I can’t believe it’s been more than seven years since I first discovered the beaches of South Walton on a work trip to the coast of Florida’s Panhandle. We had driven up to photograph the then relatively new beach communities which had been making waves in the design world for their architectural aesthetic and town planning principles.

I remember being impressed at the start. Seaside was already well established, Rosemary was under construction and Alys was still in its infancy. This is how architects vacation, I thought – lovely beach homes well-situated to their surroundings, soothing color palettes, well-thought town centers and sculpted walkovers to the sand. I knew I had to come back. Then three years ago we decided to come down on a family vacation and it’s turned into somewhat of a tradition since then – the area becoming slightly more familiar each time, a home away from home.

While we’re here this year I’ll try to post some photos of each community, starting with one of my favorites, Rosemary Beach. I could get lost wandering through its streets admiring the details of so many of the cottages. And while every home in the neighborhood is uniquely built, they all compliment each other so well. A natural and rich color palette set against the backdrop of pristine white sands and crystal blue waters.

A new discovery this year – Gigi’s for ‘fabulous kids’ fashions and toys’ owned by Geri Higgs. We wandered in yesterday afternoon and found out they were having a great summer sale! The store is so cute and a perfect place for new mamas to cool off and splurge! Sorry Honey!

For more information on the area, check out Rosemary Beach.