The Qm – Quartermaster House Key West

The story of the The QM ~ Quartermaster House Key West vacation rental, begins in 1925 during a time of historic proportions for the Keys. Imagine for a moment, it was the roaring 20’s and the first Florida land boom was in full swing. The popular Ford Model T was sparking visions of driving to Key West, making it inevitably more reachable, and the momentous Federal Wrecking Act was passed which banned foreigners from salvaging ships in the Florida Keys.

We’re pretty certain if the Quartermaster House Key West was one of the houses that found its way from the Bahama’s. Originally built, then resurrected in 1925, this was most certainly in the mix of things during this colorful economic boom when people were relocating to Key West and bringing their houses with them! With a shotgun, twin dormer architectural style and location near the harbor, we can imagine it being moved to serve as the felicitous home of an educated expatriate pirate cum ‘quartermaster’ who supervised allowable ship salvaging in the harbor.

Design:
A white picket fence completes the romantic picture of an Old Town Key West cottage home. It’s fun to ponder the lore of the original architectural design. With the front and back doors open, there’s a straight-shot-view from the front porch to the back garden, characteristic of the shotgun style house. While today this adds to the charm, during wildcat days at the harbor, it was probably important to be able to stave off intruders by shooting a shot gun from the back door – through the hallway – and directly to the front entrance.

Interior Layout:
Inside, the long hall renovated with high ceilings, knotty pine floors, and pretty light fixtures make it a beautiful walk from one end of the house to the other. Sunny lemon colored walls and bright white trim set an elegant tone against the wood floors, and is carried throughout the house. As with most shot-gun houses, the original floor plan was redesigned to place the living room, dining room and kitchen toward the back of the house connecting to a backyard.

A saw-tooth roof at the back of the house lends a dramatic modernistic appeal to the living and dining rooms, with ceilings tucked into the roof-line, and exposed roof beams. Custom built-in cabinets in the living room hold a large flat-screen smart TV and decorative objects of interest. On the dining room side, a chandelier hangs over a glass top table top and black leather dining chairs. Custom cabinetry with glass front doors and a granite service counter connect with a pass-through to the fully equipped galley style kitchen. The kitchen is accessed off the hallway next to the dining room.

Renovated with black-green granite counter tops, stainless steel appliances and light wood cabinets, the modern kitchen offers plenty of space to create memorable meals. The pass-through counter not only allows for a beautiful presentation of a buffet style meal, the cooks have full view of the indoor-outdoor living room and garden.

Stepping back into the hallway, directly across from the kitchen, a full bathroom with in-tub shower and free-standing sink, is done up in traditional white tile and wainscoting. A hand-crafted wooden medicine cabinet and stylized mirror are placed in nice contrast.

Towards the front of the house we find both downstairs bedrooms on either side of the hallway across from each other. Identical white wrought iron bed frames, wood and wicker armoires, and white sheer curtains create an elegant minimalist island feel. Each bedroom has a closet with plenty of room to store your belongings.

Back down the hall towards the living room, a switch-back wooden stair case leads to the spacious 2nd floor master suite with comfortable king size bed. With the ceiling snugged up to the roof line, two dormer windows at the front of the room, and a bank of four windows at the back, the bedroom has beautiful artistic lines. The dormer windows provide a sneak peek of the street below and assure plenty of sunlight. As with the downstairs bedrooms, furnishings are kept minimal, but include everything you need to set up house comfortably in this pretty suite.

The en-suite craftsman bathroom is built with Caribbean blue custom pottery tiles on the vanity top and inside the full shower. Two sash windows keep the bathroom light and airy.

To complete the suite, a small office space, located just inside the bedroom door, is set behind glass French doors. This little office room provides a custom desk top work space, and with one of the dormer windows connecting with this room there is plenty of light let in.

Grounds:
Tropical outdoor living is enchanting in the spacious private multi-level back deck and garden courtyard. Tall fencing and mature landscaping provide several nooks and crannies to enjoy every aspect of the outdoor garden life style. Connected with the house through double sets of French doors leading to the living and dining rooms, it’s easy to prepare a meal inside and serve it on the deck. The wooden deck is set with an outdoor dining table and BBQ grill, and the garden courtyard offers an adorable little lanai made complete with a garden swing.

Special Feature: Guests of the Key West Quartermaster House are invited to enjoy all amenities at the family resort next door. This includes the shared swimming pool with sun deck, sauna room, and historic tree garden. Here you have the best of both hospitality worlds – your own private house, plus resort amenities at your fingertips.

Bedding Summary:

Upstairs Master Suite – King size bed
Downstairs bedrooms – Bedroom 1 – Queen size bed. Bedroom 2 – Queen size bed
Amenities: Craftsman renovation. Fully equipped kitchen, private deck and garden courtyard, central A/C, large flat screen cable TV and DVD player, C/D player and stereo. Linens and towels provided.

Special Feature: Guests of the Key West Quartermaster House are invited to enjoy all amenities at the family resort next door. This includes the shared swimming pool with sun deck, sauna room, and historic tree garden. Here you have the best of both hospitality worlds – your own private house, plus resort amenities at your fingertips.

Activities: Short walk to the famous Key West Historic Seaport where you can linger on the docks, check out mariner’s way of life. Enjoy the historic schooner ships, go on a sunset sail, day sailing, catch a boat to go diving on the reef, go sport fishing. Enjoy a fabulous variety of seafood and steak restaurants, the unique waterfront Schooner Wharf Bar. Great local artisan stores full of art, boutique clothing and gift stores. This is one of most famous areas of Key West and you can walk to it in minutes from this property. Famous Duval Street is just 3 ½ streets away (remember it takes 3 to 4 Key West streets to equal the distance of a typical city block).Walk to all old town features, including museums, theaters, night life. Walk to Mallory Square Sunset Celebration in about 15 minutes.

Area: This house is located in the famous and original Historic Seaport Neighborhood of Old Town Key West on the gulf side of the island. Here the founding fathers and mothers, pirates and opportunistic mariners of the late 1800’s and 1900’s homes that stand today as one of the largest and most impressive collection of turn-of-the-century architecture. From larger Greek Revival Victorians to charming shot gun cottages, many of these alluring structures have been restored and renovated to stand in their gleaming glory. Along the Key West Harbor, early business magnates built shipping and wreckers docks, warehouses, and fish processing plants. Today this district includes famous waterfront restaurants and bars, retail stores, museums, fishing and sailing charters, a large variety of historic homes.

Parking: This home has a private driveway providing private parking reserved specifically for this house. But from this location you do not need a car. Enjoy walking or biking everywhere you’ll see more that way.

Restrictions: Smoke Free House. No pets. Please don’t ask. We do not accept guests less than 25 years of age unless accompanied by a family group or guardian.

Reference this Property as: The QM – Quartermaster House Key West

Contact Us : 888-404-2802

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