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BOLD & BEAUTIFUL

A SPIRITED HOMEOWNER CALLS ON INTERIOR DESIGNER TO CREATE A STRIKING PENTHOUSE

YYou don’t hire Kurt Lucas, President and Lead Designer of JKL Design Group, to be your interior designer if you’re not ready for an aesthetic adventure. “I want a client to step outside the four square miles of their life,” he says. “I need them to travel. I need them to look at other parts of the world — be well-educated, well-traveled. Do they necessarily need to go on a safari to do that? No, but they have to be open.”

He’s been known to turn down clients who weren’t open to his brand of daring design, but when this homeowner — who he’d worked with in the past — called, he sharpened his colored pencils and got to work. She has her degree in interior design but is retired, and for some, this might be a hindrance, but for Lucas, it was kismet. “Because we spoke the same language, I could sketch things on a napkin, and she’d know exactly what I was talking about,” he says. “And she just has exquisite taste. I would do a million projects with her because she is outstanding.” u

Living Room: Lucas solved the problem of unsightly structural pillars by creating a symmetrical design with Pindler & Pindler black leatherwrapped panels. A large taupe sectional by Poltrano Frau anchors the seating area and the palette. “We use the combination of that taupe and its chocolate brown base and then brought in some additional color,” Lucas says. “Orange is her favorite color. So, we have this fabulous neutral background with this vibrancy of the orange screaming out from there.” The Kährs International flooring aligns perfectly with the sofa in color, retaining the neutral palette.

Kitchen (Previous Spread): Originally, the kitchen was completely enclosed, but Lucas sought a wide-open area for living and entertaining. “The kitchen is the hub of the home,” he says. So, he designed two 18-foot-long islands, one as a working island in the interior of the kitchen space and the second on the exterior of the space, where there once would have been walls — for seating and a cocktail area. The black cabinetry from Cabinet Design Studio features a simple champagne-colored metal detailing that coordinates with the appliances and the plumbing fixtures from Gorman’s Gallery.

Kitchen Vignette: Because the client’s art collection is a driving force in the design of this home, Lucas sought pocket places to bring in art where it is unexpected, and he created a spot in the room for the eye to rest while taking it all in. “I could fill that space in with cabinetry, but we all have cabinets — let’s add some creativity into the middle of the kitchen,” he says. “And that’s an opportune piece to go right there, and it makes a workspace something happy.”

Kitchen (Above): Even in this luxury setting, Lucas approached the design with practicality. The inner island has a Caesarstone waterfall countertop that holds up well for a typical kitchen workspace. But to counter that — again, balancing opposites — he wanted a little glam for the outer island, so he specified a “panda” marble from 6051 Design Source for high contrast and an elegant look. The island light fixture by Gabriel Scott is like another piece of art attracting attention.

When it was time to get down to business, Lucas created a balance of opposites — black and white, matte and shiny, smooth and textured — to be the perfect yin and yang backdrop for his client’s extensive art collection. He worked with Light Up Your Life to develop the perfect lighting solutions, and he introduced his client to Jonathan Russell, Owner and President of The Partners Development & Construction Group, to complete the project. Russell worked with the city, fire department, and retail businesses on the first floor as well as other owners to coordinate the months-long demolition and construction of the three-bedroom, three and one-half-bathroom, 4,100-square-foot penthouse. u

Living Room Vignette: Lucas created a small seating vignette at the end of the dining room using furnishings the client already owned. He flanked a high-gloss black console table with two punchy orange chairs, which are used for additional dining seating as needed. Above the table, contrasted against the black wall, hangs a sculptural mirror that reflects different areas of the open living area in its juxtaposed angled sections.

Family Room: The family room includes another black accent wall plus contemporary furnishings, including a Casa Italia sofa and a pair of armchairs from Poltrano Frau. More works of art by Natasha Turovsky decorate this room and the adjoining hallway, each having pops of the orange accent color that repeats throughout the public spaces of the condo. An additional seating area for entertaining purposes includes a round marble-top table and tulip dining chairs.

Dining Room: As you look through the condo, a large painting by Natasha Turovsky — one of the homeowner’s favorite artists — hangs behind the dining room table from Cattelan Italia. Of course, the table needed a direct light source, but Lucas was careful not to impede the view of the art by selecting slim pendants with a circular design. “You can look through and see the artwork without visual distraction,” he notes. At the end of the dining area is a wall painted in Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore, which Lucas employed in specific areas throughout the home. “I have said this for my entire design life, ninety percent of great design is guts,” he says. “By painting this black, now the chair stands out, the mirror stands out. All of the areas in the condo where we’ve painted walls black, we did it strictly to accentuate the artwork and the architecture all around it.”

“Kurt Lucas at JKL has a vision, and our goal as a contractor is to ensure that the designer’s vision is ultimately accomplished and the client is thrilled with the result,” Russell says. “We take satisfaction in making sure that the steps needed to help a client realize their dreams are put in place, as well as ensuring the design intent is achieved, and the client has a wonderful experience in doing so.”

