Color Crush in Old Naples Home

1 of 15

The pleasantly familiar scent of salt air drifts into the pool area of a family home that sits within walking distance of the beach near Old Naples. A small-town community with upscale restaurants, polished boutiques, and plenty of walkable streets, the enviable location offered them a perfect fit. With 7,300 square feet and multiple bedrooms segmented and separated far enough from each other, the home’s floor plan proved ideal for a family with kids both in high school and college. The center of the house boasts a dramatic two-story great room that opens to the dining space, kitchen, and outdoor living areas. As a bonus, a cabana above the garage makes an incredible private hideaway for the kids when they get home from school or for friends and family when they visit.

“The clients bought this home after it was built and hired us to come in and elevate the design,” says Amanda Lantz, who partners with her father, interior designer and fine artist Barry Lantz, at their studio, A. Lantz Design and their Naples shop, Lantz Collective. “This included some creative architectural features, as well as furnishings, fabrics, finishes, rugs, and artwork.”

The design duo’s first step was to establish the scope of the new construction work—a key focus being the two-story great room. To tame the dramatic space and create a sense of warmth, they rendered a series of drawings introducing white panels centered with powder-blue wallcoverings. Their intention was to visually connect the ceiling to the floor. Additionally, they opted to remove the upper cabinets in the bar area, change the countertops, and add floating shelves for a more weightless effect. For continuity, they designed a new fireplace mantle from the same stone used at the bar. They also created a built-in desk for the study/sitting room to give the homeowners a workplace that felt architecturally united with the space. In addition, the upstairs loft houses a custom-designed turquoise leather-covered desk for guests and anyone needing a quiet workspace. New wallcoverings, draperies, updated tile, cabinetry hardware, decorative lighting, and fresh paint colors brought all the finishing touches.

Once they mapped out a design path for the construction, the Lantz team brought in Big Island Builders, which had initially built the home. “The bones of this house are excellent,” notes Amanda. “It just made sense to pull them back in to ensure a cohesiveness with the additional layers.” To create a well-balanced mix of textiles and furnishings, the designers curated a selection of fabrics and rugs they felt would achieve the desired aesthetic

for the project—transitional with a touch of Palm Beach and big on color. One of the first items they found and fell in love with was a vibrant green rug for the living area. It inspired the great room’s design and brought a fantastic texture and scale, enhancing the space’s grand proportions and soaring ceiling. Throughout the home, they incorporated cool blue tones and partnered them with other colors to create a unique design aesthetic befitting Naples’ coastal allure.

“The clients have lived with a lot of neutrals in previous homes, so they decided to embrace more color and pattern—a bit scary because it’s a big change,” adds Amanda. “But thankfully, this couple had fun with it, which gave us the freedom to create something special for them. As a designer, it’s always enjoyable when the client spends time helping define the direction of the project upfront.”

Because the clients were already living in the home, the designers aimed to complete the project in six months. This required special attention to lead times while quickly orchestrating a plan for every space. Custom-designed upholstered pieces were expedited by a preferred source in Texas that the designers frequently use. Insider access to Barry Lantz’s gallery of original artwork, plus a partnership with the Krakow Witkin Gallery in Boston, offered the owners an extra bonus when looking for artful accent pieces. A self-taught painter, Barry combines his passion for design and art with abstract works emanating his avant-garde approach to stunning scenic landscapes. Sprinkled throughout the home, his paintings amplify the vibrant palette inside and out. A case in point is an eye-catching piece over the outdoor fireplace that immediately denotes wow factor. 

“The owners have a wonderful family that is always running here, there, and everywhere, it seems,” says Amanda. “This project gave us an opportunity to design something really fun with color and pattern—a bespoke design that reflects their lifestyle. The space works well when everyone is home, but it also has a charm and warmth about it when the kids are away at college and school, and it’s just the husband and wife at home.”

Story Credits: 

Interior Design by Amanda Lantz & Barry Lantz, A. Lantz design, Naples, FL

Builder Big Island Builders, Naples, FL

Text by Jeanne de Lathouder

Photography by Nathan Schroder, Dallas, TX

Open to see Interior Design Sources: