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Spring 2024
DUALITY
A HIS-AND-HERS STYLE HOME MESHES FUNCTIONALITY WITH LUXURY LIVING
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When faced with the challenge of creating a home that caters to the high-profile lifestyle of a couple with busy and conflicting schedules, Architect Randall Paul Sample devised a floor plan that incorporates separate spaces for each person while still maintaining a sense of unity through shared living areas. Drawing inspiration from West Indiesinspired styles such as Cape Dutch, Sample successfully tailored the design to meet the specific needs and preferences of the homeowners. The result is a distinct spatial arrangement that allows the couple to navigate the house both as a team and independently. “I tailor each custom home I design to the lifestyle and preferences of each client,” Sample says. “My clients, in this case, were very clear in wanting this distinct spatial arrangement.” The homeowners — and especially the wife — were hands-on during the design and the build of the home. Although they’d already built a guest cottage and a storage building on the property, they chose Tom and Jennie Shumway, the husband-and-wife team behind Sarasota’s Talon Home Builders, to build the main home, the pool area, and a koi habitat. The architectural plans included simple items for elements such as trim and ceiling details, so the Shumways worked closely with the wife to flesh out the details as the project progressed. Rounding out the team is Interior Designer Jan Bullard, who began working with the clients on the guest house design. “On this project, I chose flooring; tiles; colors — exterior, interior, and roof; some plumbing fixtures; wall coverings; and countertops — all while working very closely with the client and builder and their input and expertise to finalize all selections,” Bullard explains, adding that many of the furnishings came from the homeowners’ former home. u
Front Elevation: Prior to starting construction on the main home, the homeowners had discovered piles of old bricks on the property and wanted to find a way to use them. The Talon Home Builders team incorporated them into the front entrance, using them as the risers for the coral stone stairs and as embellishments along the side curbs leading up and along the driveway. Because the home sits on a flood plain, mechanicals are perched on a raised platform and expertly hidden behind louvered panels.
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Kitchen: The kitchen is replete with specialty cabinets with drawers, an appliance garage with a tilt-up door, and a nook between the refrigerator and freezer columns to place grocery bags for unloading. Clean-lined, white custom cabinetry with white perimeter countertops keep the look simple and fresh while hiding the chef’s appliances. The waterfall marble island top creates a striking design, while the polished nickel fixtures and large pendant lights from Circa Lighting add a touch of elegance. Talon Home Builders designed a slim custom range hood to alleviate the wife’s concerns about having an excessively large hood protruding into the space.
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Dining Room: The homeowners and the Shumways embarked on an exhausting search for the perfect flooring for the main areas of the home. “We landed on this beautiful wood flooring that has a gorgeous, organic texture to it,” Jennie Shumway says. The baseboards and the casing in the dining room — as in many of the spaces — have custom profiles. “The baseboard has this really delicate, scalloped top edge to it, and the casing continues that little delicate scallop on the inside edge,” she adds. “On the outside edge of the casing, there’s a small nickel bead, and it’s a simple yet impactful detail that provides such an appealing custom touch.”
Hallway: Masterful carpentry is displayed throughout the home, including the ceiling details and in this staircase, where each railing spindle disappears directly into the wood floor. In addition, the original plans called for a large area of the second-story floor to be open to the main level. The Talon team answered the homeowners’ request to create a glass floor to improve traffic flow and retain openness, solving the issue of an awkward travel path upon exiting the elevator.
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Mudroom | Hallway: A mudroom with custom-painted cabinetry in a soft gray-blue hue with storage bins, hooks, and a comfortable seating area is located in a space that might have been overlooked or just used as a small hallway connecting the kitchen to the wife’s side of the house — to the left is the staircase leading down to her garage. Brushed gold shell cabinet pulls add a nautical touch to the space.
Formal Living Room: “As you move through the house, a keen eye can spot the consistent dimensions between the window casings, the cabinetry, and the side walls where alignment was constantly being considered,” Jennie Shumway states. “Everything aligns perfectly. And those are the details that Tom’s expertise in building brings to a job like this.” The inset bar features octopus cabinet pulls the wife selected, another nod to the home’s understated nautical details.
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Her Bedroom: The wife’s bedroom is soft, layered luxury from the large rug from her previous home to the overstuffed, upholstered headboard — reupholstered in Kravet L’Escale — to the floorto-ceiling draperies with hardware hidden behind the beautiful crown moulding treatment. Accents in this room, including the pendant lights, wall sconces, and décor, introduce soft gold hues.
