lbk home

Home&Garden

The 37th annual Longboat Key Home & Garden Tour

A kimono a nun made with strips of copper foil that she gilded and painted is featured at the Sprintz home / Page 3

THE ELLIS HOME / PAGES 4-5

THE YOUNG HOME PAGES 6-7

THE PERLMAN HOME / PAGES 8-9

THE THACKRAY HOME / PAGE 10

THE PAPPAS GARDEN / PAGE 11

| FEBRUARY 2013

YourObserver.com

2 home & garden

The 37th annual Longboat Key Home

Garden Tour

TOUR FEATURES

IF YOU GO

Tour stops

WHEN: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Saturday, March 2

JEWFISH KEY

N

LONGBOAT KEY

WHERE TO BUY TICKETS:

• Exit Art, Chart House, 203 Gulf of Mexico Drive, and Center Shops, 5380 Gulf of Mexico Drive • UPS in the Center Shops of Longboat Key, 5380 Gulf of Mexico Drive • Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce, 5570 Gulf of Mexico Drive • Design 2000, Whitney Beach Plaza, 6840 Gulf of Mexico Drive • Olive Oil Outpost, 401 Pine Ave., Anna Maria Island

The Ellis Home

7143 La Lenaire Drive Jewfish Key

NO VENDOR.

The Pappas Garden

The Perlman Home

NO VENDOR.

VENDOR: This home will feature the Olive Oil Outpost.

5342 Sandhamn Place

LLSA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE The Perlman Home 5412 Sandhamn Place The Pappas Garden 5342 Sandhamn Place

5412 Sandhamn Place

GULF OF MEXICO

The Sprintz Home 3427 Mistletoe Lane



For those visitors who have prepurchased a ticket, it will include the special tour (from 8:30 a.m. to noon) of the Jewfish Key home.

Go to north end of Longboat Key, drive east on Broadway, turn right on Lois Avenue just before the Mar Vista restaurant and proceed to the town dock; boats will be waiting to transport you.

WHITNEY BEACH PLAZA



COST: $20 donation for the five Longboat Key homes. The Ellis home requires a $30 ticket, which must be pre-purchased.

The Ellis Home 7143 La Lenaire Drive 

WHERE: Longboat Key and Jewfish Key; the Ellis home, the Pappas garden, the Perlman home, the Sprintz home, the Young home and the Thackray home.

The Sprintz Home

The Young Home

The Thackray Home

VENDOR: This home will feature Exotica Florist.

VENDOR: This home will feature local jewelry artist Barbara Jacobs.

NO VENDOR.

3427 Mistletoe Lane

642 Ranger Lane

AVENUE OF THE FLOWERS

350 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Penthouse Unit 233

The Young Home 642 Ranger Lane

The Thackray Home 350 Gulf of Mexico Drive Penthouse Unit 233

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FEBRUARY 2013 | YourObserver.com

SLEEK STYLE

home & garden 3

by Katie Hendrick | Community Editor

Mellow Minimalism Alan and Dale Sprintz home 3427 Mistletoe Lane

“I always wanted a white kitchen,” says Dale Sprintz of her quartz-covered countertops. “My mother said that was sterile, but this room is anything but.” A former caterer, Sprintz enjoys entertaining.

“The koi pond sold me on the house,” Dale Sprintz says. She has two fish: Gefilte and Butterfly.

Left: J.M. Syron and Bonnie Bishoff, a husband-and-wife pair of artists in Chicago, made this chest. It’s constructed of Honduran mahogany and painted with polymer clay veneer.

Below: This piece, which spells “making love” with paint strokes, was the last piece of art the Sprintzes purchased before moving from Chicago.

The bathroom features seafoam-colored avonite with a built-in nightlight that can be controlled with a dimmer.

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When Dale Sprintz moved to her Corey’s Landing home in 2007, she had one goal in mind for her décor: clean.

“Back in the ’70s, everything was cluttered with macramé and hanging plants,” explains the former caterer from Chicago. “I decided, in retirement, I’d start fresh with a minimalist look.”

The Sprintzes achieve their new sleek style with features such as deconstructed porcelain flooring, a whitequartz kitchen, a walk-in shower with a single glass wall and built-in lighting fixtures. In lieu of a chandelier, for instance, tiny holes provide a starlight effect in their dining room. Rather than storing knickknacks, shelves and tables display fresh flowers and collectibles, such as teacups and blown-glass pieces.

The streamlined aesthetics are not without personality, however. Both Sprintzes share a love of art and design, which leads them to acquire new pieces on vacations and visits to local galleries. Their walls pop with a few vibrant statement pieces, including a 3-D print made of brushstrokes that spells, “making love.”

