Riverside Hideaway

Tucked beside the water, this small family getaway lives big.

A second home is usually about getting away from it all, so what better location for such a place than beside a river whose name means "safe haven." The Bon secour flows through the land minutes from the hustle and bustle of Alabama's Gulf Shores, but it feels a world away. That's what attracted Rebecca "Bee" Runyon Bryan. "The Bon secour is a hidden treasure," says Bec, a Mississippi native. "You can't see it from any county highways. You have to be in someone's yard or at one of the restaurants for a view. That and the beauty of the river fascinated me." Property like this on the Bon secour rarely comes up for sale, but Bee's tenacity paid off. While there was no house, the lot was beautifully landscaped with more than 180 azaleas scattered among live oaks.

When choosing a design for the house, Bee looked to an old favorite for inspiration-renowned Louisiana architect A. Hays Town. "I have an out-of-print book of his renderings that I cherish," she says. Her sister, interior designer Ann Carter, lives in a Town-designed house in Jackson, Mississippi. After obtaining permission from the original owner, Bee used that house as a model for another home she built on Jackson's reservoir. "I'm fascinated by the exteriors of A. Hays Town. They are not always symmetrical-sometimes there is a feature, a window, or an arch that is not centered."

Bec's experience as vice president of marketing and design for a development, construction, and management company enabled her to create the perfect hideaway. She chose a classic two-bedroom carriage house design. The Louisiana-style architecture fits perfectly in the lush property with its live oaks and riverfront location.

For the exterior, Bee selected old Kosciusko orange brick, which she brought in from her native state. "It's a favorite of mine. I love its soft and varied qualities," she says. The house, too, possesses many A. Hays Town signatures-extensive use of wood, a courtyard space, and even a pigeonnier that serves as a pump house. The long front porch with spectacular views and an outdoor shower are also guest favorites.

by Doyle, Alice Welsh