Belle Maison | A Cottage with a View
A Cottage with a View
-Liesel Schmidt
For most, the words “beach condo” conjure images of multi-story buildings with cookie-cutter units stacked side-by-side and on top of one another, all facing some glittering beach with neighboring buildings whose similar aesthetic clogs up the natural beauty with a depressing sense of commercialism. But this particular home in Orange Beach is less condo and more cottage, giving the family to which it belongs a homey and enchanting place to spend beach vacations.
A single-family home on risers, the family has created a sanctuary at the shore, an escape from the busyness of daily life and a retreat for gathering together. Painted a soft, barely-there color of green, the board and batten façade is like an homage to their roots—one of its points of charm. “Our family is in the lumber and timber business in Lee and Chambers Counties in Alabama, and the color of the cottage reminded us of pine trees. We thought it only fitting to name the cottage ‘The Knotted Pine’ in honor of our dad, who started the business in the late fifties,” explains the matriarch of the current generations of the family.
Boasting numerous windows, the home certainly capitalizes on the view. Under the second floor, the riser space offers storage as well as covered entertaining space, perfect for post-beach hang outs or picnics. “The cottage is nice and strong and very attractive but not overdone, which suits our family,” the owners observe. “The concrete entertainment space below the house has a front-seat view of the community pool, and we have plenty of space for grilling and Lowcountry boils.”