Not everyone can realize their dreams, but for those who have the means to do so, Nancy Mullineaux of Dezign Inspirations/Home Design Resource is available to help. A couple planning a new, 7,900 sq. ft., oceanfront vacation home in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, had aspirations of living in a sandcastle.

Mullineaux was there to help.

“My goal for the interior design,” she said, “was to select and create elements that combined a natural, organic feeling and the movement of the waves and ocean.” She worked with her clients over a seven-year period, from 2005-2012, going multiple times to the High Point Furniture Market seeking new ideas and upcoming trends.

Architect Michael Kersting said that, “One of the overriding exterior design ideas was for the house to become an abstraction of a structure that may have emerged from the blowing sands on the beach.”

Inside, the color Seafoam became a cohesive element that informed much of the design. But, clearly, the home’s most notable feature is the saltwater aquarium that measures nine ft. wide, nine ft. high and three ft. deep and surrounds the fireplace.

“This aquarium/fireplace combination had never been done before,” said Mullineaux. “The magnificent array of multi-colored coral and fish is spectacular. This is living art and such a conversation piece.”

What engineering was required to place a fireplace in an aquarium, we don’t know. However, it appears that a large grouping of stone was placed directly behind the fireplace, perhaps to ensure that the heat remains blocked.

Note: Nancy Mullineaux, Owner/President, Dezign Inspirations/Home Design Resource, 7204 Wrightsville Avenue, Wilmington, North Carolina, 28403. Phone: (910) 256-5644. E-mail: dezign@bizec.rr.com. Website: www.dezigninspirations.com.