Lake Park Home is a Labor of Love

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A few years after leaving the Gulf Coast for life on the other side of Florida, husband and wife Danny Tyler and Mori MacKenzie decided the Atlantic wasn’t for them after all. It was now or never, they figured, so the couple packed their bags and moved back west to their beloved Naples.

“We exclusively wanted to live in the downtown area,” says MacKenzie, an interior designer. “The Lake Park neighborhood especially appealed to us because it’s a vibrant niche of Old Florida in the heart of the city. Plus, it’s walkable to Old Naples and Fifth Avenue South, and not too far from the Naples Beach Club, which are our favorite spots.”

What ultimately cinched the deal on the location was Lake Park’s proximity to the Design District, a pocket filled with galleries, boutiques, restaurants and high-end design showrooms.

“I found one of the only properties available at the time,” says Tyler. “It was a narrow 7,000-square-foot, non-conforming lot grandfathered buildable because it once had a house on the property, a design challenge for any architect.”

After interviewing several architects, the couple opted to work with Michaela Henning, principal of HLevel Architecture. Henning’s passion, experience, success, and many esteemed awards for contemporary residential architecture drove the couple’s decision, which turned out to be spot-on. “From a cryptic floorplan that Danny had drawn to use as a starting point, Michaela was off and running,” says MacKenzie. “She came back to us with plans that exceeded our expectations regarding the use of space, function, light, and overall design aesthetics.”

The couple also collaborated with builder Paul Rokela of Rokela Development. After MacKenzie finalized the interior design specifications, ordering, and procurement, the project launched during the height of the COVID pandemic. The ultimate goal was to create a contemporary yet approachable home with simple, tranquil, and functional spaces, allowing the architecture to shine. Against a background of white interior walls, they introduced color, texture, and warmth through natural building materials, including wood cabinetry and stair treads, metal, glass, and polished porcelain.

“We worked closely with Mori on the interior design and finishes,” says Henning. “It was primarily her vision that guided the design, and we assisted in visualizing and translating those ideas into construction drawings. The design of the entry hall, the approach to the stairs, and the framed views to the exterior are all crafted with care and purpose.”

Each element of the 4,150-square-foot property was custom-designed and built—including outdoor spaces and special interior niches and displays for the owners’ art collection—to ensure a thought-through space. “The ‘H’ in HLevel stands for multiple words, one of which is holistic,” says Henning. “We do not separate architecture, landscape design, interior design, and sustainability in our projects. Instead, these different design elements intersect and come together as one cohesive vision.”

To save space and by personal choice, the couple opted to forgo popular home selections, including a free-standing tub, a pot filler, and a double oven. “Every day, I say I love our home,” says MacKenzie. “The house was designed for our enjoyment and not for resale consideration. We were extravagant in other aspects of the design and build, like the wildly unique front entrance and the custom architectural lighting, which was a passion for me coming into this project.”

Essential in embracing, guiding, and supporting MacKenzie’s lighting mission, Henning helped implement the dwelling’s state-of-the-art recessed downlighting and track lighting, both of which were installed before the drywall phase. “This project was especially gratifying because the clients trusted me with the design of their forever home,” says Henning. “That gave me the opportunity to fully unleash my creative potential.”

In addition to some small dinners and overnight visits from family and friends, the couple recently hosted their first large catered cocktail party. “I named it the whining party,” Tyler jokes, “and used the event to apologize for all my whining about building a house during a pandemic. Now, when friends ask what I like best about our home, I have to say I love all of it.”

Story Credits:

Interior Design by Mori Mackenzie, Naples, FL

Architecture by Michaela Henning, HLevel Architecture, Naples, FL

Builder Rokela Development, Naples, FL

Landscape Architecture Renfoe & Jackson, Naples, FL

Text by Jeanne Delathouder

Photography by Venjhamin Reyes, Miami, FL

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