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“We had to decide where a staircase could be added without disrupting a previous remodel” recalls Julie Howlett of L Design Studio.
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BRIGHT COLORS AND MODERN LINES SOLVE UNIQUE DESIGN COLLABORATIONSEAMLESSCHALLENGE
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Great Room: “We needed a smart solution for this room so everyone would have a place to sit that offered not only a view of the television but also out to the water,” explains Interior Designer Lyndsey Davis Nicklas of L Design Studio. That solution involved a curved sofa and round ottoman from Vanguard, oriented toward both the opposite media center and the balcony doors at once. A dividing wall wrapped in teak serves to separate the distinct open-plan spaces while also hiding a support column.
Kitchen: Sleek white cabinetry recedes into the space, making it feel larger. “Using taller cabinets in a low-ceilinged space required us to do a lot of planning before construction to make sure the doors would open smoothly,” recalls Thuman. Clever space planning also allows up to ten people to gather and converse at the two islands. The acrylic-base bar stools from Vanguard offer stylish seating for pulling up to the white quartz counter area.
Dining Room: Another modern light fixture in a bright chrome from Wilson Lighting directs focus to the vibrant Maggie DeMarco abstract hanging in the dining area. “We repeated the use of a glass-top dining table from the sixth floor to keep the room light and airy,” Nicklas contributes. The walls throughout the condo are painted in Sherwin-Williams Pure White for the same purpose, and the color also helps fulfill the clients’ request for a more contemporary and clean space.
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The two companies were challenged with how to connect the two units seamlessly and provide a remodel of the seventhfloor unit — all while meeting the homeowners’ need for a vacation home accommodating up to sixteen people. Adding to the challenge was the small size of each condo unit, the seventh floor’s 8-foot ceilings, the choppy layout and dated finishes, and the clients’ desire to access the upper unit via an internal staircase rather than the building’s elevator or stairwell. “It had never been done before, and we all had lots of questions,” recalls Senior Designer Julie Howlett of L Design Studio. “We had to decide where a staircase could be added without disrupting the previous remodel.”
“Anything could have gone wrong,” adds Daniel Thuman of PBS Contractors. “Cutting a hole in the ceiling’s two-foot concrete slab left zero room for error.” During the preconstruction phase, the team worked through the logistics via brainstorming and countless drawings, and with the help of X-ray scans of the structure from an engineering firm. The ingenious solution involved repurposing one closet and half of another to install a spiral staircase in a circular stairwell that then became a focal point for the sixth-floor unit’s entryway. Lit with LEDs and highlighted by the close proximity of bold, colorful art from the clients’ collection, the staircase is a foundational piece of the contemporary, eclectic design of both units. u
clients brought L Design Studio and PBS Contractors a unique request to join a previously remodeled sixth-floor condo to the unit above it, they had full confidence the two companies would be able to make their dreams a reality. The only question was — how?
Staircase: The pièce de résistance for the seventh-floor remodel is the spiral staircase. The powder-coated stair system was manufactured offsite and shipped to the project ready to assemble. “The team spent a lot of time working on the drawings to make sure the opening was the right size for the staircase,” remembers Thuman. Another Maggie DeMarco painting ties the two floors together with its bright colors and contemporary theme.
But that wasn’t the end of the remodeling challenges the seventh floor presented. “The architecture wasn’t straight, the walls weren’t parallel, and nothing was square,” explains Thuman. Top of mind was the homeowners’ love of bold colors, modern lines, and open spaces, and their desire for a vacation home that could comfortably sleep all of their family members. So, both companies drew extensively from their years of experience developing creative design solutions to uniquely solve these challenges before even one wall was removed or one nail driven.
“All the loose ends were taken care of before construction,” says Thuman. “We all made sure the client was happy first before anything was put in place. It was a multistep process with lots of touchpoints between PBS Contractors and L Design Studio.” u
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Art Niche: A special niche off the great room spotlights a modern art piece by painter Helen Zarin that served as the inspiration for the clients’ vision for the space. “We really built a lot of our design choices for colors and the contemporary style off of this painting,” recollects Howlett. Vanguard ottomans obtained through International Design Source are covered in Tuck Water performance fabric and can be pulled into the room for additional mobile seating.
