Cookbook author, magazine editor and photo stylist Fifi O’Neill has a passion for all things antique and vintage, but not too precious or sophisticated. So when she came upon a 1925 authentic Florida cottage in disrepair in 1999, this intrepid French woman seized the day. She knew she had the skills and the enthusiasm to transform the plain wooden structure into a dreamy romantic cottage, with beadboard walls and ceilings painted white, and accent colors of pale aqua and beach-glass green.
Fifi O'Neill's cottage in the Old Maine Colony off Ashton Road in Sarasota. The house with guest house across the courtyard is listed for sale at $ 220,000. Courtesy photo / Mark Lohman.
The 950-square-foot cottage and 450-square-foot guest house are furnished in weathered wood and aged metal pieces gathered over the years from architectural salvage yards, flea markets in Paris and yard sales all over America. Heritage lace and linen, used liberally on windows, bedding and tabletops, give the cottage a feminine aspect, but the house could just as easily go manly-rustic or even modern, given the tastes of its owners. And it will soon go to new owners. The vintage little house is listed at $220,000 through Cheryl Loeffler of Premier Sotheby’s International Realty.
“When I first saw this quaint little cottage, through its peeling paint and overgrown garden, it was hardly the stuff of a dream cottage,” admitted O’Neill, who is listed on property records as Francoise Speck. “But in France we have an expression to describe the things we love. We call them un petit amour.
“This fisherman’s cottage reminded me of a storybook dwelling in the woods. I couldn’t resist the setting of ancient oaks. Their gnarled limbs, dripping with Spanish moss, seemed to protect the little house like benevolent giants. Besides, I adore little old houses full of quirky qualities. And this one had such possibilities.”
Over the years, O’Neill added a white picket fence, on which colorful vines weave a beguiling random design. She created a flower garden and added trellises for roses, jasmine, moonflowers, daturas and frangipani. Her goal is to have something fragrant blooming all through the year. For trees, she planted a purple jacaranda and a white orchid tree. And there have been major structural improvements, too.
“There was a courtyard just outside the kitchen door, but it offered no protection from the weather. So I built a simple cabana with a tin roof and added aged furnishings,” said the homeowner. “In France there is an unspoken understanding that things should look as if they have always been there, that nothing should seem contrived. Though it is new, the cabana reflects that philosophy. The original courtyard area, between the cottage and the garage, had an old broken-down wood deck. I removed it and replaced it with pavers to mirror French brick courtyards.”
O’Neill converted the existing garage into a guest cottage with a full bath and kitchen area. She retained the original open rafters and laid faux planks over the concrete foundation to mimic weathered wood. The main house has been repainted, updated and recently got a brand new septic tank.
On Ashton Road, off Swift, the property is on a tranquil, dead-end street in a neighborhood called Old Maine Colony. The name derives from snowbirds from Maine who built seasonal fishing cottages in the 1920s and came as a group to enjoy the Florida sunshine while it was snowing back home. Some of the snowbirds from Maine perched permanently.
“It’s like being in the country out here because my yard has so much foliage,” said O’Neill. “And yet, it’s convenient to everything I need or want.”
True to its period of construction, O’Neill’s cottage has no hallway so the overall look is loft-like, one space flowing into the next. The house has 10-foot ceilings. “White paint and a light but warm color palette make the rooms appear a lot more spacious than they really are,” said the homeowner. “The colors I used for the interior unite the different spaces and give them consistency and serenity.”
Nearly everything used to furnish the cottage is recycled, reused, reimagined or reinvented. “I love to hunt for vintage pieces and either use them as they are, or refinish them in muted tones,” said O’Neill. “I think it’s a timeless way of interpreting the past and the present.”
The kitchen in Fifi O'Neill's cottage in the Old Maine Colony off Ashton Road in Sarasota. The house with guest house across the courtyard is listed for sale at $ 220,000. Courtesy photo / Mark Lohman.
The homeowner is not selling the furnishings with the house, but is taking her recycled furniture to Mystic, Conn., where she has bought a small farmhouse that she intends to make uniquely her own.
“I have been on photo shoots in Mystic many times through the seasons,” she explained. “I fell in love with that quaint town the very first time I went there seven years ago. After living in Florida for 30 years, I am ready to move back up north. I miss the seasons, and, especially, the snow. Yes, I know, everybody thinks I am crazy, but I lived in Canada before settling in Sarasota, and Mystic’s winters are nothing like those in Manitoba.”
Francoise “Fifi” O’Neill as born and grew up in Paris. Her career took her to Switzerland, then to Canada for 14 years before settling in Sarasota when she married an American. Though they divorced five years later, she stayed. O’Neill is the author of the books “Romantic Prairie Style” and “The Romantic Prairie Cookbook” and is the founder and executive editor of two national magazines, Romantic Prairie Style (named after the book) and French Country Style.”
O’Neill envisions the buyer for her Florida cottage as a single creative person or a creative couple. “The guest cottage would make a great studio for a writer, painter or musician,” she said. “Or the property could be a nice fit for any professional person looking for a pretty setting and a cozy peaceful sanctuary. It has certainly been that for me."
