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“I blew the budget on the dolphin table and seagrass swivel chairs, so I figured better get nice furniture for the rest of the house,” Jo Beth said. She chose the swivel chairs for a 360-degree view of the living area, which includes a fireplace trimmed in custom tile from San Antonio.

By Diane S. Morales, Caller-Times

March 26, 2006

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Palm trees wave outside the front yard of the home where steps leading to the front door open to the home’s main living area.

What started out as plans for a cute cottage for Jo Beth and Dan Eubanks evolved into a three-story house Goldilocks would love to get lost in.

The Details Address: 220 Keewaydin Lane, Beachwalk II Community, Port Aransas Price: $779,000; furnished Square feet: 2,853 Bedrooms: 3 Bathrooms: 3 Built: 2001 Information: Donna Schabilion, Coldwell Banker Island Realtors, 244-0903

Dotting the beach terrain, the terra cotta, green-trimmed house is part of a picturesque community of colorful homes at the Beachwalk II in Port Aransas.

The San Antonio couple fell in love with the area after traveling to Port Aransas over the years.

“Every year we stayed at The Tarpon Flats and we’d have wine at Beulah’s and just had a great time,” Jo Beth said. “We stopped by and thought ‘that would be a great place to have a cute little cottage’ and, well, you see what happened.”

The coastal spread was built and designed by Don Huff., who created interesting architectural features such as staggered angular ceilings lined with pinhole cypress wood and cherry wood columns in the living area. A sleek kitchen, a stylish master bath and rooms furnished with high-end, yet casual pieces from San Antonio, which are included in the sale, bring the space together.

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The master suite has a Caribbean or Hawaiian feel with its warm tones and minimal accessories. “We go to relax because we have rather demanding jobs,” Jo Beth said. “It’s for relaxation and it’s like having a little mini-vacation.”

Hand-picked interiors

Jo Beth, an attorney, decorated the home entirely with goods hand-picked from San Antonio. She said Dan and their dogs have spent almost every weekend for the past four years at their island getaway, but the upkeep of two homes has taken its toll.

“But every time we go we ask ourselves, ‘why are we doing this (selling)?’” she said.

Letting go can’t be easy. The home’s Caribbean influenced interior is mixed with a bit of Florida’s colorful coastal homes and wrapped into Port Aransas’ unexplainable charm.

The home’s main living area on the second floor is a somewhat circular layout. The living room serves as the focal point and overlooks the kitchen and dining areas. Textured ivory walls contrast with the cherry wood columns, kitchen cabinets, staircase banister and the pinhole cypress ceiling. The ceiling accent is also in the master suite.

“The cypress ceiling detail is very Hawaiian/Caribbean,” Jo Beth said. “It’s from living in Hawaii. My husband is Hawaiian.”

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Don Huff, of Don Huff & Associates Architects and Planners, created details such as red cypress cathedral ceilings and these built-in shelves perched between the living room’s 15-foot ceiling and kitchen spaces. Construction Development Systems built the home.

Sage sofas and seagrass swivel chairs with abstract tropical fabric and matching ottomans surround an elegant glass coffee table with a black dolphin base.

Equally elegant is the beveled glass rectangular dining table that shares the living room space. The rattan style base table and six chairs is one of several furniture pieces Jo Beth acquired from Stowers or Louis Shanks stores in San Antonio.

Overlooking the living and dining areas is an airy kitchen finished in cherry cabinets with silver fish knobs and green ceramic tile counters.

“My husband loves to cook, so we had to have a big kitchen,” Jo Beth said. “We picked cherry for the kitchen first, then got the idea for the columns in the living room.”

A mosaic back splash finishes the kitchen’s detail, while access to a covered deck — totaling 1,200 square feet of tiled decking — from the living area wraps to the front of the home.

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In the master bath, handmade tile accents in sage trim the tumble marble. The tiles feature images of puffer fish, sea horses, herons and other coastal animal life. Susan Soule, owner of Kitchens Plus, designed the bath and kitchen layouts.

Taste of the tropics

The master suite and guest bedroom branch off from the living room with sunlight filtering through French doors. Powder blue walls with white trim and white wicker furniture create a crisp and fresh feel to the guestroom. A balcony offers a view of the front yard whereas the master suite boasts passage to the covered deck.

Bungalow comforts exude from the tasteful tropical décor of textured sage walls and cypress wood ceiling. The palm print bedding lightens metal and bamboo furniture by Tommy Bahama.

The palms print theme flows into the master bath with red wallpaper and tan tumbled marble tile to contrast.

Up the cherrywood and tile staircase, the Eubanks use the loft space as an office. The seagrass floor covering adds an element of nature indoors, but the real outdoors is steps away on the balcony.

“We call it the margarita deck because there’s nothing better than sitting out there in the afternoon drinking a margarita, unless it’s early morning and you’re drinking coffee,” Jo Beth said.

Guest sweet

On the bottom floor, a guest suite with a full bath offers prime access to a covered patio teeming with tropical plants.

“Two big trees flanking the arbor are called Hau trees or Hawaiian hibiscus here. There’s also a screw pine or pu hala tree, plumeria trees and hibiscus,” Jo Beth said.

A short white picket fence encloses the back yard and wraps around to the front yard, allowing the Eubanks’ dogs room to romp.

“I’m going to miss everything about it,” she said.