Rosemary Beach's traditional town plan is the design of Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk.  Their vision was to create a town that captured the discarded values of fifty years ago....values that had been replaced by grid-locked, automobile-dependent suburbia.  This vision of a new town encouraged pedestrian traffic, community interaction and interdependence among neighbors while relying on strict urban codes and regulations to ensure architectural harmony.  

To establish and preserve this unique vision and character of Rosemary Beach, the town planners and architects provided guidelines for the placement, design and construction of all homes and buildings in Rosemary Beach.  The resulting town plan is an intricate patchwork of different house types and custom homes built to suit a wide range of individual tastes.  There are twelve basic building types which establish the character of each neighborhood and ensure the integrity of the Town Plan. Every home in Rosemary Beach is architecturally unique, custom designed and built with authentic materials to reflect each owner's tastes, needs and lifestyle. Yet, every house is an inextricable part of the fabric of the town and reinforces its coastal character.

The shapes and silhouettes at Rosemary Beach are based on the European colonial architecture of the West Indies. West Indies colonial architecture features European building types that have been adapted for warm, tropical weather. Details like shuttered windows and doorways to keep air circulating, high ceilings to draw breezes through the house, steep roofs to shed rainwater and big porches are just a few of  the design characteristics. The primary element, though, is that West Indies architecture is usually raised up on a masonry base to elevate the first floor so residents can catch cool, ocean breezes.

The use of color in Rosemary is carefully considered and the town's native plants actually serve as the color palette for all buildings.  The architectural code requires that wood siding be stained rather than painted. The earthy stains that are used echo the serene shades of the native landscape: amber, ochre, sage and forest green.

The essence of Rosemary Beach comes from the careful arrangement of its private homes and public spaces.  Neighborhoods are interconnected by a network of pedestrian lanes, footpaths and boardwalks.  Secret pathways lead to the town center, tennis courts, swimming pools and the beach.  Parking is restricted to alleyways located behind homes and the town's pedestrian scale ensures that everything is within no more than a five minute walk.