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Lynch House Feature

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Photographs by
Peter Frank Edwards
“This house appeals to my sense of the theatrical,” says owner Frank Lynch, whose Frank Stella lithographs, like the one hanging over the stairs, can be illuminated at night by custom-designed theater lighting.
Lynch House Feature
The ultra-sleek cookspace by German kitchen design firm Poggenpohl puts the focus on function.
A two-story wall of windows ensures that no passing pleasure boat nor pelican flight be obscured from view, while a continuation of travertine tile from the living area to the pool deck blends interior with exterior.
Lynch House Feature
An informal dining area off of the kitchen punctuates the first floor with a subtle shade of powder blue, while the unusual “blow-up” light hanging overhead was another feature added “just for fun,” according to Linda.
Commanding almost as much attention as the panoramic view is the immense antique mirror hanging just past the entryway to the living room. The Art Nouveau work hung in Paris’ renowned restaurant, Maxim’s, for nearly a century, “likely casting back images of Jackie O., Maria Callas, Liz Taylor, and hundreds of others in its time,” Frank speculates. “In fact, the original placement of the windows in this room was altered to accommodate the mirror.”
One of the Lynches’ dogs, Sweep, enjoys the view from the stairs.
Definitive shapes—in the driveway and at the top of the entry stairs—extend a dramatic invitation to guests.
Lynch House Feature
Simple plastic chairs in the dining room were chosen for their minimalist appeal.
Steel entry stairs lead visitors from the garden to the raised first floor.
Grass and concrete provide graphic elements.
A spiral outdoor staircase leads up to a guest suite.
The Lynches credit architect Beau Clowney with the unusual design of the downstairs powder room, its focal point a concrete block sink.
A guest bedroom features a built-in bed by craftsman Michael Keyes, who specializes in such details for boat cabins.
An outdoor seating area sits at the base of the spiral stairway, beneath a narrow catwalk that extends off the second-floor deck.
A water garden designed by Sheila Wertimer serves as a foyer to the home, with potted citrus trees and annuals leading the way to the exterior entry stairs.
“The site was screaming for something exceptional,” recalls architect Beau Clowney, of the home’s position on a protruding point along the Intracoastal Waterway. And though portholes and punched window openings give the exterior a carved geometric feel, Clowney claims that the diagrammatic nature of the plan, the choice of materials, and their detailing are what make this home modern.
The Lynches admit that the view was the driving design factor, but their self-described “fun house” has become something of an architectural landmark for boaters along the Intracoastal Waterway.