A wash of soft greens and blues shapes a palette that shifts gently from room to room in this Port Royal home. Pattern is the constant: latticework walls, chevrons, botanical murals and hand-painted details create a cohesive rhythm while giving each space its unique identity. “White walls feel so bare,” says lead designer Megan Hickman, noting how she uses wallcoverings to bring dimension to a room. “They add color, texture and personality to the space.”
Despite the home’s location—one block from the beach—the Freestyle Interiors designer wasn’t interested in recreating a themed coastal look. She wanted something that felt light and uplifting, with color and details that carried a subtropical spirit without relying on literal cues. “I wanted a coastal feel, but not-in-your-face coastal,” Megan says.
The team, including Freestyle Interiors president Faith Fix, MHK Architecture, Griffin Builders and Architectural Land Design, formed a plan that paired coastal-contemporary architecture with softer, more playful interiors. Megan landed on Sherwin-Williams’ Underseas as a defining hue. The sea glass green paint color, reminiscent of Gulf waters, carries throughout the house, washing over the kitchen island, the pool bath vanity and a scalloped vanity in the powder bath. The paint also shows up as a contrasting backdrop to the white treillage and fretwork trim in the cabana room, which has a private entrance. “I love a good [treillage] pattern as it adds a whole layer, literally, to the room,” the designer says.
Photography by Venjhamin Reyes
Photography by Venjhamin Reyes
Photography by Venjhamin Reyes
Photography by Venjhamin Reyes
Floridian influences show up more directly on the exterior by John Orgren, formerly of MHK, and the late David Fisher. Wave-white lap siding, smooth stucco, gray shingles and warm wood garage doors establish the home’s profile, while brackets, corbels and deep overhangs echo the region’s vernacular. Inside, the architecture opens to bright, roomy spaces lifted by tongue-and-groove ceilings and tall windows.
In keeping with Gulf Coast design, the architects centered the plan on a clear indoor-outdoor flow. Maureen Minker, MHK’s residential director overseeing the project, says they conceived every element of scale, detailing and orientation to support Florida’s year-round alfresco lifestyle. From the entry, sightlines extend to the pool, establishing the intent. Both the living and dining rooms open to the lanai, and a rounded archway links the dining area to the interior kitchen, continuing the flow with a soft transition between spaces. The arch merges classic and modern: Its traditional shape defines the rooms, while its clean profile and generous width keep the layout open. “I try to use clean lines and timeless details with playful touches throughout,” Megan says.
Outside, the lanai acts as another living zone with its own kitchen and dining area, and the primary suite meets the pool and spa through a wall of windows, surrounding the homeowners in lush greenery—a constant invitation to slip outside. Upstairs, four guest suites gather around a family loft that leads to a covered terrace and balcony, positioned to catch the sunset. Smaller spaces, like the trellised cabana suite, club room and tucked-away terraces, offer more intimate retreat-like spaces throughout the home. Vaulted and tray ceilings and expansive windows keep the interiors feeling broad and light.
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Photography by Venjhamin Reyes
mhk port royal home pattern color bedroom mural
A mural by Fort Myers artist Molly Wooley rises behind the primary suite’s headboard, echoing the lush greenery that beckons the homeowners outside through the double doors.
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Photography by Venjhamin Reyes
mhk port royal home pattern color bathroom
The powder bath takes the most expressive turn, with botanical wallpaper and a scalloped vanity apron.
In the kitchen, the team placed a window above the sink to draw the greenery of the surrounding landscape into the room, then layered a botanical wallpaper on a soft pink background by Schumacher. The motif can be seen from multiple vantage points, adding a dose of liveliness to the space without overwhelming the palette.
Pattern-play sets the tone for each room. A branchy mural painted by local artist Molly Wooley climbs behind the headboard in the primary suite, playing against the en-suite’s marble veining. The guest rooms continue the botanical thread, with small-scale ginkgo print for a gentle, all-over pattern in one space and a barely there leafy motif in another. Most rooms maintain the nature-rooted palette drawn from the coast’s greens, blue-grays and warm neutrals. But the color deepens in strategic places, like the pastel palm print in a guest bath, the marine upholstery in the club room, and in custom works from local artists throughout. “I just loved this blue wave fabric as an alternative to a typical white fabric on a grouping of chairs,” Megan says.
Photography by Venjhamin Reyes
Photography by Venjhamin Reyes
Photography by Venjhamin Reyes
Photography by Venjhamin Reyes
One room is calm and tonal, the next leans soft and botanical, then another delivers a well-placed jolt of color. The contrast gives the spaces a natural dialogue without repeating the same motif or shades. Megan pushed the palette into its most expressive range in the public-facing baths, including the pool suite, with its water-drop ceramic tiles from Popham Design, that draw their colors directly from the Gulf. Everything else is intentionally pulled back: a simple, slab-side vanity, white counters, bronze globe sconces, keeping the design from tipping into kitsch. In the powder room, a whimsical wallpaper of willows and lilacs wraps the room. “Wallpaper is a must in a powder bath,” Megan says. The pattern rises behind a scalloped vanity, with brass fixtures that sharpen the edges and a checkerboard marble floor, grounding the palette with its geometry.
Material selections balance beauty and livability. Performance fabrics add texture and durability, while natural marble was chosen for the countertops. In high-use areas, porcelain and ceramic tiles bring the same visual softness as stone but with easier maintenance. “I don’t want to create a home that is not livable,” Megan says. “I want the children and grandchildren to play games in the bonus room or help bake cookies in the kitchen.”
Photography: Venjhamin Reyes
Architecture: MHK Architecture
Interior Design: Freestyle Interiors
Builder: Griffin Builders