopy. The home is clad in cast limestone with sculpted filigree embellishments on strategic facades, and punctuated by the heft of imported, double-leaded Italian windows.
From the interior floorplan to the ocean-side, disappearing-edge pool and spa, DesRosiers says, “It’s like you’re in a twenty-first-century French villa,” with all of the modern conveniences.
Story Credits:
Text by Cathy Chestnut
Photography by Jason Nuttle Photography, West Palm Beach, FL