Great Room: Vanguard swivel chairs offer guests a choice of views between the television or the Gulf outside the balcony doors in this great room. The feature wall uses a multilayer paint and plaster faux finish to resemble concrete, and a shelf helps ground the television in the space. The luxury vinyl tile from Hadinger Flooring matches the color of the engineered hardwood used on the sixth floor, but is much more durable.
Primary Bedroom: The primary bedroom has a spectacular water view of Doctor’s Pass, and the client desired a restful, calm space that still looked modern and contemporary. The motorized lounge chair from Scan Design offers a soothing spot to relax and enjoy the view, and the leather-wrapped headboard is sleek, practical, and is a breeze to clean. The bench at the foot of the bed is adorned with a velvet fabric for a touch of
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Primary Bathroom: The primary bathroom was originally carved into multiple spaces that included numerous built-in closets and cabinetry with darker wood finishes. The design team completely reworked the space to be more open but still provide the storage the client desired. White-on-white ceramic wall tile in the shower from Design Works highlights the textural interest of the chevron mosaic on the floor. Sleek chrome fixtures from Naples Plumbing Studio add sparkle to the cool tones of the expansive color palette.
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Bunkroom Sitting Area: A sitting area in the home’s “bunkroom” is the perfect spot to highlight a colorful art piece from the clients’ collection. Dark grey leather on the Scan Design chair adds desired durability for this kids’ space, while a poof of purple Mongolian wool makes it fun. A small white side table blends with the walls — another clever smallspace design trick.
Bunkroom: The “bunkroom” was designed to sleep as many of the clients’ grandkids as possible, which L Design Studio accomplished by using versatile Room and Board bunkbeds. “The selection of allwhite bed frames was intentional,” adds Howlett. “Their simplicity of design helps the room feel larger.” Another technique they employed was to paint the walls, ceiling, and base trim all one light color to enhance the feeling of expansiveness. Wall sconces instead of lamps add even more space.
Guest Bedroom: Another Helen Zarin piece energizes the guest bedroom with lively color and movement. “The clients weren’t afraid to go bold in this home,” explains Nicklas, “and their love of abstract art was something we carried over from the previous remodel of their sixth-floor space.” Geometric patterns on the pillows and bedding echo back to the main living space, and a durable, custom-sized glass top for the nightstand adds a hotel-like touch.
Hadinger Flooring 6401 Airport-Pulling Road North Naples, FL www.wilsonlighting.com239.592.6006Naples,2465Wilsonwww.naplesplumbingstudio.com239.631.5336Naples,5405Napleswww.ids1.com239.591.1114Naples,6001Internationalwww.hadingerflooring.com239.566.710034109DesignSourceTaylorRoadFL34109PlumbingStudioTaylorRoad,Suite6FL34109LightingTradeCenterWayFL34109
Resources: Design Works 2082 Trade Center Way Naples, FL www.floridadesignworks.com239.643.302334109
Written by Shawna Hampton Photography by Michael Alan Kaskel
Interior Designer: L Design Studio 6561 Taylor Road, Suite 1 Naples, FL www.l-designstudios.com239.260.516534109
The result: a playful, colorful space full of art and modern touches that honors the first remodel and functions as a stand-alone unit with enough room for family and guests — a true testament to the power of collaboration and creative problem solving. n
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Powder Bath: Statement lighting pieces are one major feature homeowners are investing in when they remodel, and this matte black oversized pendant is a perfect example. Coupled with a bold geometric-patterned wallpaper from Philip Jeffries and black fixtures, the overthe-top style turns an otherwise ordinary powder bath into a showstopping room. The counter is a matte brushed quartz and mirrors the lines and color of the kitchen island for continuity of design between rooms.
Balcony: The condo’s balcony was too narrow for a standard-sized dining table, so the design team improvised with a two-foot-wide countertop height bar. Additionally, the existing sliding glass doors were modified to add more space. “We brought the doors in on the column to increase the room on the patio side,” recounts Thuman. With the doors opened, it creates a continuous visual line from the great room to the balcony and beyond to the water view.
Luxury Home Builder: PBS 4395ContractorsCorporate Square Naples, FL www.pbscontractors.com239.643.652734104
