An island house.

Cozy charm and family living are the ruling aesthetic in the little Anna Maria home of architect Gene Aubry.

When he was a child growing up in Galveston, Texas, architect Gene Aubry used to stretch out on the wooden plank floors of his house on hot summer nights to feel the cool, soft air rising through the cracks from the dark earth beneath. "The floor boards did not come together on purpose in a good island house," he says, "because you were supposed to be able to take advantage of the earth's coolness at night." Aubry believes that houses should seem intrinsic to their sites, and that although certain qualities may vary according to the climate and location, all island houses share a common element. They sit on land that is surround.ed by water. The inhabitant is isolated, yet at the same time linked to a natural society where seclusion and peace are possible.

Throughout his distinguished career, which recently includes the design of the Philharmonic Center for the Arts in Naples and the Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers as well as the design for Sarasota's new Selby Library, Aubry has built several island homes for himself and his family. He currently owns two, one on North East Harbor off Bar Harbor, Maine, and the other in a mangrove enclave on Anna Maria Island. The Anna Maria property was once owned by the Holmes family (of Holmes Beach) and intended for their family compound in the early 1950s. The small sign attached to the dark green arbor that arches above the gate that welcomes guests at the Aubry residence simply says, "Island House." The home is smaller and less visible from the lane than the tall, multi-level house next door, which Aubry also designed and lived in for five years until running up and down flights of stairs became an inconvenience.

Island House is only 1,800 square feet, the size determined by a small square lot. It was built in 90 days three years ago from a plan that Gene and his wife Janet designed for themselves, the two teenagers in the house, Katharine, 16, Suzanne, 14, and six cats. "We had certain criteria and we did a lot of talking and planning before we ever called in a contractor and start.ed to build, and that is something everyone should do," explains Aubry. "Get honest with yourself and really define how the house is to be used. If you think about the way you actually live, a good functional house will evolve from that. By that I mean, if you don't eat in a formal dining room, don't include one in the plan. Personally, I hate hallways. Waste of space. So the one hall in this house has built-in floor to ceiling bookcases on one side and on the other concealed behind wooden louvered doors are the washer and dryer."

Besides certain budgetary constraints, Aubry's family wanted great views, privacy, easy maintenance, comfort, and a plan that allowed for three separate zones - one for Janet and Gene, another for the teenage girls, and the public space that everyone shares, including the cats.

Because the concrete block house is compact, Aubry insisted on 10-foot ceilings for good air flow and to increase the sense of space. A thin strip of picture frame molding that casts a shadow is a professional's trick that makes the walls seem even higher, and ceiling fans provide extra comfort when the house is completely open. The lighting is recessed. The galvanized metal roof has a generous overhang for two reasons - one aesthetic and the other purely practical. "We all wanted to be able to hear the rain on the metal roof," says Aubry. "The other reason is that in summer no exterior wall of the house is touched by sun because the overhang protects it. This makes the house energy-efficient, and to maximize that feature I added a lot more insulation in the house than most people do."

To capitalize on the tropical vistas,"many of the windows stretch floor to ceiling and are bare except for lace sheers in the bedrooms or simple white cotton tab curtains in the central room. Walls and ceilings are soft peachy-white with wood trim. The flooring throughout is hard-fired terra cotta tiles for easy care and because tile is cool on bare feet. To keep costs down, Aubry used the same tile on all the counter tops in the kitchen and for the vanities in both baths and even for the surround in the showers. The tile harmonizes with natural finish maple cabinets, natural wooden doors (solid for the bedrooms, louvered in the rest of the house), and hunter green, the predominant accent color.

The furniture is a combination of family antiques (some borrowed from the larger Maine island house) and things either ordered from catalogs such as Pottery Barn, or picked up at local shops. "The features are not custom-designed or unique," stresses Aubry. "But we made careful selections, and that made all the difference. For example, I went to an architectural salvage place and found vintage amber-colored glass doorknobs. Same with the door frames. I could have picked plain ones, but I searched out ones with a little extra detailing. The saying that God is in the details is absolutely correct."

In the bedrooms, bureau storage space has been built into the closet system and concealed, leaving the intimate rooms space to accommodate collectibles and treasured pieces such as a needlepoint chair and antique slant desk in Suzanne's bedroom, which overlooks a private garden. Katharine has the water view and opted for a more modern style that centers around her computer station. In the public rooms, the furniture arrangement is fluid and changes with the seasons.

The dining table and bentwood chairs are drawn near the central fireplace in the great room in the warm months when no fire is needed. In the winter, the two oversized brown leather club chairs and the sofa are pulled up to the hearth, and the eating area is moved to the other end of the room. Vintage unpainted wicker chairs with comfortable chintz cushions float through the house, porch, and garden as they are needed. The horizontal sunroom with its rattan couches, an old wooden trunk for a coffee table and an armoire that hides electronics is the entrance to the house and has a view of the enclosed front courtyard.

When Aubry purchased the lot, it had been cleared of foliage except for the thick grove of red and white mangroves at the back of the house on the beach. Because the family aimed for seclusion as well as tropical beauty, $8,000 was immediately invested in landscaping to create views, to insure privacy, to build garden areas, and to screen the house next door. The family opted for cabbage, areca, and coconut palms along with orchid and avocado trees, oleander, and big-leaf philodendron. Bougainvillea vines climb the hunter-green trellis and pergolas. Terra cotta pots of annuals dot the shell yard and the entrance courtyard with its small, freeform swimming pool and tile deck.

The garage is invisible because it is clad in dark green trellis, giving the impression that it is simply another charming pergola laden with lush deep pink blossoms. Gene Aubry insists the Anna Maria island house has been assembled rather than custom-designed and that it "has no aesthetic and makes no statement." He says it is just a comfortable family home with no wasted space that suits its inhabitants at this stage in their lives. Close inspection of this perfect island dwelling contradicts Aubry's modesty about his talent and taste. Island House is a charming union of form and function, a house that demands to be seen - except that, like all successful retreats, it is carefully hidden from view.