A Mediterranean Jewel In John’s Island

261

A pair of serious lions stands guard at the end of the 60-foot lap pool. Topiaries frame the decorative, double-glass entry doors of wrought-iron with verde patina

It’s amazing the wonders you can discover once you turn off a main road. In John’s Island there’s such a turn, one that takes you down a shadowed lane lined with rows of podocarpus columns, sculpted sentries surrounded by pink begonias.

From that moment on it’s as though you’re in another world — one that’s private, peaceful and almost too perfect to be real. But it is.

Cynthia Bardes prefers to call the lane an Allée. It fits. As does everything about the Mediterranean-style home she and her husband David built 13 years ago. With her appreciation for classical design and attention to detail, the architecture is ageless.

It begins with a charming lattice design of Confederate jasmine that wraps the curved wall at the end of the allee. Masses of red bougainvillea tumble over the top. On both sides, stairs and terracotta pots bursting with vivid pink geraniums lead you up to a 60-foot lap pool and patio area embraced on three sides with columns and arched covered walkways.

Read the entire article in the April 2003 issue

Facebook Comments