North Shore Residence

North Shore Residence is a 6,168-square-foot beachfront home on the north end of Anna Maria Island, designed by Cooper Johnson Smith Peterson Architects with interiors by House Seven Design and landscape by Michael A. Gilkey, Inc. We finished it in early 2025 after a 26-month build.

We joined the team during design, not after it. On a beachfront lot the structure, the floor elevation and the building envelope all carry cost and permitting consequences, and it is far cheaper to settle them on paper than in the field. By the time the plans went in for permit, we already knew how we were going to build them.

The house is traditional Gulf Coast architecture: deep covered porches, generous overhangs and a main living level lifted well above grade. Behind that, it is reinforced concrete masonry on every level, where most coastal homes switch to wood framing above the flood line. It costs more and takes longer, and on the beach it is worth it. The structure is engineered for 150 mph winds in the most severe exposure category, and everything on the outside, down to the fasteners and hardware, was chosen for direct salt exposure.

Because the home sits seaward of the state’s coastal construction line, it went through state review alongside local permitting, with the dune protected throughout construction and exterior lighting selected to meet the sea turtle rules. Inside, House Seven Design carried the traditional detail through the millwork and cabinetry, and the kitchen went on to win national Gold.

Recognition: Aurora Awards 2026, Grand (Best Custom Home, Best Interior Design) and Silver (Kitchen, Bath, Interior Detailing). SRQ Home of the Year 2026, Platinum (Landscape, Pool and Outdoors). Best in American Living Awards 2025, Gold (One-of-a-Kind Custom Home, Kitchen).