“It was the last piece we bought in Chicago,” Dale Sprintz says. “We saw it and knew, instantly, it’d be perfect for the new house.”

YourObserver.com

4 home & garden

WEEKEND RETREAT

| FEBRUARY 2013

by Katie Hendrick | Community Editor

Island Playground Steve and Catherine Ellis Home 7143 La Lenaire Drive, Jewfish Key

Sails and buoys give the Ellis home a nautical theme.

“It’s not a favorite of sani-freaks,” says Steve Ellis of his cedar kitchen table, which can only be cleaned with a brush and water.

From Monday through Friday, Steve and Catherine Ellis live on Siesta Key. But, when Friday evening rolls in, they hop in their boat, “Saylor,” named for their 10-year-old daughter, and travel 18 miles north to Jewfish Key, where their second home beckons with the promise of total tranquility.

“This is a place to let your hair down,” says Steve Ellis, CEO of MyGreenBuildings, who designed and built his home.

The Ellises’ weekend retreat encompasses 3,000 square feet on a 1.5-acre lot that looks out toward Longboat Pass from the front and over a canopy of Australian pines and palm trees from the back. It blends New England style (think: a steep, sloping roof) with Old Florida comforts, such as wide, screened-in porches cooled by ceiling fans.

Modern amenities — a Sub-Zero refrigerator, Wolf and KitchenAid appliances, Kohler faucets and fixtures and Carrera marble countertops — keep the home from feeling truly rustic. Nonetheless, the ambience here is decidedly down-toearth and playful. Old buoys, bottles and driftwood make folk art. Hammocks and swings dot the yard, along with a zipline and teepee, offering Saylor Ellis and friends many options for frolicking in the great outdoors.

Thanks to a screened porch, the Ellis family enjoys alfresco dining without the aggravation of bugs.

Markers represent the Ellises’ friends’ hometowns.

A door cum headboard demonstrates Steve Ellis’ commitment to using all repurposed materials.

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FEBRUARY 2013 | YourObserver.com

home & garden 5

Linda A. Page Featuring Sarasota’s Finest Properties

An open kitchen, which overlooks three open-air rooms with seating for nearly 50, makes the Ellis home ideal for entertaining.

Longboat Key Bay Front Elegance

Glorious views across Sarasota Bay greet you from all main rooms in this warm, elegant 5000 s.f. home. 4 bedrooms plus office and fitness room & 5 baths. Incredible storage, lots of outdoor entertaining space along with wide open Bay view, heated pool and spa, dock and lift make this the perfect Florida home. Remodeled by well know designer Sally Trout – this home is ready for you to move right in. $2,250,000 open moST SundayS

Alinari Penthouse

Gorgeous views by day and night from this through view penthouse plan! enjoy spectacular sunsets over Sarasota Bay and City skyline. 3 bedrooms plus den and 3 ½ baths. State of the art amenities: theater room; fitness, massage room, sauna; club, card, conference and party rooms. pool, spa, & grill area. 24 hr. concierge/doorman. 2 garage parking spaces and storage. $795,000 mLS#a3961090

The bed slats in one of the Ellises’ guest rooms includes pegs, which convert the sleeping arrangement from one queen-sized bed to two “half queens.”

What my clients are saying...

We have worked with Linda Page to both purchase and sell property. We wouldn’t trust anyone else with our real estate needs. – David & Gayla P.

RE DU CE D!

What distinguishes Linda is her absolute professionalism in every respect: extensive experience, industry and market knowledge, ethics, commitment, marketing acumen and salesmanship. She gets it done and turns what easily could be a stressful, difficult situation into a pleasant, rewarding one. In a market with many luxury Realtors, she stands out as one of the very best, if not the best.

Jeff & Bonnie L.

Ellis built a tepee for his “This is my monkey business,” Steve Ellis says. “We collect driftwood. Eventually it will turn into something.” 10-year-old daughter, Saylor.

1350 Main BAY VIEW – REDUCED!

most popular 2/2 split plan with sweeping Bay views from 15th floor. all amenities, including 24-hour concierge. Walk everywhere. designer finished with glass tile backsplash and tub surround, custom lighting and window treatments, cabinets, etc. 10’ ceilings on 15th floor. $659,000

Ellis converted a beam from the John Ringling Hotel into a headboard. The detail has sentimental, in addition to historical, value. “Our daughter, Saylor, used to write her ‘s’ backwards, like this pattern, and my father loved lions,” he said.

