Jozef and Ela Maston have lived in the Moorings neighborhood since 2010. Their single-story, original-issue ranch home sits on one-third of an acre. Though it’s an average-size lot, the backyard appears bigger than it is, comfortably hosting a pool, putting green, hammock, sitting area, and specially designed treehouse for daughters Ania, 12, and Karolina, 9.
“You can’t beat the location,” says Jozef, a real estate agent with Compass, who is often found traversing the neighborhood in the family’s golf cart—dropping the girls off at school or meeting friends to catch a sunset at the beach.
Originally from Poland, Ela was already both a teacher and a nurse when she came to the United States to work as an au pair in 1999. “I always wanted to be an artist,” she says, though her parents encouraged her to get a more practical job. In 2002, she became an art teacher at Seacrest Country Day School. Many of her creations—mostly paintings—have been added to the walls of the family’s home.
When the girls were much younger, Ela’s parents, who visit from Poland, built a small playhouse for the backyard. Over eight years, Ela transformed the little white cottage into a sweet shop, a gingerbread house, a Jackson Pollock art studio, and more; themes included fairies, pumpkins, flowers, and butterflies. When Ania grew too tall to stand in the small house, “it was time to pay it forward and gift it to someone who would enjoy it as much as my girls did,” shares Ela.
During the pandemic, the family spent hours together in their backyard, and they identified a mature tree in the northeast corner as the perfect perch for a special kids’ hideout. As neither Jozef nor Ela have family nearby, holidays and special occasions are celebrated with an adopted family of friends, including “aunt” Carol Hastings; her husband, Patrick Fitzgerald; and “uncles” Randy Getman and Todd Livingood. Todd and Randy shared their building expertise and constructed a wooden fort in the tree. The charming retreat—nestled within sea grapes—is accessible only by ladder.
In the fall of 2023, after a year rebuilding from the ravages of Hurricane Ian, the family was finally able to move back into their home. “It had been a grim time,” remembers Ela. She decided she wanted to add some rosy cheer to the treehouse. Barbie was the popular movie of the year, so she chose the color pink as a theme, adding decor that was fresh, new, and happy. No stranger to detail-oriented work, Ela painted the space in muted hues and added lacy white designs that emulated a vintage wallpaper. During the holiday season, boughs of greenery hang from the perimeter and outline a wicker chair, while miniature Christmas trees are decorated with memorable ornaments.
Last year during the holiday season, when uncles Todd and Randy, Daisy the dog, Aunt Carol, and Patrick visited, the group spent time outdoors under the stars. As the sun lowered in the sky, the girls kept busy turning cartwheels on the cool grass, swinging, and putting in the backyard. When they needed a moment to themselves, they secreted off to their quaint quarters, which this year will likely provide similar sanctuary.
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