November 2018 | XX
“We moved to Destin in 1995, when
the original owners had just finished
construction of the home,” recalls Sylvia,
a former nurse who currently spends
much of her time pursuing a degree in a
Public Health Specialists and passionately
promoting vaccine safety awareness and
research. “It’s an impressive home, and
we always admired its large columns
and architecture—kind of Southern
plantation-style home with European
influence.” And 23 years later when
the Williamses toured the home after it
spent years on the market, the couple
finally had the chance to make it their
own—though most of those unique
touches that, perhaps, made it unsellable
in some regards, so specific a buyer did
they require—signing the papers to take
possession of a gem that they knew just
how to polish.
The bulk of it was already there—
sprawling gardens with statues from
the Palace of Versailles, huge urns at
the massive front gates used in the ’92
Barcelona Olympics and believed to be
from the 1800’s, lampposts surrounding
the property that once illuminated the
streets of Italy. But the aforementioned
mural that graces the foyer ceiling is a
new addition executed by the talented
brushstrokes of faux artist Myra
Langhram, as is the marbleized look of the
once-white columns in the living room.
Even so, their existence seems natural, so
seamlessly do they marry with the rest of
the details that comprise the home, each
with their long history and impressive
pedigrees boasting lineage from Italy,
Spain, and France, countries travelled
often by the home’s original owners, who
shipped their fantastic finds home and
seemingly built the estate around them.
The task at hand for the Williamses
when they took over ownership was to
update the things that needed updating
without compromising the integrity of
the home, each task completed under the
watchful eye of Joel, whose experience
in development has given him a great
deal of expertise in renovations. “Joel is
a perfectionist and is extremely detail-
oriented in all of his development
projects,” Sylvia notes. And so they set
about their work, ripping out carpets,
removing wallpaper, overhauling the
kitchen and the guest suite above the
garage. Naturally, the marble in the
kitchen, living room, dining room,
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