530 Grinnell Street - Key West - Award Winning Old Town Cottage

My jaw literally dropped last week when I got to see the inside of 530 Grinnell Street.  I was inside the house many years ago when it was offered for sale as a "fixer".  I remember the old version as being boxy, cramped, and devoid of style. The new version is open, airy, and chic.

I checked the historic Sanborn Fire Maps and learned that 530 Grinnell Street first appeared in the 1889 map except it was then numbered 237 Grinnell Street. The numerical identifier was changed to 530 Grinnell Street on the 1892 map.  Placement in the 1889 map tells us this house existed as of 1889 but it could have been built earlier.  I found a black and white photo of 530 Grinnell Street that was taken in 1965. At first glance the outward appearance looks pretty much the same nearly fifty years later. The house today is dressed in pink with dark stained shutters and gray porch floor.

 

As much as the exterior looks the same today as it did decades before, the interiors are quite a different story. Just below is a "before" photo of the kitchen at 530 Grinnell Street taken a few years ago. And below that photo is a color photo taken of the kitchen today.

Remarkable, isn't it!  The renovation of this cottage home was designed architect Guillermo Orozco with interiors by Blair Gordon Design.  The home was award a Star by the Historic Florida Keys Foundation.  The original house had small rooms for separate uses. That is the way we used to live - separate rooms for separate purposes. Today we combine spaces to provide for multiple uses. Several interior walls were removed to create open living, dining, and kitchen spaces. Old ceilings were removed to reveal double vaulted peaks which add drama and volume.  All white walls, woodwork, cabinets, and counter-tops are contrasted by the dark Brazilian Ipe floors and black handles, door knobs, and window rod in master bedroom.

I remembered the old house had two bedrooms. So does the revamped version. Except the new version offers much more utility in the same amount of space.  Blair Gordon created a front bedroom that offers sleeping spaces for four people. Nothing naughty going on here. The current owners have four little ones. But the sleeping accommodations would work well for the occasional guests that would spend a few nights.  Each bed has a lamp for reading and built in storage just under the mattress. TVs are built in to the rear walls. Pocket doors provide privacy when required.

The master bedroom is located at the rear. Like the front bedroom, pocket doors provide privacy at night and open during the daytime. French doors at the rear open out to the Brazilian Ipe deck which seems to expand the refined interior features to the outdoors.

The new bathroom has more features than you will likely find in rooms twice the size. There is a glamorous soaking tub, shower, dual sinks with separate bases, and closet. Note the circular theme repeated throughout the room from tiles, to mirrors, and to insets on the vanities.

French doors in the kitchen and master bedroom open out to the Ipe rear deck. The deck area does not have room for a pool, but it offers refined outdoor living space. 

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on 530 Grinnell Street that is offered for sale at $799,000.  The furnishings are available separately. Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to arrange a private showing of this incredible award winning cottage style home. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Most photos courtesy of Michael Philip at Doug Mayberry Real Estate.

404 Grinnell Street - Old Town Serene Sensation - Key West

404 Grinnell Street - Old Town - Key West

The listing Realtor, not me, describes 404 Grinnell Street this way:

"Sensational designer renovation in the heart of the Historic District. Dade Co pine is used throughout this master craftsmans' four bedroom, three bath home from the kitchen cabinets to the custom cabinetry in the living room. The marble and granite bathrooms have beautiful hardware and details that make this home irresistible. The house opens through tall French doors to the covered porches and Chicago brick patio that surrounds the 35' swimming pool with water wall of coral and shells. Lush tropical plants and off street parking make this the perfect island retreat."

Sensational is an understatement. I fell in love with this house as soon as I walked inside the front door. I showed the property last week and did not take any photos as I hoped my buyers would snap up this great property themselves. The house did not meet their needs, so now I am free to tell my readers what I think about this Key West charmer.

If you live in Key West or have gone on house tours here you may recognize the names of the design team that renovated this home - Blair Gordon and John Alvarado. Their homes are unmistakable. Local architect Guillermo Orozco completed the design team. Guillermo said "Special attention was given to ensure a sense of serenity and privacy. All spaces open out to the back garden and pool area."

Many houses in Old Town rely on Dade County Pine walls to be a major focal point in the interior design. Some designers would have taken the design cue and would have settled on building another quintessential Key West Cottage. This design team too this home in a different direction.

The wood walls and other natural materials used in the design merge the indoors with the outside. All rooms on the ground floor open onto the outside. And what an "outside" it is. To quote Guillermo, "serene".

Two sets of French doors open from the living room onto the rear covered porch where a separate covered outdoor living space looks down upon the pool and gardens. A set of windows open from the kitchen onto the porch. That opening provides a nifty space where the cook can see and hear or be a part of what is going on outside.

Look at the photo at the top of this page and note how you are brought down three steps to the Chicago bricked terrace at the garden and pool level. The third photo shows the transition from the outdoor living space to the garden level from a different perspective. The pool is cool and the greenery is lush, private, and almost exotic.

I borrowed some photos that Guillermo Orozco has on his website that show off some of the creative details incorporated into this home. I borrowed others from the mls listing presentation.

My comments follow.

404 Grinnell Street sits behind a traditional white picket fence and has a gated entry to the bricked off street parking space that leads to the most traditional front door.

The entry is the first signal that this home is really something special!

Note how informal the living room is and how the French doors lead your eyes to the outside.



The custom stairway leads to the two upstairs bedrooms that share an incredible bath.

Back downstairs you will note how the design elements flow between room to room, from stairway to the kitchen as well. The wide window in the photo below is where the kitchen is located. That wide opening sets the tone for this informal living space where again the inside becomes part of the outside.

The master bedroom (pictured below) with vaulted ceiling is just a knock-out!


The Master Bed and Bath are in newly constructed addition at the rear. Each room opens to the outside but it is the bath that makes you want to jump out and into the spa or pool for a late night dip before you go beddy-bye.

404 Grinnell Street is a 2204 sq ft home located on a 4762 sq ft lot. CLICK HERE to see the mls listing details and to view more photos. It is offered at just $1,325,000. This place, Dear Reader, is a great buy at that price. There is just one place like this in all of Key West. There are many great conch houses and cottages. One person or family is getting an opportunity to be the owner of this serene sensation.

Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305.766.2642 if you would like to see this home with a buyer's agent. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West, Florida.