But...but...quel horreur...there is no backsplash in the kitchen!

I don't really have one in my K either. On one side of my kitchen is all windows above counterop. My cabinets sit on the counter, My stove has a sort of BS, the back side of a stone fpl in the family rm.

I don't have one either. It's painted drywall. When I change my mind about my color scheme, I can repaint it.

If I just had a spare million bucks lying around! I like some of it but I find some of it to be gaudy. The zebra wallpaper is awful! :O

I love the fish wallpaper and the chunky little sink in the powder room. The whole place is lovely.

The entry courtyard is so charming, I think I'll just linger out there with my Long Island Iced Tea.

Look at the double doors in the master bath. They perfectly illustrate why such double doors look so attractive but are really a bother.

I love that green and blue den, very Florida and happy. But the zebras fleeing the arrows is making me nervous.

I'm going to have to look at it again more carefully. I don't think I could live there (but I could be wrong), but we are currently looking in the Palm Springs area, which has somewhat of a similar vibe.

I'm not a fan of all of the white, but I did really like the black contrasts. However, I have a fairly large collection of real zebra hide parts (manes, tails, head, etc), but I still do appreciate zebra prints, especially if they are well done.

Interesting that they show dining chairs with red upholstery. Typically, it is difficult to sell chairs (or any upholstery items) with red fabric, even though I happen to like it.

I like it.

Are you thinking of Igloochic with dark brown trim? I don’t remember kswl having any.

Thanks for sharing. That decor made me smile. It makes using colour and pattern look easy, but achieving that look (without it being a hot mess) is the work of a someone with real talent.

It’s a very cool place. I liked the unexpected.

Write it down, folks! Mtn actually said she liked something red! JK around with you, Mtn.

I wonder if the owners are pre 1980-ish and beyond Palm Beach transplants. Some of the rooms remind me of the olé Chesterfield and a sprinkle of other establishments in a later decade. The outside is reminiscent of a scaled down Breakers. Perhaps they used a Palm Beach decorator. I do love the court yards.

LOL, it hurts my eyes. For one thing, I am not a red person - at all. I do like that chair, but I'd have to have it in another color. Too matchy for me - curtain fabric matches chair coverings, matches pillows, etc. I think I would like it better if there were small doses of color, small doses of the fabrics, etc.

I think that is adorable!! I LOVE the green walls with the navy and white. Not sure I could live with the red walls, but I love that color!

Are the zebras fleeing the arrows, or running in the directions the arrows indicate they should go? Whatever's happening there, it's a bit too frenzied for me. Actually, there's too much zebra stuff in this house period, although I do agree that the vibrant colors throughout are fun, and I have major kitchen rug-runner envy now.

**I actually love the black and red dining room; **

Who ARE you and what have you done with mtn??? Seriously, I thought you were firmly in the never red camp.

I love the location. Too big a home for me, 13 (atm) chickens and two cats.

Backsplash? It has the same type of great and useful backsplash that I do... painted drywall. Easier to clean than grout, for sure.

I'd do something about the zebras, but overall I like this site.

DLM, you have me laughing! You're right - this must be an imposter & one who hasn't done their homework :)

Did KSWL have black doors in her home?

I wouldn't say no. Well done, imo.

Yes, KSWL painted all of her interior doors black IIRC.

And I am the queen of No Red, 'tis true. I think the DR may be a hot pink actually.

I like the Zebra wallpaper, I've seen it so much it's practically a classic (Scalamandre).

I like the idea of a small courtyard, lock and leave situations, with access to a pool and the lake.This ticks a lot of my boxes. HOA seems a tad high but I guess the taxes are lower than in a SF? I know nothing about HOA.

I am always taken aback when people look at the prancing zebras as fleeing those arrows. I am so used to that wallpaper, I don't see it as anything than a vehicle for whimsical pattern and color.

I like the bold, colorful decor very much- kinda Sister Parish-y maybe?

Mtn, we are looking at that same town and Sarasota area. We aren't ready to downsize that much though, but we won't have a second home, and prefer single family with water and/or golf. Just starting to narrow down areas on line.

Funny, Chispa, maybe we will be neighbors!

