77 SOUTHERN HOME | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019
D
riving up to Dorinda Dodge’s Vero Beach home, you get a sense of
the experience that awaits before ever setting foot on the property.
Located just two blocks from the beach, the street is canopied by
centuries-old oaks, setting the scene for the natural and unfussy
yet refined residence she dreamed up with architect Peter Moor of
Moor, Baker & Associates.
“My dad was an architect and builder, so I’m very interested in those processes,”
says Dorinda, who has also done interior design work for friends and family over
the years. Having worked with Peter twice previously, Dorinda was eager to talk
with him about this build—a vacation
home where she resides half the year.
“I went to Peter with an idea of what I
wanted, and he was generous enough to
give me the opportunity to be heavily
involved and work alongside him,” she says.
The genesis of Dorinda’s plan was a
square living room with floor-to-ceiling,
steel windows. From there, the house
evolved into what Peter refers to as a
series of pavilions connected by galleries.
“In Spanish Colonial architecture, some is
fancy, and some is rural and minimal—
and the latter is what we like,” says Peter
in reference to the cottage-influenced
approach to both blueprints and materials.
“The house wants to be minimal, but it has
a very old-school feel to it.”
A front entry opens to a glass gallery
leading guests to either private or public