Russell, who has been in construction for twenty years, started his company in Sarasota five years ago after relocating from Texas — he and his family knew they wanted to call Sarasota “home.” Russell says some of the best parts of this project are things you don’t even see: technology. For instance, the WiFi-connected hood automatically turns on when the range hits a specific temperature. In addition, many rooms feature occupancy sensors to turn lights on and off automatically. And, unless you’re in the home at night, you might not notice the dozens of mini lights (about the size of a pencil eraser) embedded in the ceiling over the kitchen islands to highlight artwork and more. u

Lounge: Thanks to the vast open space in the condo, Lucas was able to design a series of gathering areas, including a small cocktail lounge-style spot. A cluster of seating with chairs from Poltrano Frau and small ottomans hover around a trio of coffee tables. He selected the ottomans and the light fixture by Ochre because they don’t consume a lot of visual space, helping to retain the views of the heart of downtown Sarasota.

Office: Although the client is retired, her children use this office when they visit to catch up on work. The homeowner already had the furnishings, including the desk, occasional table, and leopard-print rug, as well as black and white prints of herself and her late husband. Lucas describes her as an energetic person, and the room captures that energy. Despite its all-black walls, the room feels light and bright.

Primary Bedroom: Contemporary Bowery nightstands and a white leather headboard from Pianca pop against the black walls. The room is awash in natural light from the wall-to-wall glass panel doors that open to a terrace overlooking the city and bay. Lucas selected two different — yet coordinating — bedside pendants from Lee Broom Lighting. “I did that because our lives are all chaos,” he says. “Here, I have controlled chaos — crazy on one side and softness on the other. It’s a balance of opposites.” A contemporary zebra piece by Sarasota-based artist Jozef Batko hangs above the bed.

Primary Bedroom Vignette: Lucas called for tall mirrors above the nightstands. “The primary purpose of a mirror is to reflect something beautiful. And as you walk into the room, if you look to the left toward the nightstands, you see the reflection of the views of the water all the way around the room,” he says. “And with a light hanging in front of a mirror, you’ve doubled your light source.” It makes the perfect backdrop for a reading chair and ottoman.

Primary Bathroom Vanity (Left): The large bathroom includes a makeup vanity with ample storage and perfect horizontal side lighting. The room is alive with reflective surfaces, and thanks to the glass walk-through shower design you have views in any given spot of nearly the entire stunning bathroom with its arresting black-and-white palette and dynamic patterns.

Primary Bathroom Shower: The primary bathroom is an opulent space with striking large-format porcelain tile by Audrey Lane in the main areas and a quartz hexagon mosaic by Akua Mosaics on the shower floor and bathtub platform. The original shower was small, so Lucas redesigned the space dedicating more square footage to the shower and adding a partial glass surround to make it feel even more significant.

Primary Bathroom Tub: Lucas put the fluted black bathtub from MTI Baths on a pedestal in the center of the room with a solid black marble-look slab behind it. “The tub is like a cupcake — it’s fluted all the way around. Everybody’s always concerned about having a backsplash behind a tub, but unless you’re training dolphins in a bathroom, you don’t have to have a backsplash,” he quips. Under-cabinet lighting and the slim vertical lighting on the countertop-to-ceiling mirrors create an ethereal glow throughout the room.

“If you expect your interior design to be common, I am not the person you need to talk to,” Lucas says. “I want to live life to its fullest, and so I design with energy and vivaciousness and without apologizing for anything.” And his client is 100 percent along for the ride. n

Powder Bathroom: Even the tiny powder bath radiates luxury with its petite matte black sink from MTI Baths and sleek Gorman’s Gallery wall-mounted faucet. The wallpaper is by Vahallan Hand-Painted Wall Coverings, and the il Pezzo Mancante light fixtures create drama. “The space is very narrow, but it was what we had to work with, so we made a silk purse out of that sow’s ear,” Lucas adds, laughing.

Guest Bedroom: Art makes its way into every space in this condo, and in this guest bedroom, it provides a bit of whimsy and color to the black-and-white palette. The crisp white walls, white bedding, and white gloss nightstands allow the black window frames and headboard to attract attention while keeping the space light and bright. The eye is drawn across the room and directed toward the adjoining patterned bathroom.

Guest Bathroom: This guest bathroom — simple in its modest layout, yet big on boldness — features Thassos marble tile in a basketweave design, bold thanks to its arresting black and white pattern, and on display thanks to the clear glass shower door. Black fixtures and the cabinet pulls from Richelieu Hardware contrast the crisp white cabinetry. Lucas took advantage of another location to feature additional artwork without drawing attention away from the design as a whole.

Interior Designer: JKL Design Group 1839 61st Street Sarasota, FL 34243 941.358.4994

www.jkldesign.com

Luxury Home Builder: The Partners Development & Construction Group 2425 Fruitville Road Sarasota, FL 34237

727.773.6827

www.partnersconstruction.us

Resources: 6051 Design Source 6051 North Washington Blvd Sarasota, FL 34243 941.358.6051

www.6051designsource.com

Cabinet Design Studio 825 South Tamiami Trail, Suite 2 Venice, FL 34285 941.488.8413

www.cabinet-design-studio.com

Gorman’s Gallery

6101 Sawyer Loop Road Sarasota, FL 34238 941.927.8511

www.gormansgallery.com

Light Up Your Life 1620 North Tamiami Trail Sarasota, FL 34236 941.330.0422

www.lights-sarasota.com

Written by Heather Shoning

Photography by Ryan Gamma Photography