JANA HOUSE

DESTIN, FL 2016

“Design me something cool,” is a phrase frequently expressed by fans of McWhorter Architects’ brilliant modernist work. With more than two decades of experience, Carey McWhorter founded his namesake architecture firm in 1992 and maintains an intimately sized practice conducive to one-on-one interaction.

Friends, clients and colleagues alike describe him as a family man, who enjoys making dreams come true for his devoted clientele. Carey notes that oftentimes, clients do not realize they want a modern house, but they convey a desire for uninterrupted spaces with a simple floor plan, lots of light and a pleasant flow between indoor and outdoor living spaces.

Though a modernist approach is taken for each design, stylistic genres are varied; for example, Carey could simultaneously be working on a farmhouse with a rustic palette of materials and a white modern stucco house on the beach. Carey’s architecture does not cater to a defined style, it attends to his clients’ every need and whim. While some crave the traditional look of a historical home, he feels that modern design is the best way to address today’s lifestyle.

Since McWhorter Architects designs mostly beachfront homes in Florida’s panhandle, the main objective, oftentimes, is to take full advantage of ocean vistas and create a seamless transition between indoor and outdoor spaces. Before he puts pen to paper, Carey visits the site at different times throughout the day to get a sense of how the light falls and to study the vegetation found on the property. He then studies the potential views before walking the property with the client, explaining the upside to the placement of different rooms: “You could watch the sunset from your living room if we face the house in this direction,” or “A deck here would capture the views of these towering oaks.” When Carey has a good sense of the land and his clients’ reactions to his proposed ideas, the sketching begins and ideas become more tangible.

During his first year of college, Carey advised his mother of plans to pursue architecture, and while he expected somewhat of a surprised reaction, she countered by pulling out an essay that he had written in eighth grade, entitled “Why I want to be an architect.” Apparently he had decided his fate long before he realized. From Auburn University, Carey earned two undergraduate degrees, one in environmental design and the other in architecture. He continued on to the prestigious Cornell University in the mid-1980s and completed the graduate program with a Master’s of Architecture, majoring in urban design and minoring in art history. This well-rounded education has been the cornerstone of his firm’s success, because he approaches design with an open mind and draws on his interdisciplinary experiences.

Photos by Jack Gardner