Many of the songs in Frank Sinatra's canon recount warm feelings of one for another. In "So Nice To Come Home To," however, he could just as well have been singing about his fervor for 3047 Seahorse St. in the Ventura Keys: "Under stars chilled by the winter or under an August moon burning above, you'd be so nice to come home to, and love."

Befitting a five-star island resort, owners Jim and Georgann Garver integrated high-end, contemporary amenities with natural elements to recreate the 1960s-era two-story home. Today, it is the embodiment of personalized luxury.

"The couple purchased the house in 2005, took it down to the studs and redesigned it," to fit their aesthetic, said Buki Burke, Prudential California Realtor and the Garver's representative. What is now a luxurious retreat — what Burke describes as a "South Seas resort" — replete with its own 35-foot boat slip, is on the market for $2,695,000.

"My favorite feature is the floating island," claims Burke. The so-called "island," or lanai appeals to small children and adults, alike. "Kids like to wade in the water," she said, referring to the perimeter of water that surrounds a canopied limestone platform inside the courtyard at the entrance to the residence.

An all-electric filtration system cleans the pebble tech channel on a constant basis, but a gas fireplace enlivens the serene enclosure.

The scattering of surprises throughout the home — from the exterior "island" to interior and exterior skylights, wall niches and "hidden" windows, reveal the Garver's attention to detail and love of natural light.

Meanwhile, rustic, antique wood architectural elements, smooth, dark Australian jarrah wood, milky white shell stone, glass, sandstone and water make up some of the choice elements with which the Garver's designed their island retreat.

Though the house's front entrance is theoretically a few feet from the street, through two antique dark wood doors, a keyless, large glass-hinged front door in the courtyard, up a jarrah wood-lined pathway, opens to the formal residence.

Determining to remain in the living area or continue through the interior space out to the patio and further on to channel is the immediate contest. Then again, you could just let the outside in. Glass pocket doors slide away all traces of the living room's wall of windows, welcoming the west-facing patio to merge with the kitchen and dining area. On sunny days, remote-operated awnings, shades and blinds help conceal excess light and heat. On cool nights, overhead patio heaters and a corner fireplace help take the chill off.

A stainless barbecue area, a limestone Jacuzzi, and, of course, the channel, afford for myriad patio entertaining options — whether under a blue sky or starry night. Back inside, one's gaze is attracted to the all-stainless chef's kitchen. The bright white, smoothed-out and shell stone walls of the living room and dining room (either lit from above with diminutive recessed lighting, or wall lit from smooth white, understated sconces) are balanced by light ochre-colored limestone floors that lead around to the stainless, granite and zebrawood kitchen.

All the amenities of a chef's kitchen are flush or recessed to make the cozy space a truly working kitchen: Viking stainless appliances include a recessed coffee maker and microwave-convection oven, a six-burner stove and dual refrigerator. Zebrawood pantry pull-outs and drawers add a vertical pattern to the space, amply lit from both natural and recessed lighting.

A wine refrigerator, trash compactor and vegetable sink encompass a central granite-top island.

Granite countertops and backsplashes figure in each of the residence's three bathrooms, as well, framing contemporary designer plumbing fixtures and lavatories in rich color. Meanwhile, exposed chrome handshower systems, including a ceiling-mounted bathwater filler in the master bath, add a spray of luxury to functionality.

Comfort and quality are perhaps the most fitting terms to describe the residence which boasts central heating and A/C and, what Burke contends to be "lots of green." "There's not much yard here but there's lots of green," she said. Elephant palms issue forth from various corners of the residence, including the exterior, where a grouping of palms fills a kitchen window with a verdant calm.

The upstairs master bedroom and en-suite bath is a luxurious retreat, and has its own corner of green tucked behind the bed. A wall of windows allows a calming view of the channel and boat sails from every corner of the upstairs room, as well (even from the separate commode room).

Two other separate guestrooms, one upstairs, afford quiet comfort in this detail-rich home.

The deep, dark chestnut brown of a jarrah staircase establishes the center access to the bedrooms in this home. However, at this house — from the glass and skylight-lit entrance to the west-facing patio — access to tranquility is ample.

To make an appointment to tour the home, call Burke at 377-0236, or visit the Web site http://www.bukiburke.com for a virtual tour. Burke, this year's recipient of Prudential's 2007 Realtor of the Year Award, is representing the three-bedroom, three-bath, double garage home. It is "perfect for someone in L.A. who wants a place by the water," she said.

FOR SALE

3047 Seahorse Street

in the Ventura Keys

$2,695,000

Buki Burke,

Prudential California Realtor

377-0236

Virtual tour at http://www.bukiburke.com