An architectural wonderland, the South Walton beach communities draw tourists and home buyers to the Florida panhandle. The community of WaterColor offers more than the new urbanism that is the architectural signature of the planned communities along scenic Highway 30-A.

WaterColor blends the feel of a small southern town with natural preservation. Traditional southern comfort and a progressive environmental stance distinguish this coastal resort and residential community. Described as a southern coastal landscape in its literature, WaterColor was named because of the interplay of water, color and light across its 499 acres.

The fusion of the creative structures and sustainable landscape architecture make evident the talent and inspiration of Architect and Master Planner Jaquelin Robertson and Landscape Architect Warren Byrd, whose work both enhances and plays off the coast’s natural beauty.

The aroma of fresh-baked bread floats across the patio of the WaterColor Market, a marketplace and eatery which specializes in serving necessities and niceties, such as baked breads, rotisserie, and pastry and deli items. The market also offers an impressive wine collection and many imported beers, in addition to Starbucks® Coffee. Wrought-iron tables and chairs dot the diamond-patterned patio, and the fragrance of rosemary drifts from nearby flowerbeds. The walkway sparkles as sunlight reflects from the mica-embedded stones.

Cerulean Park is the town’s 2.5-acre main park and town center. The Park is design perfection, a stunning integration of vision and environment where the sum is greater than the parts. The 300-foot canal is a central component of the innovative water feature. Water cascades from rectangular basins of graduated heights. The entire canal is a linear counterpoint to the footpath edged in flowers of lavender, cerise and deep green foliage. A pedestrian bridge arches gracefully over the oval-shaped pond that is sustained by the canal. A bronze statue of fishing children keeps watch as brilliant yellow, black, neon orange and creamy white Japanese Koi glide effortlessly through the shallow water of the pond.

According to head gardener Jan “Snookie” Parrish, the WaterColor philosophy is to preserve as much as possible. “Of the 499 acres that we call WaterColor, 251 acres will stay in green spaces and/or natural areas. We have preserve areas and wetlands. Our goal in using native plants is to teach people how to build sustainable landscapes, avoid excessive irrigation and use chemicals sparingly. We prefer to use insecticidal soaps and dormant oils.”

In general, contractors will build, bury the trash and then bring landscaping material back onto the site. Parrish is pleased that more contractors are getting on the sustainable bandwagon. “Many of our contractors are moving away from clear-cutting the lots. They clear the footprint and maintain the landscape that is there.” She believes WaterColor is setting the standard for sustainable landscaping, a trend that is here to stay.

Sand pines, saw palmettos, slash pines, and sand live oaks, inkberry, southern magnolias, wax myrtle and yaupon holly are indigenous plants that are used to seamless effect throughout WaterColor. There is a fine line in using native plants. Once any soil is disturbed, the plants require care and maintenance. Groundskeepers groom the clusters of native plants, including scrub oaks and palms, which have otherwise remained untouched. In 2003, WaterColor received an Award of Excellence from the Council for Sustainable Florida for “Development of WaterColor planned community in Walton County using native plants, dune preservation and restoration, and numerous other conservation measures.”

WaterColor is a small space in relation to suburban sprawl. This place feels vast because of the expanses of green, the effective landscaping and use of walkways and paths that thread throughout the acreage. One can follow the pedestrian pathway from Cerulean Park to the BoatHouse and BaitHouse complex, which sits on a cul-de-sac. There, residents and visitors can rent bikes, kayaks, canoes and fishing poles to wile away the hours. Stainless Steel turkey oak leaves and hand-blown glass cattails, serving as light fixtures, are woven through the rails of the bridge overlooking Western Lake and reflect the pleasing attention to detail.

With the help of Derek McWaters, recreation attendant at the Bait House, the guests are soon bicycling their way past butterfly benches and along the acres of bike trails around Western Lake. Many of them, McWaters says, are visitors from Atlanta and Birmingham who have purchase second homes in WaterColor. Whether residents or vacationers, he believes all are drawn to Gulf of Mexico.

The WaterColor Inn is one of less than 300 members of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World association. After 5:00 pm, Fish Out of Water, the WaterColor Inn’s in-house restaurant, offers a sushi bar, local seafood and an upscale dining experience. The inn, designed by David Rockwell, opens up to the Gulf of Mexico. All sixty suites have a private patio or balcony view of the water.

WaterColor strikes a fine balance between appreciation of the environment and community accessibility, a balance, according to planners and habitués, well worth the work. Cradled between the Gulf of Mexico and Western Lake, WaterColor’s name is more than a metaphor. This is a place of water and color, of sounds and texture. There is breathing space, a place to grow.