Little Jewel On The Ocean

The problem was simple. Orchid Island Beach Club’s walls were bursting at the seams as over the past several years more and more activities and special events had been added to the monthly calendar. The dining room was the designated go-to place, and on days when as many as three events were scheduled at different times, members and staff found themselves bumping into each other as they rearranged tables and chairs to suit the situation’s needs. 

The solution seemed equally simple, but costly. Construct a new multi-purpose building designed to accommodate special interest clubs, meetings, speakers, presentations — and don’t forget family celebrations. Call it the Sandpiper Room and make sure it’s in keeping with the club’s West Indies architecture. Add tropical landscaping and it will look as though it’s always been there.

A bit of backstory: When the Beach Club opened its doors in 1990, the private Orchid Island community was in the early development stage. 

Four years later, financial difficulties forced the original developer into bankruptcy, and the new ownership, under the direction of W. Galen Weston, renewed the original vision and hired Susan Schuyler Smith of Spectrum Interior Design to create a West Indies décor compatible with the architecture.