Southern Living’s 2019 Idea House in Amelia Island, Florida

Media Release
July 19, 2019 5:00 p.m.

FEATURED IN AUGUST ISSUE ON NEWSSTANDS TOMORROW

Meredith Corporation’s Southern Living features its 2019 Idea House located in Amelia Island, Florida in the August issue of the magazine which hits newsstands July 19. The home opened for public tours on June 8 and has since welcomed more than 3,200 visitors through its doors. Tours will continue through Dec. 8, 2019, with an anticipated 10,000 to 15,000 total visitors.

This year’s home is a new build on Crane Island, a 113-home master planned community located on Amelia Island’s western edge about 3.5 miles south of historic Fernandina Beach. The home’s distinct Southern design mixes Lowcountry style with historic Fernandina Beach architecture designed to encourage indoor/outdoor living with 1,400 square feet of porches.

“We called this ‘Our Best Idea House Ever’ on the cover because it truly is,” said Sid Evans Editor in Chief of Southern Living. “For starters, Crane Island is one of the prettiest locations I’ve ever seen, a secluded grove of live oaks and palmettos on the Intracoastal Waterway. We also had a uniquely talented team who built a home that captures the magic of the island and the charm of Old Florida.”

Inside the issue, the expert design teams share their inspiration for the home as well as advice and creative ideas for current and prospective homeowners from optimizing the surrounding views to incorporating classic Southern decor with showstopping details as well as insider advice on hosting guests and finding a good construction partner.

“We are thrilled to be the home to Southern Living’s ‘Best Idea House Ever,’” said John Hillman, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Crane Island. “The world-class team of talent that put this home together is truly one-of-a-kind and they created a modern Southern home that embodies the vision we see for Crane Island. We enjoy welcoming guests from all over the nation to tour the house and know this will be an important milestone for both Crane Island for years to come.”

Heather Chadduck Hillegas, Southern Living’s former Style Director and now of Heather Chadduck Interiors & Textiles, managed the interior design. Architects Jim Strickland and Clay Rokicki of Historical Concepts, which has mastered the art of designing the “new old” Southern home, oversaw the home’s architecture. The finished house plans, Crane Island River House, Plan #2010, will be available for purchase online at HousePlans.SouthernLiving.com. The build is managed by Matt Roberts, Chris Wood and Matt Birdwell of Riverside Homes and developed by Jack Healan Jr., Jack Healan III and John Hillman of Crane Island. The landscape design is by Don Hooten of Hooten Land Design, Inc.

“Our Riverside Homes team had a vision of building a traditional southern home that fit perfectly into its unique location,” shared Chris Wood, one of the Principals at Riverside Homes, “This home needed to feel like a century-old plantation home but live as people do today. This was one of the most detailed homes we have ever built and every room is a showstopper. But more importantly, every room is livable, comfortable and what homeowners are looking for.”

The design showcases products from sponsors of the 2019 Idea House, including Birch Lane, Carolina Lanterns & Lighting, Circa Lighting, Clarkson Lighting, Clopay®, James Hardie® Building Products, Marvin®, Southern Living Exclusively at Dillard’s, Southern Living Plant Collection, SunSetter Products, The Sherwin-Williams Company and Zuri® Premium Decking.

There is a $22 entrance fee with a portion of the proceeds from ticket sales going to the Amelia Island Museum of History. Tour hours are Wednesdays–Saturdays, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Sundays, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase via Eventbrite, at Crane Island Sales & Design Center, located at 3163 Bailey Road, Fernandina Beach or by calling 904-432-8390.

ABOUT SOUTHERN LIVING

Southern Living celebrates the essence of life in the South, covering the best in Southern food, homes, gardens and travel. Reaching more than 23 million people each month, Southern Living connects consumers to the region’s rich culture through a variety of print, digital, mobile and event platforms. Headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, the rapidly expanding Southern Living brand is produced by Meredith Corporation.

ABOUT RIVERSIDE HOMES

Riverside Homes is a locally owned homebuilder that is committed to providing exceptional value, quality and innovative designs that homeowners are looking for. As an award-winning homebuilder, Riverside Homes was recently voted “Best of St. Augustine,” winner of “Best of Houzz” three years running and the recipient of many other awards and accolades. Riverside Homes is currently building in St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra, Atlantic Beach, Amelia Island, Fernandina Beach, St. Johns and Fleming Island. For more information about Riverside Homes, contact [email protected] or call 904-530-4720.

ABOUT CRANE ISLAND

Crane Island is a luxury 113-home master planned community on Florida’s Amelia Island, a part of the Sea Islands Chain of barrier islands on the Atlantic Coast. With over 3,500 feet of Intracoastal Waterway frontage and over 4,000 feet abutting salt marshes, the 185-acre site is the last parcel of waterfront land on Amelia Island. The sustainable community will preserve approximately 100 acres, including the majority of the mature maritime forest – a unique feature that creates seasonality within the coastal environment. Upon completion, Crane Island will add about 30% of new deep water access on this stretch of the Intracoastal Waterway.

Infrastructure is now complete on all 113 homesites with public water, natural gas and fiber to the home. Additionally, Crane Island will continue to emerge as a connected island hamlet that celebrates the site’s history and natural surroundings, complete with a bird sanctuary, community park, gardens, walking and biking paths, day dock and beach access.

At Crane Island, every home will offer a beautiful gift to the street with approximately 20 to 25 percent of space dedicated to the porch experience. Custom homes range from the $900’s to $5 million plus. In addition to hosting Southern Living’s prestigious annual Idea House, Crane Island has also been hand-selected as Florida’s debut Southern Living Inspired Community and Coastal Living Inspired Community. For more information, visit craneisland.com.