Her Bathroom: Her bathroom provides a bright, crisp retreat with views of the meandering river from a fixed window in the cantilevered bathtub niche. Ample vanity space with a makeup station and custom white cabinetry has counter-to-ceiling mirror panels, reflecting the adjacent walk-in closet. At the client’s request, the Talon team added heated floors in the bathroom and the shower that were not originally in the plan.
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His Bedroom: The husband’s bedroom features wall-to-wall luxury carpet plus custom three-piece millwork around the ceiling perimeter. Custom window treatments and hidden motorized shades — part of the smart home system — are featured here and throughout the home. The couple had a ship’s porthole they wanted incorporated into the design, so the Talon team installed it into a door in the husband’s wing of the home.
His Bathroom: The vanity wall in the husband’s bedroom is the coral stone seen through the property — a stunning addition of texture to an otherwise smooth, shiny space. A pair of vanities with waterfall countertops are topped with floating shelves and dangling pendant lights. Sleek fixtures from Gorman’s Gallery Kitchen & Bath Studio match the polished nickel tones throughout the room. The glass-enclosed shower features a large window that allows for natural light and beautiful views to be captured.
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Library: The library boasts an exquisitely designed space, similar to the television lounge. The room was thoughtfully planned with wrap-around bookshelves that span from the floor to the ceiling. The deep blue paint color evokes an old-world charm, while a custom niche perfectly accommodates the homeowner’s desk. During their travels, the couple collected maps from around the world and had them installed on the ceiling as a custom wallpaper treatment.
His Office: The husband’s office is a large, bright space with a neutral color palette, including the custom desk and built-in wall unit, both with leathered natural stone countertops. The bevel-design tray ceiling detail includes backlighting. The wallpaper and patterned carpet bring warmth and texture to the space. Completely hidden on one wall is a door to a secret room.
Nestled along the banks of the tranquil Manatee River on a 30-acre estate, the new 4,489-square-foot, two-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath home capitalizes on the picturesque views of the river plus ample wildlife-spotting as the property attracts deer, bobcats, owls, otters, turtles, eagles, and a variety of waterbirds. The wife’s wing includes her private bedroom and bathroom suite, an oversized closet, laundry room, mudroom, and her private office. The husband’s wing consists of another private bedroom and bathroom suite with an oversized closet, plus a library and his office. Each wing includes an attached garage with a private entrance. The public spaces of the home include the kitchen, formal dining room, formal living room, a television lounge, powder bath, an elevator, and large outdoor living spaces, upstairs and down. From the front entrance with its grand central gable — a hallmark of Cape Dutch style — and its quintessential Florida-style coral stone entry tiles to its ample outdoor living spaces, the luxury estate boasts an understated elegance rich with the homeowners’ art and collectibles from world travels and subtle nautical details that speak to their personalities. The unique dual design with private his-and-her quarters creates the perfect function for their varied schedules. “The fact is that when a house is completed, most builders like us move on to the next project and don’t get to see the space merchandised,” Jennie Shumway says. “After the home is complete, the homeowner’s designer brings the décor — rugs, furnishings, window treatments, and artwork. And that’s what happened here. We completed the home, leaving a blank canvas, and we’re just so thrilled with how it all came together.” n
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Koi Habitat: Building the habitat for the koi fish the homeowners have raised for years put the Talon team to the test. They had to quickly learn about the equipment required to keep the water churned up and the fresh water moving around for the fish to survive. They also had to determine what plant materials were needed to go into the pond, and the homeowner wanted a platform at one end to display a small statue. “You can sit out there, have a cocktail, and visit with friends,” Jennie Shumway says. “It’s such a unique and interesting feature to have at a residential property. This is something you might see at a luxury hotel. It’s really one of a kind and special.” Lower Lanai: The ground-floor outdoor living area is a massive space that extends not only under the upper lanai but also under the formal living room. The dining area and additional seating make it the perfect space for entertaining, with beautiful views of the river and surrounding mature trees. The natural limestone shell stone flooring and white painted columns and ceiling allow the views to be the focal point.
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Written by Heather Shoning Photography by Coastal Home Photography Luxury Home Builder: Talon Home Builders 2300 Bee Ridge Road, Suite 302 Sarasota, FL 34239 941.320.8485 www.talonhomebuilders.com Resources: Gorman’s Gallery Kitchen & Bath Studio 6101 Sawyer Loop Road Sarasota, FL 34238 941.927.8511 www.gormansgallery.com
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