With the home’s redesigned layout, Interior Designer Leili Fatemi, owner of Leili Design Studio, creates a cohesive design style that radiates femininity and nature with touches of gold. She enhances the inviting feel of this home by transforming the small, segmented spaces into one flowing floor plan. The entire main floor is adorned with Stria Maestro porcelain tiles, creating a consistent foundation. There is a walkway between the new island and the breakfast nook, so Fatemi uses white furnishings to make it feel open and airy.
DESIGNER REVISITS FORT MYERS HOME DESIGN FOR A POST-HURRICANE TRANSFORMATION
IInterior Designer Leili Fatemi, owner of Leili Design Studio, returns to this Fort Myers, Florida home to undertake a redesign after the devastation of Hurricane Ian. With the house almost entirely gutted by the storm, Fatemi’s client — demonstrating a profound trust in her vision — eagerly enlists her services again. This time, Fatemi is tasked with creating a fresh layout and elegant style tailored to her client’s preferences.
Fatemi’s design philosophy is client-centric. “Each design is a reflection of my clients,” she shares. This commitment to their identity means that Fatemi doesn’t limit herself to a single style, but allows each homeowner’s personality to shape the interior design. “This client is a sophisticated and down-to-earth lady,” Fatemi says fondly. Inspired by the homeowner’s involvement in the palm tree industry, Fatemi opts for a natural yet elevated design with a neutral palette of greens and patterns that pay homage to the lushness and texture of palm trees. The design is completed with gold accents, a nod to the client’s refined tastes.
The silver lining was the opportunity for a transformative home redesign after necessary reconstruction. Fatemi’s redesign removes the partition walls that once divided the floor plan, thereby opening up the space to embrace natural light and a cohesive design style. Upon entering the front door, a vision of bright finishes and a new kitchen brimming with storage awaits. Long plank tile flooring flows throughout the home, but Fatemi draws the eye across the main space with a herringbone pattern for a touch of sophistication. u
Family Room: “The accessories in the family room are natural elements, like onyx, stone, wood, and a natural root basket,” shares Fatemi. These accents enhance the organic furnishings, such as the rippling rattan arms on the Hamza chairs from Arteriors. The ceiling and trim are painted Greek Villa from Sherwin-Williams, and a metallic grasscloth adorns the walls in keeping with the natural textures. The inviting family room, with ample seating on the curved sofa, features gold accents from the chandelier to the mirror.
Breakfast Nook & Vignette: From the vantage point of the kitchen island, the beauty of the new layout is a blissful vision. Rich brown Sangomar appliqué fabric from Schumacher adorns the cornice and drapery, enlivening the monochromatic scheme. This warm accent complements the sleek dining set, featuring a table and chairs with modern chrome feet and casters. The seating is upholstered in a crisp white performance fabric from Lexington Home Brands, striking a perfect balance between style and functionality. Fatemi curates a stunning collection of accessories and antiques, arranging them like a vibrant bouquet that is rich in texture, color, and metallic accents. This thoughtful arrangement transforms the space into a tranquil morning relaxation spot.
This redesigned, open layout compels Fatemi to create a harmonious color scheme and repeat certain materials, such as the drapery fabric. “The curvy lines on the drapery fabric evoke a sense of nature,” Fatemi details. “Everything in this house represents a kind of leaf in an abstract way.” While the expression of inspiration isn’t overt, the design is steeped in an organic earthiness. There isn’t a single sharp corner on any of the furnishings in the living room, and between the accessories and the materials, the whole space exudes a sense of nature.
Leili Design Studio is a full-service interior design firm with a 4,000-square-foot showroom in Bonita Springs, Florida that offers a comprehensive range of products, including tiles and accessories. “I handpick each accessory,” Fatemi explains. “It is important that the style of the accessory ties in with the style of the home.” With that in mind, she often uses antiques because the accessory has to be a perfect fit. u
Kitchen: Wood tones complement the creamy white cabinetry, lending an earthy essence that is echoed in the Cambria countertops and backsplash striations of soft caramel, gray, and beige hues. Fatemi steps outside of the box by specifying two large pendants instead of the typical three. These pendants from Kovacs Lighting feature a mix of gold and chrome finishes. Green velvet and sparkly gold on the counter stools are a touch of palm inspiration for this kitchen, with a shiplap hood for a subtle coastal presence.