Beau Ciel

Luxury living overlooking Sarasota Bay & downtown skyline. With Sarasota’s only through-view floor plans on Sarasota’s Bay front, capture sunrise and sunset from these magnificent ”house-size“ residences. exceptional amenities include: private elevators; tropical pool and spa deck; media, fitness, conf/dining & club rooms – even room service and boat slips through Hyatt Regency. all of this for only 44 residences, and an easy walk to downtown restaurants, arts and shopping. Sale or rentals. Call for availability.

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Sea breezes provide convection cooling for the Ellises’ living room, flanked by screenedin porches and sliding-glass doors. One side overlooks Longboat Pass; the other, Jewfish Key wilderness.

YourObserver.com

6 home & garden

by Katie Hendrick | Community Editor

Opulent Estate

The living room is formal, but cozy. A gas fireplace heats the space, which looks out on Cà d’Zan.

The Young home includes three tiers of infinity pools: one for swimming, one for wading and one hot tub. Fountains and lights surround all three.

ROBERT YOUNG HOME 642 Ranger Lane The Robert Young home in Country Club Shores boasts practically every conceivable luxury: an elevator, exercise room, multiple wet bars, a home theater, cavernous closets, plush seating areas — even a few amenities most people wouldn’t imagine, such as two dishwashers for an outside kitchen and remotecontrolled window treatments, so you can wake up and enjoy a Sarasota Bay sunrise without leaving your bed.

The 7,000-square-foot estate was built for entertaining. It features four bedroom suites, each of which has a direct exit to the pool area, so guests needn’t tromp through the main living area in wet bathing suits. Three tiers of infinity pools, including a kiddie pool adorned with starfish and sea turtle mosaics, descend from a patio of tumbled marble.

Below that, two boat lifts, a kayak station and a Jet Ski station rest along the sea wall.

No detail was overlooked in the design of the Young home. Faux painting, achieved with sponges and rags, covers the formal living room’s walls, which lends a sense of texture and dimension. Cypress ceilings on outdoor patios evoke a sleek, yacht-club feel. Slidingglass doors include an ingenious trait, a reflective finish, allowing a panoramic view of Sarasota Bay, whichever way you look.

Photos by Rachel S. O’Hara

The Young home includes four bedroom suites. Two are located upstairs, along with a home theater, exercise space and game area.

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Cathy C. Meldahl

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STATELY STYLE

| FEBRUARY 2013

FEBRUARY 2013 | YourObserver.com

home & garden 7

A breakfast bar seats six people.

Vibrant wallpaper and a lavish mirror make maximum impact out of minimal space in this powder room, just outside the kitchen.

A butler’s closet provides ample space to tend bar during parties.

Above: A home theater includes steps with under lights controlled with a dimmer, just like a commercial theater. Seating includes a sofa and leather recliners.

Right: The master bedroom includes his and her bathrooms. “Her” bathroom includes a granitetopped vanity table, two sinks, a walk-in shower with multiple heads and a jet tub next to a bay window that looks out onto Sarasota Bay.

Two armchairs and a sofa make for a comfortable area to play board games. A chess table sits nearby.

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8 home & garden

PIECE OF PARADISE

by Katie Hendrick | Community Editor

Secluded Sanctuary

RICHARD PERLMAN HOME 5412 Sandhamn Place Twenty-one years ago, while bicycling, Richard Perlman spotted virgin bayside property near the mid-point of Longboat Key. A veteran vacationer at the time, Perlman knew the island’s many condominiums and subdivisions.

This spot, however, stood out.

“It suggested oneness with the environment,” Perlman says of the property enveloped with mangroves and cedars.

In 1992, he purchased a lot. Four years later, he moved into his “little piece of paradise” on Sandhamn Place.

Keeping “tranquility” top of mind, Perlman outfitted his home with elements that encourage lounging and playing.

Before his days get hectic, the Michael Saunders Realtor savors time on his “grotto,” a corner of his pool deck furnished with a cushioned loveseat and armchairs, where he watches dolphins swim as the sun rises. Just two or three yards away, a spiral staircase draped in night-blooming jasmine emits a soft, floral scent.

For a different viewpoint of the water, Perlman retreats to an indoor sitting room upstairs, which also extends to an outdoor deck. Here, tropical upholstery and safari-themed artifacts conjure images of a luxurious resort in an exotic land.

When not indulging in the sublime coastal vista, Perlman enjoys a little playtime. In lieu of a formal dining room, he has a billiards table he personally designed with fashionable details, such as gilded tassels on the pockets and a claw-and-ball design on the feet.

Richard Perlman’s kitchen includes sedna granite from Brazil, illuminated with rope lighting.

Perlman keeps a balalaika, a Russian instrument, on his mantle. It was the last gift he received from his mother.

