DESIGN KISMET

While working on a speculative home without the design preferences and aesthetics of a specific buyer, a design team has more flexibility to be creative. The biggest challenge with this particular build was the narrow, pie-shaped lot, which inspired residential designer Rich Guzman of R.G. Designs Inc. to be imaginative in capturing the views and giving the home a sense of scale. This house in the Aqualane Shores neighborhood of Naples, FL, explains Rich, appears much larger than it is. “What we lacked in width, we made up in height,” he says. “The elongated shelf with three windows gives the sense of a two-and-a-half-story home instead of two.”

In every residence he designs, Rich says, he focuses on maximizing the views. Although the lot was narrow, it tapered to the rear of the house, essentially driving everything from the centered front door to the back of the home—toward the water, which is precisely what he would do no matter the size or shape of the lot.

Taking on the interior design, Alex Thies and Emily Schlimm of Adelyn Charles Interiors demonstrated their understanding of buyers when they designed a home that was perfect for an Ohio couple who bought it during construction to be their vacation home. The couple loved the design so much they requested only minor changes.

Alex, the owner and lead interior designer of Adelyn Charles, says she met the homeowners about halfway through the construction process to present the completed design. The wife chose a slightly different color for one bathroom tile, and the couple requested a change to the study design theme. “We had come up with a theme of classic cars for the study, and we had this great art piece of an old collector’s Mercedes,” Alex says. “Then we found out the people who bought the home were third-generation owners of Chevrolet dealerships.”

Other than those small requests, the homeowners loved Alex’s design concept, California Coastal. The home is located in the heart of Naples, where many homes are being transformed from the original Mediterranean style to a new contemporary coastal. But Alex wanted this home to be different. Living in California introduced her to a more sophisticated version of coastal. “Instead of everything being white and blue, there are elements of black, which can scare some people when they think ‘coastal,’” she says. “But I think that little pops of black can really be impactful in an otherwise crisp white environment. And a lot of organic tones and textures speak to the coastal influence. You still feel like you’re in a coastal home, but it doesn’t have to be as kitschy.”

To achieve the sophisticated style in this vacation home, Alex incorporated touches of black in lighting, hardware, plumbing fixtures and small pieces of furniture. She included warm, earthy textural elements throughout the house in the furnishings, artwork, cabinetry and flooring selections.

The open floor plan segues from the kitchen to the beverage station, the living and dining rooms and the outdoor living area. “We always try to open up the kitchen to the living and dining areas,” says Craig Willbrett of Willbrett Construction. “We added pocketed sliding glass doors to connect indoors to outdoors, essentially increasing the living space by 700 square feet. The home feels much bigger than the land would have allowed.”

Many kitchens—especially those in coastal design homes— feature white cabinetry. And, while Alex wanted to retain that light, bright look, she sought a slightly elevated aesthetic. So she selected cabinetry in a warm white tone, accented by the range hood, island and beverage station cabinetry in a whitewashed walnut finish. Black metal accent straps on the hood and black fixtures and cabinet hardware add a touch of elegance. The black and gold pendant lights complete the palette.

Because the home includes four bedrooms and plenty of space for guests, Alex wanted to be sure that all areas of the home would be comfortable. She designed the kitchen island to act as a de facto dining table with seating on one side and at each end, creating a better layout for conversation. The barstools provide a warm, textural element to the space.

The adjoining beverage station with the whitewashed walnut cabinetry creates cohesion throughout the open floor plan living space, tying in both the kitchen and the living room with its matching floating cabinet and warm wood tones in the coffee tables and ceiling beams.

Because this is a large home on the water, Alex wanted to create an intimate feel with casual living spaces. She selected an oversized sectional— the largest she’s ever ordered, she says—and two armchairs that swivel so they can face indoors or out. “All the fabrics are light,” she says, “but they’re all performance fabrics for indoors and outdoors, because of the giant sliders that pocket into the walls to create this sense of seamless indoor-outdoor living.”

The outdoor living and dining areas feature weathered teak furniture with rope detailing for rich texture, but the silhouettes are clean with graceful curves. The space is designed for the ultimate outdoor living experience, complete with a grill, refrigerator, ice maker, cabinetry and sink. “Most of these homes are seasonal; the indoor-outdoor lifestyle is why people are here,” Craig says. “Every home we build caters to this. We pump up those outdoor features—in this one, there is a zero-edge pool. The house faces southwest, so the homeowners get nice sunsets.”

The main-floor primary suite looks out to the pool, capturing the views. The palette is neutral, with small details in a soft blue, mimicking the water and the sky outdoors. The bedding, nightstands and draperies are all soft white, while the walls are painted a creamy beige. Alex kept the focus on texture in this space. The ceiling beams are the same tone as the floor and accentuate the vault of the ceilings. “We repeated wood details in the chairs in the sitting area and the wall art,” she says. “For the dresser, we went with a little bit deeper wood tone with woven abaca rope detailing on the doors.”

Alex selected large-format stone slabs for the primary bathroom shower and half-wall behind the soaking tub. She kept the palette neutral, just drawing out hints of color from the stone. Wood-like floor tile inlay creates a dramatic look while mimicking the wood tones in the bedroom and throughout the rest of the home. Again, taking a color cue from the deepest tone in the tile, Alex selected a rich chocolate color for the cabinetry on two facing walls. Polished nickel fixtures add a soft touch of bling to the room.

Upstairs, the home features three guest bedrooms and bathrooms, including one VIP suite used by the homeowners’ adult daughter, and a family room with a connected breakfast bar. The suite and family room connect to the outdoor living space overlooking the pool area for maximum indooroutdoor living.

“The whole house intentionally feels like it flows from one space to the next,” Alex says. “Nothing was meant to be startling to the eye, from one room to the other. Each space has its own personality, but each also feels like it’s still part of the same home.”

Resources:

Residential Designer

Rich Guzman

R.G. Designs Inc.

28071 Vanderbilt Drive Bonita Springs, FL 34134

239.949.2929 rgdesignsinc.com

Interior Designer

Alex Thies and Emily Schlimm

Adelyn Charles Interiors

3920 Via Del Rey, Suite 3 Bonita Springs, FL 34134

239.734.0449 adelyncharles.com

Builder/Contractor

Craig Wilbrett

Wilbrett Construction

1400 Gulf Shore Boulevard North, Suite 134

Naples, FL 34102

239.491.0020 wilbrettconstruction.com

Kitchen Designer

Stephen Ruffino

Ruffino Cabinetry

7947 Drew Circle Fort Myers, FL 33967

239.939.1313 ruffinocabinetry.com

Landscape Architect

Christian Andrea

Architectural Land Design, Inc.

2780 S. Horseshoe Drive, Suite 5

Naples, FL 34104

239.430.1661 aldinc.net