Formal Dining Room: Fatemi elevates the room’s formality with the Estrella Linear Suspension chandelier by Allegri from Kalco Lighting. The chandelier’s delicate crystal elements create a mesmerizing interplay of light and shadow, reminiscent of sunlight filtering through trees. This artistic choice showcases Fatemi’s talent for expressing nature’s inspiration through sophisticated design, seamlessly blending organic forms with luxurious materials to create a space that is elegant and evocative of the natural world. Below, the rippling pattern of the Arches rug in Ivory from Global Views subtly mirrors the contours of the Caracole dining chairs, combining natural textures with elegance. Fatemi introduces a touch of verdant life with greenery in a classic terracotta pot.
One-of-a-kind accessories accentuate the primary spaces, while the primary bathroom is reimagined with an open, inviting layout. Reflecting the homeowner’s personality, the primary bedroom exudes elegant, earthy sophistication through organic lines and a cohesive color scheme that harmonizes with the rest of the home. Playful details, such as kicked-off heels and a designer handbag, send a clear message: this bedroom is hers — a personal sanctuary within a fantastic remodeled home that perfectly fits her personality and love of nature. n
Guest Bathroom: “Even though this is a small bathroom, I wanted to create something bold with the wall tile,” Fatemi delights, choosing this taupe- over-cream striped pattern with dimensional tiles. Creatively, Fatemi gives this tight space both a tub and shower without the look of a built-in tub. As part of this hybrid wet space, the tub filler and shower head are from Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery, with a glass partition and linear drain on the floor for shower functionality.
Conversation Lounge: Fatemi provides her client with a casual conversational area with two plush Caracole chairs in a matte pearl finish fabric, topped with rich palm green pillows. A cluster of gold-leaf shadow boxes adds a warm hue to the coarse texture of the elegant split-face stone wall tile. The chest, imported from India, is nearly 200 years old and a delightful shade of green to adorn this space.
Office: Organic lines continue into the office on the round desk and curved bookcase with scalloped facades. A lovely coral-white, these pieces are functional with USB ports and file storage from Lexington Home Brands. Nature-inspired accents show up with the cowhide rug, the woven basket, and the box topped with antique bird statues for a splash of wild color. The delicate Savoy House chandelier overlooks this elegantly natural office.
Primary Bedroom: This primary bedroom exudes a feminine sophistication between the curvy nightstands from Global Views and the delicate, spindled gold legs of the upholstered ottomans at the end of this queenly bed. Palm green finds its way into the design of the pillows atop the luxurious bedding from Ann Gish. This aptly named Dante Ribbon wallpaper from York Wallcoverings looks like flowing, intertwined ribbons in a soft silver tone against a backdrop of dove gray. California Closets customized the closets in this home (not pictured).
Primary Bathroom: In redesigning this primary bathroom, Fatemi gave the client a long vanity with a place to sit and apply makeup. The warm white cabinetry is adorned with gold and acrylic hardware from Belwith Keeler and topped with clean white Cambria quartz. Black frames on the row of mirrors provide a visual pause in this elongated space, while the wall tile behind them is reminiscent of leaves. Fatemi chooses this antique artwork to give the space a soothing, pastoral feel.
Interior Designer:
Leili Design Studio
8800 Bernwood Parkway, Suite 1 Bonita Springs, FL 34135 239.319.0944 www.leilidesignstudio.com
Resources:
California Closets 2367 Vanderbilt Beach Road, Suite 810 Naples, FL 34109 239.694.8100 www.californiaclosets.com
Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery
38 Goodlette-Frank Road South Naples, FL 34102 239.963.0087 www.build.com/ferguson