A
True Retreat
For an interior designer who is working with
a new client, the first step in the design process is getting to know
the homeowners’ likes and dislikes. When a designer and a pair of
homeowners have been collaborating for a long time however, the designer
develops an intimate knowledge of his clients’ tastes. He can recognize
the perfect furniture and accessories, and he knows how to encourage his
clients to consider updated looks and fresh color palettes while still
staying true to their personalities and lifestyle. For Jan and Bob Donley,
who have worked with Norris Furniture and Interiors designer Dirk Anderson
for more than 20 years, the result of their latest project together is
a Southwest Florida home that is a true retreat.
The Donleys, who have a home in Ashland, Ohio, spent 16 years on Florida’s
East coast before deciding they preferred the quieter lifestyle of Southwest
Florida. A friend suggested they look at North Naples’ Audubon Country
Club, a golf-course community. There they found a previously owned Arthur
Rutenberg-built estate home. To make it their own, they turned to Anderson,
who, among other projects with the couple, had designed their home in
Ashland.
Anderson’s challenge was to take an existing home and stylishly
upgrade it, while incorporating the soft color palettes and soft contemporary
feel that the Donleys like. Frequent entertainers, the Donleys, who live
in Naples nine months of the year, are regularly visited by their three
children and six grandchildren from Ohio, and they also needed room for
family and friends to gather, as well as places where visitors could retreat.
The result is a contemporary, West Indies influenced design in which soothing
neutrals are balanced with splashes of color and intriguing accents. Anderson’s
design respects the classic architecture of the home while also taking
advantage of its abundant natural light.
Working with the Donleys is a pleasure, Anderson says. “Because
we know one another so well, it’s easy to find the right pieces
for them. Both he and Mrs. Donley like an eclectic blend of furnishings,
and the two often look for pieces together, saying “yes,”
“no,” and “maybe” with one mind.
Color was one area in which they didn’t think alike. “Anything
but red and black,” had been Mrs. Donley’s direction to Anderson
for two decades. In this home, though, the movement of natural light throughout
the house gave the interior a warmth that could be complemented by warm
colors or make a dramatic statement through the use of black.
In the living room, Mrs. Donley’s black baby grand piano provides
a centerpiece for a striking design in ivory, cream and black. The stone
floor is softened by a Tibetan rug in black and celadon, and such bold
touches as a bronze cocktail table and the intricate metalwork of the
staircase are balanced by soothing neutrals, including the celadon vases
that accent the mantle of the two-sided fireplace.
Anderson and Mrs. Donley share a laugh over her “anything but red
and black” statement. “As it turned out, we have ended up
using a fair amount of both,” Anderson says.
The red is in the family room, which Anderson calls the Donleys’
“first foray into color.” It isn’t a true red, but a
brick-toned sofa and chair fabric that is a natural fit with the warm
woods and oak floors that tie together the family room, kitchen and breakfast
nook. The color scheme was born when Anderson and Mrs. Donley found another
Tibetan rug, this one in ivory and green-gold with a tropical pattern
in brick tone. Together they also found the gold chenille that covers
the lounge chairs. Anderson says, “All of these upholstered pieces
let you sink in for extreme comfort.” A suede lamp shade and leather
lamp base provide a rugged contrast to the room’s softer accents.
In the breakfast nook, between the kitchen and family room, Anderson placed
a table large enough to accommodate the Donleys’ family and friends.
He updated the kitchen with new appliances and granite countertops and
replaced a tile backsplash with warm tumbled stone.
“The Donleys have always been great entertainers, and they have
made changes to the kitchen to help with that,” Anderson says.
Entertaining also spills outdoors, to the terrace, where Mr. Donley can
man an outdoor kitchen done in the home’s neutral color palette.
A motorized awning allows the Donleys to cover part of the terrace, reinforcing
the home’s blend of indoor and outdoor space.
A balcony in the home’s spacious guest suite overlooks the pool
and terrace. With an adjoining relaxation loft, the suite occupies the
home’s second floor. Here, too, Anderson introduced color, with
beige and biscuit tones accented by brick and gold.
“This is a large space, and the red gives a warmth to the room,”
Anderson says. The Hickory Chair bed is dressed in biscuit, with accent
pillows that pick up the brick tones of the tapestry area rug and cozy
reading nook. A wet bar in the room provides maximum convenience, and
a Henredon chest from Norris and a unique built-in wardrobe give guests
ample storage options. Indonesian carvings on the wardrobe and Indonesian
side tables add to the sense of the room as an exotic retreat.
A few Indonesian totems carry the theme of the guest suite into the adjacent
loft, but here Anderson and the Donleys opted for a purely neutral color
palette to maximize the space. The home’s staircase opens onto the
loft, which Anderson calls “a unique space that needed to be addressed
in a unique way.” The room’s angles might have made finding
furnishings a challenge, but the sofa fits exactly into it. “A few
larger, comfortable pieces, rather than smaller clutter, fit the need
of the space,” Anderson explains.
Other guest rooms on the home’s first floor also use warm accents
to introduce a sense of tropical flair. But in the Donleys’ cool-toned
master suite, Anderson introduced a soft seaglass to complement Mrs. Donley’s
beloved creams and taupes. The burled-olive wood bed, from Norris’
popular Theodore Alexander line of furnishings, is dressed in a quilted
seaglass-and-tan bedspread which is complemented by luxurious Henredon
fabrics, striped pillows made of Jim Thompson silks and silk striped drapery
in seaglass and shade of tan and gray. “I love it,” Mrs. Donley
says of the soft color.
The cool serenity of the master bedroom is continued in the suite’s
spacious master bath. A neutral palette maximizes the space of the room,
the centerpiece of which is a sunken tub. A window beside the tub allows
natural light into the room when not in use but could prevent privacy
challenges. When the Donleys bought the home, the window blinds had to
be pulled down manually, but Anderson introduced a motorized shade with
controls stored in the bathroom vanity.
Such nods to comfort and convenience are appreciated by the Donleys. Separate
studies for Mr. and Mrs. Donley reflect their tastes, hers in a completely
neutral palette and his a masculine retreat whose leather chair includes
a matching ottoman for the Donleys’ five-year-old Shih Tzu, Tassy.
Anderson also appreciates his “remarkable working relationship”
with the couple. “They’re very easy to communicate with,”
he says. “We have few problems, and if there is a snag, we find
the best way to get through it.”
The Donleys’ relationship with Anderson is a reflection of their
own warm and welcoming personalities. “He’s so much fun, and
we’ve worked together for so long,” Mrs. Donley says of Anderson.
“He’s like one of the family now.”
The Norris design staff is experienced at working with budgets of any
size, and will tailor a plan for each customer’s individual style.
Complimentary design services and the convenience of in-home design assistance
for customers also are offered. Design seminars are offered throughout
the year.
Norris Furniture & Interiors
5015 Tamiami Trail North
Naples, FL 34103
239 649-5151
14181 South Tamiami Trail
Fort Myers, FL 33912
14125 South Tamiami Trail
South Fort Myers, FL 33912
239 433-3633
www.norrisfurniture.com
Written by Melissa Neal
Photography by Doug Thompson Photo Inc.
