Before
After
This single-storey Central Florida home was a well-maintained example of the Florida Mediterranean style that dominated upscale subdivisions through the 1990s and 2000s. The exterior featured sand-gold stucco walls, a terracotta barrel tile roof, a triple-arched entry portico with a prominent front door, arched windows throughout, and white-trimmed decorative moldings. The front approach was centered on a tiered stone fountain flanked by formal rose beds, clipped boxwood topiaries, and a brick paver walkway. It was a handsome home in its original style, but the homeowners wanted to move away from the Mediterranean vocabulary entirely. They wanted a contemporary exterior renovation that would make the home look and feel like a modern new build — without demolishing or expanding the existing structure.
Marilou Stones approached this as a complete architectural reskinning — changing every surface, opening, and detail to shift the home from Mediterranean to modern while keeping the roofline, footprint, and structural walls intact.
The most visible change is the roof. The terracotta barrel tile was removed and replaced with a dark charcoal flat-profile tile that sits lower and reads as a clean, contemporary surface. The color shifts alone — from warm red orange to cool dark grey — changed the home’s character from the street. Below the roofline, the gold stucco was repainted in a bright, clean white, and all decorative moldings, arched surrounds, and trim details were either removed or squared off. The triple-arched entry portico was reframed into a flat-roofed rectangular entry with clean edges, a contemporary wall-mounted light fixture, and a large glass-panel front door with a dark frame — replacing the ornate double door and arched transom above.
Every window was replaced. The arched casements gave way to rectangular, black-framed windows fitted with Bahama-style shutters in a matching dark tone — a detail that gives the facade horizontal rhythm and a distinctly modern Florida feel. The half-round accent windows on the side gables were replaced with simple rectangular openings.
The front landscape was stripped back entirely. The fountain, rose beds, brick pavers, and topiaries were all removed. In their place, a grey paver walkway with grass-joint spacing runs straight to the front door, flanked by low uniform hedge rows and a pair of palm trees. The planting is minimal and structured — no color, no ornament, just green against white. The result is a front elevation that relies on material contrast and clean geometry rather than decoration.
The home is unrecognizable from its original Mediterranean form. The white stucco, dark roof, black-framed windows, and Bahama shutters create a modern Florida palette that feels current and confident. The flat entry canopy and glass door give the approach a gallery-like quality, and the stripped-back landscaping lets the architecture speak for itself. From the street, this reads as a recently built contemporary home — not a renovation. This is the kind of exterior design project in Central Florida where the designer’s ability to see past the existing style and reimagine the same structure in a completely different language is what makes the result possible. To see how Marilou and the Stones Design team approach full exterior transformations, explore the portfolio or get in touch.
Yes, and this project is the proof. The home’s footprint, roofline, and structural walls were kept intact. Every change was to the exterior surfaces — roof tile, stucco paint, window frames, entry structure, moldings, and landscaping. Marilou designed the transformation as an architectural reskinning: removing the Mediterranean details, squaring off the arched openings, and applying a modern material palette. The result looks like a new build, but the underlying house is the same.
Roof replacement costs in Central Florida vary based on square footage, pitch, and material selection. A flat-profile concrete or synthetic tile in charcoal typically costs more than a standard asphalt shingle but less than a natural slate. We work with roofing contractors to source the right product and coordinate the installation as part of the overall exterior design. Marilou specifies roof color and profile as part of the facade design — it is not a separate decision.
Bahama shutters are top-hinged exterior shutters that tilt outward from the bottom. They provide shade, privacy, and hurricane protection while adding a horizontal design element to the facade. In this project, the dark-toned Bahama shutters give the white stucco walls definition and shadow depth, and they reference a distinctly tropical modern aesthetic that suits Central Florida architecture. They also reduce direct sun exposure on the windows, which helps with cooling.
A project of this scope — roof replacement, full exterior repaint, window replacement, entry reframing, molding removal, and landscape redesign — typically takes sixteen to twenty weeks from design approval. Roof and window lead times are the primary schedule drivers. We phase the work so that structural changes and the roof happen first, followed by painting, fixtures, and landscaping as the final stage.
In most Central Florida markets, moving from a dated Mediterranean exterior to a contemporary modern style increases both kerb appeal and market positioning. Buyers in the region are increasingly drawn to clean, modern facades — particularly the white-stucco-and-dark-trim combination that has become the signature of new luxury construction in the area. Marilou designs exterior renovations with both the homeowner’s taste and long-term market relevance in mind.
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Marilou Stones is an award-winning, licensed interior designer and ASID member serving Winter Garden and Central Florida for over 40 years.
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