Coastal Contemporary Sanctuary in Naples

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After years of traveling south to care for elderly family members in Naples, a feisty Northeastern couple found themselves falling in love with the town and its way of life. So when the duo retired from their jobs in government and education, they built a four-bedroom, six-bathroom coastal contemporary home where they could spend the rest of their years.

“They are art collectors, and really wanted a place where they could entertain,” says designer Lisa Davenport of LDD Interiors. “And this place was built for that. It’s one-floor, with barrier-free design and lots of wide-open spaces and great room-to-room flow. It would be great for big New Year’s Eve parties.”

But as keen as the couple was to forge a fresh start, they still wanted some style reminders of where they had been. They called on Davenport to deliver an interior that fused their urban sensibilities with their new, laid-back lifestyle.

“The couple wanted to bring in glitz and glamour, and a Northern palette,” Davenport says. “So it was tricky at times to make sure we were weaving together these styles in a way that worked.”

Throughout the home, the color palette looks like it has been plucked from a penthouse in New York City. Earthy browns and taupes mingle with creamy whites and pops of aqua, both grounding the rooms and tying them to the blue skies and nature outside. Stainless steel accents provide a cool, contemporary element, while walnut tabletops and cabinetry warm the spaces and give them a cozy, New England flair. The rooms are all architectural edges and effortless luxury, a blend that seems counterintuitive on paper, but in person makes total sense.

Consider the great room with its easy-but-modern brown leather furniture and clean-lined stainless steel tables that could hold anything from the latest bestseller, to a tray full of cocktails. A twisted wooden sculpture with a high-gloss finish, a turquoise chair, and other collectibles make the room an inviting place to entertain.

Although a mounted flat-screen television is there for an evening of Netflix on the reclining couch, glass doors open to offer easy access to the outdoor pool area and its evening breezes.

“One of the things I find in tropical climates is that people will try to fill every square inch of their pool enclosure with tile and stone,” Davenport says. Her solution was to make the area less stark, by bringing in greenery and wood, “so it would feel more New England–like.”

Inside, the large kitchen and dining room space is ideally designed for entertaining. A quartzite fusion counter on the kitchen island provides a chic focal point for the space, while comfortable black leather barstools ground the room and offer a comfortable perch for wine-drinking guests.

“These are some of the most comfortable barstools,” Davenport says. “One of the clients said that the chairs had to pass the ‘fanny test,’ meaning they had to be a place where you would feel comfortable sitting all evening at that counter. And they passed. They have just the right amount of cushion and pitch.”

Cool blue hues from the kitchen countertop were pulled into the dining room, and a contemporary walnut table and chairs and simple black light fixture combined to provide an elegant place to enjoy a meal.

The main house has one comfortable master suite, and two guest rooms with en suite baths. As a practical matter, there is a casita that Davenport said could eventually be used as a caretaker’s quarters.

After eighteen months of work, Davenport was ready for the reveal. The style was her signature cashmere and blue jeans, she said, or a considered mix of polished and rustic, refined and easy, organic and chic.

“It’s not ultra contemporary, it’s not traditional,” she explains. “It’s a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll.”

The clients loved what they saw.

“As they looked at everything, all the details, it was really rewarding for me to see the looks on their faces,” Davenport says. “After all, it is their forever home.”

Story Credits: 

Interior Design by Lisa Davenport, LDD Interiors, Naples, FL

Builder Scott Kish, KTS Homes, Naples, FL

Landscape Architect Environmental Design Studio, Naples, FL

Text by Paige Bowers

Photography by Diana Todorova, Estero, FL

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