Perlman, who has played the piano since he was 5, relishes tickling the ivories of this 100-year-old Steinway, a family heirloom.

| FEBRUARY 2013

“Curtis,” a Makishi dancer from Zimbabwe, welcomes guests to Perlman’s home.

Perlman keeps an antique brass billiard pocket, a family heirloom.

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FEBRUARY 2013 | YourObserver.com

home & garden 9

In inclement weather, Perlman retreats to his upstairs sitting room, adorned in tropical and exotic motifs, to relax and look out on the bay.

Above: Perlman’s kitchen opens into his family room and adjoins a billiard room. “Nothing formal here, but it’s warm and comfortable,” he says.

Right: Perlman bought this Amish rocking chair in Statesboro, N.C. Its “naturalness” attracted him.

Cushy patio chairs look out on Sarasota Bay. Perlman spends many mornings here watching dolphins swim while the sun rises.

Perlman personally designed his billiards table, which includes fringe on the pockets and claw-and-ball feet.

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10 home & garden

BLUES CLUES

by Katie Hendrick | Community Editor

Coastal Chic

A linen floral ottoman in the guest suite has a matching valance. Valerie Thackray chose it for its blue pattern.

To play up the view of palm trees, a swimming pool, lagoon and Sarasota Bay, Thackray used aquamarine and cocoa as her color scheme.

| FEBRUARY 2013

THACKRAY home 350 GMD, Penthouse Unit 223 Richard and Valerie Thackray’s Tangerine Bay penthouse home comes with a sublime view, which the couple accentuates with aplomb.

“When I first stepped in, my eye went straight out the window,” she says, gesturing to a palm tree, cerulean swimming pool, sapphire lagoon and cobalt bay. “I designed everything around that view, incorporating blues and cocoa into my décor, so the home seems like it flows right into the water.”

The flooring — pickled wood in the bedroom suites and wheatcolored porcelain tile with fallow swirls in the living room and dining areas — enhances the home’s feeling of lightness. Strategically placed mirrors flood these areas with maximum sunshine or moonlight.

Valerie Thackray, a jewelry designer who does “interior decorating on the side,” has a few mantras for creating a sophisticated, but inviting, ambience.

“Invest in neutrals for your main furnishings,” she says, which instantly make a room feel bigger, more chic and cleaner. Then, “to add color, dimension and personality,” play with accessories, which can be rotated with less effort and costs.

Finally, embrace a piecemeal approach.

“I love mixing custom-made items with pieces I find in stores,” she says.

“My intent was to make all the rooms flow into each other so our home felt open,” Valerie Thackray says.

Hydrangeas, one of Thackray’s favorite flowers, pull out the blue undertones in the Turkish tiles and bird portraits by her mantel.

Thackray purchased Turkish tiles, made of hand-cut crystals, from Architectural Salvage for her mantel piece. Like a snowflake, each tile is unique.

A guest suite, with views stretching from Lido Key to the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, includes a mini bar and bathroom.

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5434 Sandhamn Place Jim and Barbara Pappases’ tastes run a little more wild than your typical Longboat Key residents’.

“Nothing manicured” summed up their directions to their landscaper.

“We wanted a jungle, a place that felt free and open,” said Barbara Pappas.

They got it. Trees and flowers cloak their 1.5-acre yard. Among them: more than 15 types of palms, including coconut, sabal, traveler, fishtail, Chinese fan and pineapple. The palms mingle with ficus and buttonwood trees, along with other tropicals, such as hibiscus flowers, tea trees, crotons and bromeliads.

To ensure the garden is always in bloom, the Pappases had it landscaped in sections, so each season brings new buds, blossoms and seeds.

A 400-foot driveway guides guests through the jungle garden.

Walking paths branch off from the main path and invite visitors to meditate by a pond or lounge beneath a tiki hut. The hut, which overlooks a lagoon, accommodates many outdoor gatherings, be it for a crowd, or just the Pappases.

“It’s a great place to enjoy a drink,” Barbara Pappas said.

The Pappases, who spent many years in Manhattan, N.Y., and Connecticut, “always found the tropical look very alluring,” Jim Pappas said. During the years, the look has grown decidedly less exotic, but all the more like home.

INTO THE WILD

by Katie Hendrick | Community Editor

Jungle Garden

Hibiscus flowers bloom in the Pappases’ tropical sanctuary.

A cuddly monkey welcomes guests to the Pappases’ tiki hut.

Crotons brighten the Pappases’ front entrance.

Above: The tiki hut is a favorite spot to entertain.

Right: Footpaths leading to a lagoon and a pond branch off of the Pappases’ 400-foot-long driveway.

From several angles, the Pappases’ infinity pool seems to extend straight into Sarasota Bay.

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home & garden 11

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12 home & garden

| FEBRUARY 2013

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