39th annual Longboat Key Garden Club Home Tour: Hedge fun

The Robb home, 3014 Gulf of Mexico Drive

Marlen and Marlene Robb didn’t hedge their bets when it came to decorating their three-story Gulf of Mexico Drive home. They settled on a tropical ocean theme and decorated every room accordingly. But before the couple and their guests enter the tropical oasis, they pass under a large, arched hedge at the foot of the driveway.

“What sold me when we were looking for homes was that hedge,” Marlene Robb said.

The home was built in 1989, and the couple moved in a year-and-a-half ago.

Guests enter through the bottom floor and are greeted by two boat models, one of a schooner and one of a U.S. Coast Guard training vessel. To the left of the boats is the home’s “man cave,” which leads to a secluded lanai.

There are five balconies throughout the home, and the large windows give spectacular views of the outdoor scenery.

“I love the windows and the high ceiling in the family room the most,” Marlene Robb said. “Of course, I chose the beach and nautical theme of the home because of where we live. It just made sense.”

—Kristen Herhold