Off the Florida Gulf Coast, 25 miles east of Pensacola is the beach community, Navarre. Just steps away from the beach is an award-winning, three-story home by builder Les White of Fine Acorn Homes. The residence was recently featured in the Pensacola Parade of Homes mid-May of 2018 and was granted the “Outstanding Home Award” in its category receiving a full 10-star rating – the first 10 ever given.

Homeowners, Kristie and John Frerich, worked with White to build the home of their dreams. “As Les was building our home he said he wanted to use it for the parade of homes because of its unique features,” said Kristie. “For about two weeks they opened up new homes in a variety of categories – size and price ranges – and realtors would tour and rank the homes, and then the public was able to tour.”

Since the home is just a few steps away from the water on both sides it was important that materials for the home could withstand the elements – humidity, salty sea air and sun.

John, the shopper in the family, was doing research on materials to use for an accent wall in the living space and he came across Accoya wood. “He looked at wood planks and tiles, but he felt that it looked too much like flooring material on a wall. He couldn’t find anything that he truly liked. Then, he came across Accoya wood and the different color techniques and charred options available and we decided to go for it,” said Kristie.

Kristie and John selected Accoya wood finished with the distinctive Japanese charring technique Shou Sugi Ban to feature on all three floors of the home. It was used in the living room as an accent wall, above the vanity in the master bathroom and as a ceiling piece at the top of the staircase creating an eye-catching statement visible from the entrance.

“In our living room on the top floor, we have blue tile flooring that looks like a wave on the floor, mimicking the water down on the beach,” said Kristie. “The charred Accoya wood is absolutely perfect for the accent wall in that room. With the way the light hits the charred Accoya wood, there’s a ‘barely visible’ reflection of blue, just like the scales of a fish.”

White was pleasantly surprised by the choice. “I was a little nervous at first because I had never heard of Accoya before and I didn’t know much about it,” said White. “It ended up being easy to work with and the carpenters didn’t have any trouble using it either.”

“When people were visiting our home, quite a few asked about the Accoya accented walls and were interested in learning more,” said Kristie. “We certainly recommend it to anyone who wants to add a beautiful touch to their home that is absolutely unique, but also durable.”

Completed: 2018

Builder: Acorn Fine Homes

Sub-Distributor: Delta Millworks