HOMES OF THE TREASURE COAST
38
HOME & DESIGN
far more balanced appearance from the street.
Two years and $225,000 later, a phoenix had arisen from the
ashes. With six bedrooms and five-and-a-half bathrooms, the
4,500-square-foot home sported a period look befitting the
neighborhood. “We started by renovating the house to sell
and ended up keeping it. It was always my dream to have a
big old house with lots of children,” says the mother of five
and inveterate rescuer of stray animals.
The furnishings Dale and Deborah chose shied away from
the ubiquitous Florida décor. Instead, they drew from their
collection of 1830s American antiques, quilts and period wallpaper.
The design was so unique for Florida that it immediately
garnered media attention, and in 1986 the home appeared
on the cover of Better Homes & Gardens’ Country Life.
CHARM AND INTRIGUE
In the time since the house sold in 1988, various homeowners
have left their imprint. One family replaced the northern
brickwork in the fireplace with marble while another remodeled
the kitchen and added a garage and pool. The current
owners, Fried and Cathy De Schouwer, who purchased the
home in 2003, say they were immediately attracted to the
home’s charm and character. “You can go underneath and see
the dune like it was in the 1900s,” Fried says.
And as with dwellings from a bygone era, some areas of
the home sparked intrigue. A half-submerged exterior door
that opens into a sunken area in the four-room basement led
Fried to speculate, “We thought maybe this had been a bomb
shelter.” Cathy muses: “Or there were submarines off the
beach and they had secret meetings in this spot.”
The De Schouwers had other questions too. “There’s a con->>
The inviting front walkway
features reclaimed bricks from
a former Chicago firehouse.
PHIL REID
The De Schouwer family poses in the front yard with former owner, Dale McGee. Left to right: Louis De Schouwer, 14; Elizabeth De Schouwer, 13; Fried
De Schouwer; Dale McGee; Morgan De Schouwer, 9; Cathy De Schouwer.