Indoor/Outdoor Living: Waterfront Oasis

BY NICK STEELE

PHOTOS BY SRQ360

Award winning interior designer Jenifer DuFresne, the founder of Inside Eye Design, finds inspiration in many places, but nature is a major influence in her work. Even when she is creating minimalist interiors, you will find her work layered with organic elements from sustainable materials to designs that incorporate and highlight the natural world.

That reverence for the natural world may be easily traced back to her early days in the industry.

“I’m from Montana and my career started when I began working for one of those companies that handcraft log homes,” she explains. “I did a lot of work with builders and had a client who said, ‘Hey, help me build a house and put it on the tour of homes.’ So I did and that won an award.”

She also met her husband, who’s from Florida, in Montana. “We were on a job site together and one year into that relationship, I decided to uproot and move to Florida.” He had grown up in St. Pete and Sarasota area from a young age, so they settled locally and DuFresne found herself at an interesting crossroads.

“I had to reinvent my career and my whole take on design because log homes are not prominent down here,” she offers.

She quickly found her success with a variety of clients because she realized that her ultimate job is not just to create beautiful, designforward interiors, but to help each of her clients tell their own unique story through the work they would do together. This spirit of collaboration and thoughtful approach to each project is a hallmark of the work DuFresne and her team have built their reputation on.

“One of my biggest assets is learning how to listen and solicit information from my clients. Your vision deserves to be uncovered and embraced,” she shares. “A lot of people don’t know what they like, so it’s my job to pull out of them what they do. Then I take that and make it into a cohesive design.”

Her overarching design approach involves not only interiors but the consideration of architectural elements, whether she is working on a new construction or a renovation project.

“I am usually involved early on enough to work with the architect,” she explains. “I create my own renderings, so that I can articulate different things to the clients that maybe they can’t really visualize. Most blueprints and architecturals are just CAD drawings, versus an actual 3D rendering. I work with my own software program so I can give my clients that vision. I will work with the architect and the client on space planning and the layout of the home, interior and exterior finishes, what kind of siding they want, what sort of windows, the colors, moldings, cabinetry and then ultimately the individual interior design of the home.”

Creating an ‘Oasis’

One of her most distinctive recent projects was a new build in Siesta Key called “The Oasis.” The 7-bedroom vacation-rental property had to have all the elements of a great contemporary coastal style home with an inviting appeal for visitors.

“The owner of this property is a rental management company. They are one of the only companies that buy the land and then design and build the house. This is not a VRBO type of situation. They have an understanding of how a home should be built and marketed,” she explains.

The oasis-effect is artfully achieved with a zero-entry pool, slide and waterfall feature that give the home the distinction of having a resort-worthy outdoor living environment rather than the standard pool area conceived as an afterthought.

“Pools are a huge conversation and one of the first things that usually comes up in a first meet-and-greet with the client. What clients are looking for and what we try to create is a place where

Continued on next page you can put your feet in the water and relax and some sort of amenity, as in either a slide or a water feature or a waterfall or, you know, some sort of sound like a rain curtain or bubblers,” DuFresne explains. “The sound of water hitting water is so relaxing. They also want a space to lounge, for eating and gathering around an outdoor kitchen. And if there are children involved, they may want a beach entrance or a sand pit to the side with a volleyball court or a slide.”

But the design team also wanted to forgo the standard faux materials typically used in a project like this to create a more authentic outdoor environment.

“What we wanted in this one was to use natural materials, so we worked with the landscape company and they handpicked all these natural rocks. They’re all cemented together and, on the back side, it’s very segmented to support the slide, but it’s natural rock, fern and plants. We wanted it all to be real.”

DuFresne says that in creating an engaging space for visitors that capitalized on the elements that Florida is known for meant marrying together the interior and exterior environments in a way that felt organic. “It’s this idea of creating that feeling of when you’re inside, you’re out and when you’re outside, you’re in. That’s very Florida.”

She says that the considerations of creating a vacation-rental home is a different mindset than when they design a private residence.

“My main goal was to create a place where people get together and actually talk. Put their phone down and communicate, spaces where they can entertain, watch sports, have a cocktail or a coffee,” she says. “And I always love creating a different kind of entertainment space where the kids could have a little bit more fun.”

There’s ample opportunity for fun of all sorts as the house features many such gathering places from the spacious sunken living room and ample club room upstairs, to big balconies and the thoughtfully appointed outdoor kitchen and multiple dining areas.

Current home trends

As far as trends, DuFresne says it’s less about what everyone else is doing and more about her client’s preferences, but she has been seeing a few shifts in materials.

“Right now, brass is the thing to do. You’re seeing golden brass everywhere. You don’t see brushed nickel anymore,” she asserts. “Concrete floors or the larger format porcelain floors are huge and waterfall countertops are big.

“Wallpaper is coming back and that’s a big thing that I’ve had fun playing with because it’s fun to be able to bring in a pop of color and texture to a wall. But I always hesitate to follow trends. I like using a little bit of this and a little bit of that, working it in a way that it’s still fresh, original and timeless. I try to be timeless as much as possible, which gives it such an impossible word because you know, everything was at one time a trend in a design. Customizing is the key. How can you make it different? If you do try trends, do them in a way that’s individual so it is uniquely your own.”

For more information on Jenifer DuFresne, visit inside-eye.com