Sometimes, interior designers are asked to think outside the box. Molly Grup, senior designer at Ficarra Design Associates, was asked to do just that when designing this Naples home. Her clients requested a design scheme that incorporated bold color, relaxed beachy elements, new pieces, and even an antique or two in a home that needed to be perfect for entertaining.
“I love to go above and beyond, creatively, for my clients,” says Grup. “This was a very special design and it really looks unique compared to other projects I have completed.”
Grup was already familiar with the homeowners after previously working with them on a spec home she designed.
“I saw some really colorful art pieces that the clients brought into the home, and it gave me a good idea of where they wanted to take this new space,” she says.
“They love to entertain and really enjoy playing cards. A club room was created, complete with custom card table, and an outdoor entertaining space with areas for dining and after-dinner conversation,” Grup continues.
The clients chose BCB Homes — who had estate-managed the couple’s former home — to build their four-bedroom, six-bath, 5,400-square-foot home, just across the street. BCB Homes and Ficarra Design Associates worked closely on this endeavor.
“This couple wanted a custom home for themselves and their guests, with plenty of room to entertain. Their main area of interest was a large outdoor living area,” says Scott Weidle, chief operating officer of BCB Homes.
The builder, the architect, and the interior designer all came to weekly team meetings, which the clients attended, where ideas were shared by everyone.
“We sparked creatively off each other and the homeowners valued our openness, so the collaboration really came to life,” says Weidle.
Grup agrees, “We started the project with a couple of walls of shiplap, and the clients loved it so much, we added the detail to the staircase, wine cellar, and behind the club room television. I became good friends with the trim carpenter, who stayed on-site for months!”
BCB Homes followed the brilliant architectural plans by architects Randall Stofft and John Cooney, partners at Stofft Cooney Architects, who had worked with these clients previously.
Having designed their previous home, Cooney understood their tastes and knew that an Old Florida-style home, with lots of porches and verandas, was important to them. In addition to a large outdoor living space, they also wanted more interior space for amenities.
“The home is light, bright, and open, perfect for entertaining,” Cooney continues. “The interior flows all around the bar and wine room, and the outside flows around the pool, with porches wrapped around the house. The plan turned out wonderfully.”
The homeowners wanted a more casual entry without adding a massive stairway, according to John Cooney of Stofft Cooney Architects, who was presented with the challenge of elevating the dwelling with more risers than one would typically want aesthetically. Working with the landscape designer, Cooney designed a retaining wall to mitigate the vertical height and finish the floors five feet above the roads’ crown. “We didn’t want it to feel cold,” says Scott Weidle of BCB Homes. “We used a traditional wood railing and radius detailing usually found on historic homes.”
Interior designer Molly Grup based the home’s color palette on a Kravet chevron fabric in tangerine, chartreuse, and teal, shown here on the sofa’s toss pillow. The large ceiling detail of white polar and stained European oak beams echo that of the foyer’s and stands out from the whitewash pecky cypress surrounding it. The television wall features shiplap detailing, otherwise known as “nickel gap,” because, as Grup confirms, a nickel could slip perfectly between the boards.
The mahogany front door is framed by a U-shaped transom and opens to the foyer. Light is reflected from the Visual Comfort iron and weathered wood pendant hung from the ceiling detail, which conveniently hides air conditioning vents. Linen blend cushions in aqua and lime green Robert Allen Design fabric adorn a wooden settee and introduce the home’s tropical color palette.
“We started the project with a couple of walls of shiplap,” says Grup, “And the clients loved it so much we added the detail to the staircase, wine cellar, and behind the club room television.” The graceful staircase, which showcases some of the home’s beautiful trim work, has treads stained in dark walnut. Next to it, a glass-enclosed, climate-controlled wine room stores the owners’ impressive collection.
The floating ceiling above the kitchen island replicates one the owners had in their previous house, with the addition of a whitewashed pecky cypress ceiling for a rustic look. Metal and seeded glass pendants from Low Country Originals hang from the ceiling. The bleached walnut island, with white quartz countertop, offers seating at Vanguard stools, covered in Crypton fabric in a gray-washed Foundry finish for ease of cleaning.
The clients were drawn to the carved wooden base of the Old Biscayne Design table for their dining room. The same type of Vanguard chairs were used by the owners in their previous home. Here they offer seating for eight, with soft coral Robert Allen Design fabric for the side chairs and Thibaut striped fabric on the host chairs. Pocketing glass doors open to the outdoor family room, with its white oak stained beams, vaulted tongue-and-groove ceiling, and gas fireplace clad in Tabby concrete.
The master bedroom has its own ceiling detail of vaulted pecky cypress. The four-poster Bernhardt bed of solid wood with metal corners and a woven sea grass headboard bring texture to the room. A chair-and-a-half chaise lounge, covered in the softest aqua chenille fabric by Kravet, offers a perfect spot for reading and a painted Hickory White chest under the television houses remotes after a night of binge-watching.
Elegant and classic, this master bath has a waterjet micro mosaic floral floor of Carrara, Lady Grey, and Mugwort marble from Ruben Sorhegui Tile. Antique-inspired wall-mounted faucets from Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery sparkle under a pair of mirrors and nickel-and-linen sconces by Visual Comfort Lighting.
Custom-bleached walnut cabinetry provides a refreshing contrast with the dark flooring in this convenient bar, located between the kitchen and the great room. The cabinetmaker designed the circular glass at the top of the cabinets, adding a nautical touch. Shiplap acts as a backsplash behind a hammered metal sink and polished nickel faucet from Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery.
When designing the outdoor living area, Cooney first determined the pool placement so that it would receive southwestern sun. The rest of his design flowed around that decision. The homeowners can entertain for days under covered lanais. For the outdoor dining room, Grup chose seating for eight at a teak dining table with pewter-toned aluminum chairs and aqua Sunbrella cushions from Woodard Furniture. The adjacent outdoor family room includes a curved sofa and recliners from Woodard Furniture with textured Sunbrella cushions.
Written by Kitt Walsh
Photography by Lori Hamilton
Architect
Stofft Cooney Architects
111 10th Street South, Suite 308
Naples, FL 34102
239.262.7677
stofftcooney.com
Luxury Home Builder
BCB Homes
3696 Enterprise Avenue, Suite 100
Naples, FL 34104
239.643.1004
bcbhomes.com
Interior Designer
Ficarra Design Associates
633 Tamiami Trail North, Suite 200
Naples, FL 34102
239.643.3450
ficarradesignassociates.com
Resources:
Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery
38 Goodlette-Frank Road South
Naples, FL 34102
239.963.0087
fergusonshowrooms.com
Ruben Sorhegui Tile
3876 Mercantile Avenue
Naples, FL 34104
239.643.2882
sorheguitile.com
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