She Grew Up in a Spot-On Replica of a Maryland Lighthouse. Now, She’s Giving It Her Own Shine

Welcome to Beach Week, a celebration of the best place on earth.

With new resorts and modern digs hugging its shoreline, Fernandina Beach, Florida, doesn't look like it used to. That is, until you cross paths with Katie’s Light, a replica of Maryland’s Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse that’s tucked quaintly into the dunes. "Most people are looking to modernize," says William Kaner, who undertook the home's renovation with his wife, Beth Anne Caples. "We did exactly the opposite. We wanted the house to feel as authentic as the historic lighthouse it was inspired by."

Although this gleaned some chuckles from their contractor, Zach Lowe of EK&B, the decision to tread timeless was informed by the nearly 40-year-old structure’s rich local and familial history. "My sister, Katie, and I grew up there. I can’t think of a more magical place to have been a kid," remembers Beth Anne. The home, of course, is named after Katie, and she and Beth Anne’s parents, former hoteliers David and Susan Caples, built the stilted three-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath in the early 1980s with architect Robert Broadfoot. "During hurricane season, the waves would sweep right up under the house and we could hear it gurgling below the wraparound deck."

When Beth Anne turned eight, the Caples moved their family into a house more suited to their evolving needs, choosing to add Katie’s Light to their company’s list of rental properties. Two years ago, when William and Beth Anne assumed more active roles in the family business, they gladly volunteered to manage the structure, in addition to its long-overdue design refresh. "The interiors were really tired," says William, who recalls picking at drab, peeling wallpaper, "but the bones were exceptional. When you’re inside, you can’t really see the beach—it’s just ocean in every direction—so you feel like you’re on a ship."