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Spring 2024
RISING TO THE CHALLENGE TURNING OBSTACLES INTO OPPORTUNITIES IN THIS HIGH-RISE CONDO DESIGN
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In many ways, designing a new-construction condominium is a dream project for an interior designer. It’s a blank canvas ready to accept whatever creative design elements, colors, and accouterments the designer can dream up to make the unit distinguishable from the others in the building. Although all condos look the same at first, once designers get involved, each one becomes unique. However, with this blank canvas can come some challenges. The first is sometimes simply waiting. This was the case with this high-rise Kalea Bay project, designed by Kelli Esposito of Harper Haus Interiors. “The challenge with high-rise condos is that we select all the finishes and develop the specialty design details outside of the normal offering for the condo, but I can’t do anything until post-close,” Esposito explains. “Up until that point, we are marching towards that closing date to plan in extreme detail how — once we get those keys — we’re going to execute and make this unit look unique as though it was custom designed from the very beginning.” u
Primary Bedroom: The homeowners enter the primary bedroom suite through a small vestibule off the family room. This space was given special treatment with the same concrete-look finish that ties back to the kitchen range hood. In the bedroom, standout features include the custom sliding door, a delicate handpainted Japanese paper wallcovering by Porter Teleo, and a pair of Palecek chairs with seagrass roping that echo the dining room chairs. Esposito tempered the look with a Belgian linen upholstered bed with “wrinkles and a natural drape to it.” A striking light fixture by Coup d’Etat adds a hint of the coastal vibe to the room. “This is a unique and special piece,” she says. “It reminds me of something you would see in the ocean.”
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Luckily for Esposito, her background in fashion design enables her to prepare her team for projects like this — where communication is critical. “In fashion design, when I had a vision for a garment, I was sending those visions and those instructions to China — Hong Kong or Taiwan — where English is a second language,” she explains. “Translating how to get from A to B is really important.” She adds that the same principles apply to designing renovation project details and conveying the plan to a contractor. “This is my vision for a room; this is the design detail on the ceiling or a media wall, and here’s how we ensure it comes to life by explaining clearly what the vision is,” she says. “It’s about teaching my team how we can be thoughtful and precise and detailed in the process in order to hit home and execute what we’re envisioning.” Before diving into the unit’s customization, Esposito worked with the clients to select the builder-supplied finishes, such as paint colors, cabinetry colors, countertops, tile, and flooring. The 3,300-square-foot, four bedroom, four-and-one-half bathroom condo is the perfect getaway for a Canadian couple with grown children, and it aligns with the wife’s understated and effortless personal style. u
Living Room: Part of making the living room truly custom was delineating the space with white ceiling beams and creating the arched niches on the feature wall. “You won’t walk into any other unit in the five towers at Kalea Bay and see anything like this because we created it completely from scratch,” Esposito says. Two dark chocolate-colored cabinets from Noir fit perfectly into the niches, contrasting the lighter elements in the room. A sectional from Taylor King provides ample seating, and the chaise allows for even more without blocking the view. As part of her process, Esposito specifies performance fabrics on nearly every piece of furniture to ensure homeowners and guests can enjoy the Florida lifestyle without worrying about damaging the furnishings. She had a Four Hands coffee table made from round white oak cut shorter to create a nesting pair. AMS Sound & Vision installed Crestron dimmers to control the lighting and shades, which added privacy and complemented the room’s design. A Samsung Art TV was a perfect solution for hiding the TV in plain sight while matching the room’s aesthetics.
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Kitchen: To create some visual separation in the open-concept floor plan, Esposito called for a slightly dropped ceiling in the chef-style kitchen. That, in conjunction with the rich charcoal island color and natural touches, makes the space feel homey and intimate despite its size and openness. Pompeii quartz countertops and handmade backsplash tile from clé tile contribute to the casual-luxe aesthetic. Esposito brought in local decorative paint company to create a concrete-look custom hood finish. “The seagrass pendants from Hudson Valley Lighting are super important in this space,” she says. “That bit of natural just takes it down to a more casual, not-so-tuxedo kitchen.”
