Grand spaces ANNE REED, AREED@NEWS PRES S .COM
12:06 a.m. EDT April 4, 2015
Realtor and designer note an eclectic resurgence of home design trends in Southwest Florida Living in Southwest Florida has a plethora of benefits, from the gorgeous weather to the lush green environment and the opportunity to drive 15 minutes and have your toes in the sand and a drink in your hand. Our tropical paradise has its own laid back vibe, and a colorful vibrant style that is thanks, in part, to the mix of seasonal and yearround residents and their different backgrounds. How does this diversity Buy Photo
(Photo: Ricardo Rolon / grandeurmagazine.com)
translate into our daily lives? One obvious place to take a notsoobvious peek? Inside our homes. Grandeur sat down with Millie Dinkel, a resident for more than 50 years and local Realtor for more than 30, and Linda Coin, a newer resident and interior designer, in a charmingly restored 1920s home on Euclid Avenue to talk about all things home style, from interiors to exteriors, small spaces to grand. What are we looking for in a home, what are the current interior decorating trends and how much of that is influenced by
the natural colors around us, and, surprisingly, the return of mauve. Grandeur: April is our Style issue, and with both of your respective careers in mind, what one word best captures your own personal style? And does that also cover your home style? Millie Dinkel: I would say my style is eclectic, and that is definitely my home style as well. I love all sorts of architecture and design and if I had to choose one thing, it would be hard because I love all of it. Linda Coin: I also favor an eclectic design concept. And I think that's kind of the movement today. People like to keep things that mean something to them, that have some sentimental value or importance to them in some way... MD: It's not just one style. I think the Mediterranean look has lost its edge. LC: I think we got inundated with it and people have started to back off. MD: I see that with my clients. They want eclectic, they want different, they don't want cookie cutter. They want charm. G: You are heading right into my next question, which is about real estate. What are people looking for architecturally right now? Are they looking for properties that lend themselves to an eclectic style? MD: Absolutely. I do a lot of business in the McGregor area. I sell a lot of 1920s cottage homes, bungalows, and midcentury has gotten really popular. People love that. Not only do they want to be part of that Renaissance, they love to take a home – like this, which was falling down – and bring it back to the wonderful state that it was and modernize it. LC: I think, in design, it's all about the detail. People are looking for something to set their home apart from the others. We too are seeing a strong influence from midcentury design. All of the new fabrics for 2015 have a geometric vibe. One of the patterns reminded me of, as a young child in the 1960s, the pattern on my mother's plates. I think the Generation Xers are coming into their own and appreciating that time and design. I'm seeing a lot of trend toward lighter and brighter: lighter woods, driftwood, blondes, teak. G: Are there any particular colors that people are prone to because of Southwest Florida being a coastal community? MD: My niece was here from Montreal and commented on how many pink houses there are in Fort Myers. Pink seems to be a big color here. I think yellow, pink, corals are all big. LC: We are seeing a large resurgence with pink…the mauve trend is coming forth. It's not the mauve of the 1980s. Its grayer and it works well with these driftwood tones and light woods and taupes. G: You just touched on a few trends – the lighter woods, the driftwoods, mauves. What other trends are you seeing for 2015 in real estate and interior design?