It has been a chilly spring so DH and I keep waking up and saying - let's move! We have 2 years tho before the youngest graduates, but we might buy before that and rent or renovate.

We are keeping Maine as a family house, and would look for a smaller home for winter (only part of winter, as i think we would spend the holidays in Maine). I think for us we'd prefer a city pied a terre to snowbird-ing, but we vacillate. Hence I keep my eye on FL real estate.

Within Florida, for us, I think Winter Park is our fave. We are not really interested in being oceanfront in two places... esp considering we are both allergic to seafood, do not like lying on the beach, and I get seasick on ocean-faring boats. So why be on the coast in FL and in Maine?

We like WP. Orlando's airport is close and has terrific and plentiful direct flights from everywhere; a big consideration for kids' visits and our own travel jaunts. Winter Park has an upscale charm that seem almost New England-y to me. I am not used to the more lax zoning of FL where you have a lot of really nice areas with dumps sprinkled in and poorly maintained roads. There is a lot of beauty in Florida, but also a lot of rattiness/gun shops/we buy gold kinda stuff, IYKWIM. And sometimes it is right next to a lovely home!

I like Sarasota because it is an actual city, but to me a lot of areas were a bit run down in the city, and then so many huge high rises. Not my thing, I don't think. Vero Beach, which Jules reccommended, is very pretty and good value, but for us it was too far to an airport and maybe a bit too resort-y.

My biggest thing is, given it won't be year round and given the frequency of extreme weather, I think we don't want single family. But I am loathe to be tied to a property manager and neighbors and their preferences and finances. I need to understand all that better.

Be curious to see what you discover as you look!

Love the color! Although I might go a bit tamer. I have always liked color.

Beautiful property. Looks like a great place for a second home.

I love it! It is very winter park-ish and Winter Park happens to be one of my favorite places. I could live there in a heartbeat!

I happened to show this (pending) listing to DH today

You know what he said?

He said - why did you let it get away?

We are flying down later this month to look.

Yes!

Jojo, I know you lived in the area. Is there anywhere else we should look while we r down there in the vicinity? Thx

Beach party at mtn's new digs!

Ida, Orlando area is a long way from the beach! :-)

There might be a beach at one of the lakes ... but ... alligators!

Chispa, I forget why, but I researched it and pretty much concluded that alligators are not an issue there.

Ida, come to Maine if you want to do beach! it's on your way to Iceland.

Mtn, my friend that owns in WP commented that the majority of properties do not sell for list price. Lots of negotiating room. Having lived in top rated school towns, in both coasts, where houses always sell well, it is a bit scary to see some of the FL real estate that takes years to sell. The higher end market in FL tends to take longer to sell.

So many of the properties are 1970 to 1990 vintage and need major remodels. The updated ones with tasteful updates do move quicker, but there just aren't many of them!

Good to know! I think that I'd rather have something that needs updating, since I am so finicky and like to do my own thing. I don't think we know enough to pull the trigger (but then we have bought the last three houses pretty much on a whim now that i think about it). When I was there it was just a girls trip, so this time DH can check it out with me.

Mtn, I wouldn't trust anyone who told me that alligators were not an issue in any fresh body of water in FL. If Disney, just down the road, couldn't keep them out of their lakes and had a child die, I doubt anyone can keep them out of less monitored lakes.

Check out this rarity, a craftsman style wood frame from the 1930’s with a partial basement (in Florida) . Amazing that it survived this long down here. It’s on the Indian River in Cocoa, east of Orlando. One would need $$$$ to do a few baths and the kitchen and who knows what else so I’m out. It’s pretty cool though.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4091-Indian-River-Dr-Cocoa-FL-32927/43398180_zpid/

Eh, an hour and a half roughly, right? I spent part of one summer in DeLand and we often went to Daytona Beach. It didn't seem like much of an ordeal at all, but that might have had something to do with all the beer we drank once AT the beach (made me forget about distances). (Don't judge. I was 18.)

Chispa, Yes I recall that horrible story. No one told me that about WP. I just remember researching it and concluding it was not an issue, i forget why.

LOL Ida, the beach is never too far to go when u r 18.

