Social Living | The Swafford Family
The Georgian on the Bayou
-Liesel Schmidt
Towering pillars, massive windows and stately staircases are the most immediate features that anyone approaching the home owned by Carl and Lynne Swafford would notice, though closer inspection would reveal a great many reasons to be impressed. The all-white exterior of the Georgian home offers a stately presence, holding court on an oasis of green along a sandy white beachfront overlooking Bayou Saint John at the back, while the front stands opposite Ono Harbor.
Originally built in the mid-90s, the Swafford residence was completely remodeled only a few years ago, bringing its spaces an aesthetic more suited to its owners. At 7,900 square feet of heated and cooled space and 10,000 square feet under-roof, the home comprises six bedrooms and seven and a half baths in its three levels, offering plenty of space for the homeowners to utilize, though there are certainly rooms that the Swaffords consider to be their favorites. “I love the den with its expansive view of the water and the porches and study, and we are always using the kitchen,” says Lynne, who is the managing partner of Zeke’s Landing and Marina in Orange Beach, while Carl is a retired anesthesiologist. “I fell in love with the house the first time I entered, despite the fact that it needed extensive renovations. The views, the architectural design and the symmetry spoke to me. I was looking for a home with a yard for my two Labrador Retrievers to run, and this location gives us that.”
Post-renovation, the home boasts a traditional aesthetic with an eclectic flair, with definite points of interest: “I have collected pieces from all over the world,” Lynne notes. “I started collecting when I worked on the cruise ships throughout the ’80s. My favorite pieces of art are portraits of my children in costume when they were two and five years old and a large piece by Russian artist Murat Kuboulov. We also have two matching French antique terracotta vases with a wildlife theme that I love, and some antique wildlife Capodimonte porcelain that I am the only one allowed to dust. I sold two houses and only chose my favorite things to bring to this one, and there is a story to be told about everything in this home.”
