Linda Coin, Florida, in Grandeur magazine by Decorating Den Interiors

Grand spaces ANNE REED, AREED@NEWS PRES S .COM

12:06 a.m. EDT April 4, 2015

Realtor and designer note an eclectic resurgence of home design trends in Southwest Florida Living in Southwest Florida has a plethora of benefits, from the gorgeous weather to the lush green environment and the opportunity to drive 15 minutes and have your toes in the sand and a drink in your hand. Our tropical paradise has its own laid back vibe, and a colorful vibrant style that is thanks, in part, to the mix of seasonal and yearround residents and their different backgrounds. How does this diversity Buy Photo

(Photo: Ricardo Rolon / grandeurmagazine.com)

translate into our daily lives? One obvious place to take a notsoobvious peek? Inside our homes. Grandeur sat down with Millie Dinkel, a resident for more than 50 years and local Realtor for more than 30, and Linda Coin, a newer resident and interior designer, in a charmingly restored 1920s home on Euclid Avenue to talk about all things home style, from interiors to exteriors, small spaces to grand. What are we looking for in a home, what are the current interior decorating trends and how much of that is influenced by

the natural colors around us, and, surprisingly, the return of mauve. Grandeur: April is our Style issue, and with both of your respective careers in mind, what one word best captures your own personal style? And does that also cover your home style? Millie Dinkel: I would say my style is eclectic, and that is definitely my home style as well. I love all sorts of architecture and design and if I had to choose one thing, it would be hard because I love all of it. Linda Coin: I also favor an eclectic design concept. And I think that's kind of the movement today. People like to keep things that mean something to them, that have some sentimental value or importance to them in some way... MD: It's not just one style. I think the Mediterranean look has lost its edge. LC: I think we got inundated with it and people have started to back off. MD: I see that with my clients. They want eclectic, they want different, they don't want cookie cutter. They want charm. G: You are heading right into my next question, which is about real estate. What are people looking for architecturally right now? Are they looking for properties that lend themselves to an eclectic style? MD: Absolutely. I do a lot of business in the McGregor area. I sell a lot of 1920s cottage homes, bungalows, and midcentury has gotten really popular. People love that. Not only do they want to be part of that Renaissance, they love to take a home – like this, which was falling down – and bring it back to the wonderful state that it was and modernize it. LC: I think, in design, it's all about the detail. People are looking for something to set their home apart from the others. We too are seeing a strong influence from midcentury design. All of the new fabrics for 2015 have a geometric vibe. One of the patterns reminded me of, as a young child in the 1960s, the pattern on my mother's plates. I think the Generation Xers are coming into their own and appreciating that time and design. I'm seeing a lot of trend toward lighter and brighter: lighter woods, driftwood, blondes, teak. G: Are there any particular colors that people are prone to because of Southwest Florida being a coastal community? MD: My niece was here from Montreal and commented on how many pink houses there are in Fort Myers. Pink seems to be a big color here. I think yellow, pink, corals are all big. LC: We are seeing a large resurgence with pink…the mauve trend is coming forth. It's not the mauve of the 1980s. Its grayer and it works well with these driftwood tones and light woods and taupes. G: You just touched on a few trends – the lighter woods, the driftwoods, mauves. What other trends are you seeing for 2015 in real estate and interior design?

LC: ...Another thing we are seeing is neutrals aren't typically the neutrals that we think of – beige, white, cream. A neutral room can be a pale aqua, a pink, MD: And gray. LC: Yes, and gray and into the blues. And those translate really well with pops of color. We are seeing strong citrus colors. The big color that I'm seeing is Indigo Blue. ... MD: Trends in real estate…people want Great Rooms. I show homes that were built in the midcentury and the first thing people talk about is how can we take this wall down and open it up? Where can we get this open feeling so we have this feeling of togetherness? People want to feel together in a house. LC: I'm seeing that people are looking for spaces that they can use in multiple ways. Whether we have a fulltime resident or a seasonal resident, they are looking for a place where they can have a home office even when they are vacationing. I'm seeing a lot of multipurpose use requests. ... G: Last question – I always like to do one fun question. What one piece would you want as a musthave item in your home that best encapsulates your own personal style? For example, I have two chairs that have been in every house – they used to be my grandmother's – I've recovered them so many times that they have just become so very me. LC: You know why this is a difficult question – you touched on it – you have things that bring personal history. Right away I think of a handpainted armoire that, even though we don't use it for electronics the way we did 18 or 20 years ago, it still has sentimental value to me because we had it at a beach property and so now we use it for storage... MD: My father was a big antique collector. I have two Louis XIV chairs that I have had in my house forever, since we came to Fort Myers in 1957 and well before that. G: And with an eclectic style, you can have those pieces and build your space around them.

Linda Coin »Age: 53 »Birthplace/Hometown:Detroit, Mich. »Education: University of Detroit Mercy along with attending professional design school in Easton, Md. »Career: Coowner, Decorating Den »Family: Husband, four children, two stepchildren, and a Havanese named Desi »Interests: Cooking, fashion and fashion magazines, going to the beach, shell collecting, swimming and art Millie Dinkel »Age: 69 » Birthplace/Hometown: Montreal, Canada » Education: Edison Community College (now Florida SouthWestern State College) » Career: Real estate agent since 1981, broker associate with Cornerstone Coastal Properties » Family: Husband, five children, 13 grandchildren, and lots of pets » Interests: Boating, hiking, biking, and cooking Read or Share this story: http://newspr.es/1D2wC0x