Jterri, that is very cool! But in WP I think i'd find my peeps ... they have Whole Foods, a Trader Joe's, *and* an indy movie theatre. : )

Mtn, yes, I get where you are coming from! We have been toying with moving further north in Florida when husband retires. For a while I was thinking Jacksonville because it’s so close to the Carolina’s, Tennessee and Georgia for mini road trips and exploring. That area also has some cool historical homes in neighborhoods that are getting a new life. However, the airport in Jax isn’t international. We also like to be close to the beach, nice restaurants and, yes, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. I’m spoiled with the close proximity of the above where I live now. So, I have since started looking down the coast nearer Orlando due to the airport . Not having much luck so far on getting it all (especially with a lower budget).

Mtn, Winter Park is one onto itself. The only other area that has some neat vibes, imo, is downtown Windermere (the old section, not the unincorporated developments.) Lots of beautiful older homes there on sandy roads that aren't ruined by developers with heinous taste. Keep in mind, though, I left Florida in 2005. I'm not exactly current, but I have a hunch these two areas will always be gems.

“Mtn, I wouldn't trust anyone who told me that alligators were not an issue in any fresh body of water in FL. If Disney, just down the road, couldn't keep them out of their lakes and had a child die, I doubt anyone can keep them out of less monitored lakes.”

Keep them out? Have you ever been to Disney World?

Anyone who has lived in Florida knows there are alligators in most freshwater lakes and rivers. And we still swim, sail and waterski in those lakes and rivers. Because we know how few alligator attacks there are. If tourists didn’t feed the gators chances are that little boy would still be alive.

There are also sharks and jellyfish at the beaches. And snakes in yards. And lightning during storms. And bad drivers on most roads.

eta: and the hated love bugs!!! They seem to know when it’s May.

Don’t live in fear. Appreciate nature.

I'm around Windermere fairly often and the traffic is simply hellacious all the time now. It used to be very charming but there's a constant blocks-long backup at the circle on Main these days and that drives people to look for shortcuts through many of those formerly peaceful shell side streets, unfortunately. There's been a big increase in just the past five years as the surrounding areas move toward buildout. Same for Gotha.

ETA And tacky mega mansions are proliferating in both towns. People buy more modest homes for the land, tear 'em down, and fill the lot with house. I guess they don't have much of a setback law.

But if you're okay with WP traffic, it probably wouldn't bother you.

IDK, no one likes traffic. But, IMO finding a desirable place w/o traffic just isn't likely. Plus to me traffic is really most important if you are commuting. If you are not you can work around it.

Wow writers, things have really changed. Gotha was definitely county thru and thru in 05. Not on anyone’s radar. I lived in keenes pointe but would have sold my soul to live in an older home on 2 nd Street. But traffic was bad then too. Especially after they bricked over everything and created that circle. Trying to be like winter park we all thought

Yeah, jojoco, it's changing fast. There are big new developments along Maguire/ Main at the north end of town, the cows are gone from Roberts, and there's plenty of new building all along Gotha Rd.

Justerrilynn, remember that Orlando doesn't adhere to the coastal building code. Many, maybe most, newer homes up there are masonite wrapped in tyvek, then stuccoed, and not just the lower-end ones, either.

Thanks Writer, I never knew that about Orlando building codes. Oh well, I haven’t found even one house I like in any areas in the price point we wanted to buy in. Looks like extensive remodeling is in order. Not sure I have the energy for extensive although I wouldn’t mind putting in a new kitchen. The so called updated ones are generic flips.

Edited: lots of older homes I like somewhat near downtown Jax but they are all two story. Two stories are out unless there’s a master on the first floor. Jacksonville Beach is target area.

My favorite room is the powder room. Love the koi wallpaper so much that I just may dare to do something similar myself!

Mtn, I'm guessing this is the type of info you've already researched.

Winter Park - NICHE

I think the way one perceives traffic has a lot do with where you have lived. Having lived in Europe and major US metro areas in the east and west coasts my tolerance for traffic is pretty high. Living in Tokyo for a few years also let us experience a whole new level of traffic! As long as I can run my normal everyday errands in a timely manner, I can handle planning around traffic for special outings.