Dining Room: Harper Haus Interiors designed a long, built-in bench with custom upholstery for the dining room wall to provide seating beyond what Palecek’s dining table and chairs offer because the homeowners like to entertain. Rope string art by Lauren Williams has beautiful colors that inspire the tones of the entire unit. “It has this pink tone through the middle that’s a little different,” Esposito says. A concrete, half-moon Visual Comfort pendant over the dining table ties to the concrete-look hood in the kitchen, while rope seagrass chairs with indoor-outdoor upholstered cushions are a nod to the geographic location.
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Guest Bedroom & Bathroom: A blue and white palm tree wallpaper by Twill & Texture behind a crisp white upholstered bed is highlighted in this guest bedroom. “If you look closely, there are little monkeys in the wallpaper,” Esposito explains. “I love adding little special details like that.” Rich wood tones, a jute rug, and seagrass woven sconces add natural warmth and texture, which spills over into the adjoining bathroom with a rattan mirror and elongated, handmade subway tile from Tilebar. Bored with the typical subway tile installation pattern, Esposito was thrilled with how the tile fit perfectly, running vertically with horizontal insets.
The material and color selections, along with thoughtful planning and communication with Robert Buczko, resulted in a casual sophisticated custom condo design with repeating textures, colors, and materials throughout. “I always say, if you were to flip this unit upside down and everything were to fall out, you could mix it up and put it in any room, and it would still feel right at home,” Esposito says. Her design nods to the coastal location in subtle, unique ways that are indicative of the signature Harper Haus aesthetic. “Our designs allude to that feeling without being so literal,” Esposito says. “That’s what makes us different.” n 288
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“I always say, if you were to flip this unit upside down and everything were to fall out, you could mix it up and put it in any room, and it would still feel right at home,” Esposito says. Guest Bedroom & Bathroom: Wood veneer wallpaper and a blanket of blue on the walls, ceiling, and trim differentiate this bedroom with two double beds. The space’s nautical theme is reflected in the striped upholstered beds, each accompanied by a pair of refurbished oars. The adjoining bathroom has a crisp white vanity topped with a black countertop. Esposito created a striped, weathered-board look on the shiplap walls to give the space warmth and visual interest.
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Powder Bathroom: “I said to my client, ‘I know this is wild, but what do you think about having this crazy impactful tropical powder bath?’ And she went for it,” Esposito says. “I always think of the powder bath as this is a special place that guests see — give them something to remember. Everything else is so neutral and calming. You come in here, and it is just like — oh my goodness — it can’t help but make you smile.” The dark gray cabinetry and concrete-color Pompeii countertop allow the Holly Hunt wallpaper to shine. Esposito didn’t eschew seagrass detailing here — she just selected it in black for the mirror frame. Guest Bedroom: Esposito set out to give each guest room a unique, boutique hotel feel. “You want a special place that people will remember and talk about and feel comfortable in as well,” she says. She paired a blue velvet upholstered bed with two burled wood side tables from Four Hands that ooze texture and visual interest. An acrylic chair offers seating to enjoy the view without feeling heavy or blocking the view from other areas of the room. A lush geometric rug from Jaipur Living grounds the space with warmth and texture. Whimsical artwork — with figures in diving poses — cleverly adds that location-centric touch.
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Lanai: The Harper Haus team selected a beautiful star and cross clay tile from Zia Tile with a matte finish and lots of texture to create a stunning feature wall in the blank slate lanai with white stucco walls. Four Hands’ outdoor slipcovered sofas provide ample seating for entertaining while remaining plush enough to be mistaken for indoor furniture. Two chairs that swivel offer an excellent vantage point to admire the views. Finishing touches include oversized planters with greenery and baskets with throws. “The look brings the indoors out — that’s the beauty and why everyone wants to be in Florida,” Esposito says.
Written by Heather Shoning Photography by Blaine Johnathan Photography Interior Designer:
Resources:
Harper Haus Interiors 15900 Old US Highway 41, Suite 110 Naples, FL 34110 239.410.5246 www.harperhausinteriors.com
AMS Sound & Vision 5567 Taylor Road, Suite 3 Naples, FL 34109 239.598.5795 www.amssoundandvision.com
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