® Fall 2022
PREMIER LOCATION AND VIEW FOR THIS WARM AND INVITING NEUTRAL PENTHOUSE AT BLVD DIVINELY NEUTRAL 44 homeanddesign.net
Kitchen & Dining: “This modern building has a warm quality to it, and I wanted to keep that earthy-warm effect by adding this modern trellis that also allows light to pass through,” Lucas shares. The white oak trellis hangs over the counter-height slab of green, white, and coral granite that makes up the dining table with a natural walnut base. Shiny gold metal counter-height bar stools are a sleek complement to the stainless-steel appliances from Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery.
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Designer Kurt Lucas has a delightful sense of humor. “I empty the trash, but I own the place,” chuckles Lucas, owner of JKL Design Group. Humor aside, Lucas is serious about design. “I have the same job description as anyone else here: whatever it takes.” Having been known on occasion to go over the top, Lucas takes this brand-new Sarasota penthouse in a different direction and labels the overall palette Divinely Neutral — a harmonious flow of neutrals from room to room. u
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Living Room: Lucas positions the furnishings to face the view. The voluptuous white throw blanket atop the Giuseppe & Giuseppe corner sectional is an inviting textural element against the smooth, low-profile marble-top coffee table centered on the Jaipur Living lapis-blue and gray area rug. The interior sightline toward the dining space and wet bar is full of various natural finishes and eye-catching gold, silver, copper, and bronze accents.
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The 180-degree view of downtown Sarasota and the waterfront serves as artwork through the tall windows of this modern-style building, BLVD. Lucas fashions a serene design that is in step with the architecture of the building. Still, on a personal note, Lucas infuses the palette with hues that merge coastal city touches and the mountainous region that these clients also enjoy. The elegant design draws on nature’s beauty to inspire the materials, textures, and unique fixtures.
Bar: This Ceramiche Coem white porcelain floor tile that looks like travertine runs the main areas and through the serving bar. The see-through glass wall that frames this architectural stair detail features a Palm Tree wallcovering from Élitis, showing off natural green and brown hues, while the backsplash tile from Lunada Bay Tile displays a mix of copper and bronze. Beneath the stairs, Lucas adds another natural element, a rock garden.
Sitting Area: This oil and China marker abstract artwork, “Sunson” from Laurie Maves Art, reflects the colorway of both mountains and snow yet can simultaneously conjure a seaside effect, again inviting nature into this design. Two white leather and chrome chairs from i4Mariani sit atop this black and white area rug that reflects its stunning natureinspired pattern on the highly polished stainless-steel drum table by Thayer Coggin.
No other unit in the building resembles this one in any way. “We changed the floor plan extensively and were fortunate enough that the developer allowed us to make the architectural changes we needed,” Lucas says. In the bar, it is as if the wall has been peeled away, revealing the profile of the walnut-clad stairs — transforming this functional feature into architectural art. u
Hall Bath: “I have been known to do ‘over-the-top,’ but this space did not require that over-the-top influence since we have this spectacular view out the windows,” shares Lucas. The backlit mirror casts a warm glow onto the Glazzio Tiles Yosemite Collection glass tile backsplash. At the same time, the flattened glowing orbs pendant — Cosmos, from Vibia in celadon, matte gray, and white — shines a subtle pinpoint beam downward to the stunning natural stone countertop.
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Elements of nature show up throughout the spaces, from the twiggy door pulls on the hall bath cabinets to the butterfly-wing pattern on the area rug in the hall. At the same time, the deep navy, powder blue, and billowy cloud-white in the abstract artwork is a convergence of colors that honor the clients’ desired coastal and mountainous environments.
Floor-to-ceiling windows invite this enticing view into the design of the primary bedroom, where the handmade rug displays soft gray, lilac, and blue — a look that mirrors the sky. Hair-on-hide, sheep skin, and fringe-tassel are textural accents that show up sporadically throughout the primary suite, while the glass lighting fixtures in the bedroom add a lofty, lighter-than-air feel to this elegant design. u
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The penthouse has wrap-around windows and boasts a vaulted ceiling with a fantastic open-to-below experience. The warm glow of the sun’s bright rays pours in through the tall windows, reflecting off the gold accents, and passes effortlessly through the delicate clear glass pendants of the dining space.
Primary Bathroom: The design of this bathroom unfurls a natural elegance defined by the luxurious selections Lucas curates, namely the Tyrrell & Laing International Imperia soaking tub, from which there is a spectacular view. The Porcelanosa leather-look floor tile pairs beautifully with the cowboy-jacket-style fringe ottoman in slate gray beside the Lazar club chair in custom fabric from Romo. The shower floor is Pebblini tile, while the walls are finished in a handcrafted tile from Design Works.
Primary Bedroom: The bed, with a quadrant headboard, is gray velvet with a hair-on-hide accent in shale green to add an earthy textural element. Lucas places the Edison-look Oda floor lamp by Avenue Road between the two Good Egg mid-century-style chairs from Thayer Coggin. “I like to design with the principle of opposites by adding this rustic-look table to this elegant bedroom,” Lucas states, describing the Made Goods side table.
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The design of this penthouse imparts an inviting and enjoyable atmosphere that is second to none — except maybe the enjoyment of relaxing on this penthouse rooftop with a view of The RitzCarlton, Sarasota. n
“Our world is not just browns and rust,” Lucas expresses, “Earth tones are all the colors of nature from the flowers, to the sky, to even beautiful fish.” Lucas weaves a palette that pulls from warm and cool tones and organic shapes and forms, highlighting the design with enriching art-like fixtures.
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Entrance: Lucas infuses historical ambiance to the modern palette with this antique runner from Surya. Furthering his balance-ofopposite design approach, Lucas selects a metallic ombre grayto-gold Phillip Jeffries wallcovering as a statement for the entrance and a backdrop to the ebony lacquer and gold accent Ribbon Console Table from Decca Home. The first steps of the stairs are white concrete and transition to a natural walnut, lit by a customcutaway ceiling trough with recessed lighting.
Theater Room: This ample sueded brown leather sectional from Bracci is welcoming and durable for this theater room. The floor lamp in a wood base and cotton shade offers the space a natural yet modern presence, much like the neutral area rug that anchors this open space. Lucas selects a glass railing that spans the secondfloor halls to ensure panoramic views from the second story.
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Lighting Detail: “The fixtures from Cattelan Italia are, to me, designed without fear,” Lucas celebrates. “To take a swirly piece of metal and combine it with orbs gives us art and is a piece of lighting jewelry.” The eloquent fixtures imbue the perfect amount of elegance and whimsy befitting this space.
Junior Suite: Lucas describes the wallcovering in the junior suite as the world and all the parts, yet nothing is defined — a melange of earth tones from the mountains, waters, and sky. Between the nightstands by TRICA is a luxuriously comfortable overstuffed bed from Ditre Italia with two Asian-influence benches at the foot. Sturdy, woven chairs from Palecek invite one to the balcony to take in nature’s view.
Guest Bathroom: Behind the wall-hung toilet is a dainty Constantine mosaic tile in the GalahadIcelandic colorway from Design Works. The tile flows to the shower and down the opposite wall, accenting Construct’s leather-look, charcoal, and gray-brown tile. The sleek, modern lines of the Petra Boutique Collection tub from MTI offset the warmth and organic grain lines on the French walnut vanity.
Guest Bedroom: “The blend of the white marble and the woven-look wallcovering creates a natural elegance, in keeping with the genre of the whole home,” delights Lucas. The white marble nightstands from Noir rest beside the clean-lined bed from Modloft atop the cozy, shag Chandra area rug. The Designheure chandelier Mozaik in duck blue delightfully contrasts the striking Noa-L Tanzania Wine woven wood-look wall tile from Porcelanosa, which evokes a rustic feel.
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JKL Design Group
Resources: Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery
Written by Rachel Seekamp Photography by Nicholas Ferris Photography
Interior Designer:
www.jkldesign.com941.358.499434243
1839 61st Street Sarasota, FL
5521 Fruitville Road Sarasota, FL www.build.com/ferguson941.951.011034232
Laurie Maves Art 1839 61st Street Sarasota, FL www.lauriemavesart.com941.900.414534243
Design Works
4500 Carmichael Avenue Sarasota, FL www.floridadesignworks.com800.226.943434234homeanddesign.net
Outdoor Living: The neutral palette of this rooftop deck sits against the bustling view of Sarasota and the Bay beyond and is the definition of stunning natural elegance. The umbrella and end table are from Dedon, and Lucas drapes the outdoor sofa in durable Dune fabric and adds a complementary light bronze structural element to finish it off. A rectangular fire table from Architectural Pottery in dark charcoal contrasts this otherwise serene palette.
