Restful Naples Retreat Feels Like Paradise

Sophisticated Florida vacation vibes set a tone of convivial elegance in a Naples spec home

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If location is indeed the first rule of real estate, then a newly constructed home built on speculation near the legendary Naples Beach Club is set to be a winner. The 6,000-square-foot residence on South Golf Drive was designed to be a restful retreat. With just two paint colors and a proliferation of woods and other natural textures, interior designer Megan Hickman of Freestyle Interiors set out to create a “a different home for Naples with an organic feel and warm tones.”

Hickman is a transplant from Chicago, and this is the first home she’s designed in Florida, so she approached the task as someone moving to the subtropics in need of a reinvention would have. The designer opted for a backdrop of creamy whites, woven textiles, and contemporary geometric motifs, and avoided any of the clichés associated with coastal design. 

To illustrate what she means, the designer points to the grass-cloth mural in the dining room. Inset into traditional cabinetry in a rich, dark brown finish, the artwork alludes to the outdoors with a feathery drape of foliage framing an impressionistic waterscape. A quick turn of the gaze brings in the reality of the outdoors through expansive glass doors that open to invite an easy flow for entertaining. Inside and out, the color palette is very similar. “We are saying we are in Florida, and we’re near the water,” explains Hickman, “but that doesn’t mean everything has to be blue.”

Throughout the residence, warmth is imparted by the golden hues of the hardware, lighting fixtures, and wood tones—from the European oak floors to the high-lacquer burl dining table to seating with airy caning. Warmth also found its way to the kitchen. At first glance, the space tells a clean white story. Yet, with the addition of the oak on the island, refrigerator and freezer doors, bar stools, and open shelving in the service kitchen, the space avoids any notions of cold minimalism. 

The home’s six bedrooms were brought to life with plenty of textures to keep things interesting. One guest room features horizontal woodwork evoking an elevated cottage coziness, while another introduces soft colors on the wallpaper behind the headboard. In this latter suite, a mounted rattan swing gives a playful bird’s-eye view of the pool below. 

In select spaces, Hickman opted for bolder color schemes. The office, for instance, plays with black lines. The cabana bath leans into the geometric via tilework. And the powder room offers an ocean dive with under-the-sea themed wallpaper that brings the space to life.

The design team kept the home’s ceilings light in color and paid careful attention to the lighting throughout with flush-mounted fixtures and sconces installed at eye level. “To get good light, you really need the light near the eye,” says Hickman. “It helps with the scale of the room.”   

The second-story den offers visiting guests a place to unwind without coming into the home’s more formal spaces. Every texture here is soft—a plush sectional sofa is perfect for curling up with a book, as is a maroon velvet chair, a heavy color and material for a Florida home, but one that works nonetheless.

“The home was designed to make its eventual homeowners feel like they are in a welcoming five-star resort,” says Hickman. “As I see it, that’s what living in Florida is all about.” 

Story Credits:

Interior Design by Megan Hickman, Freestyle Interiors, Bonita Springs, FL

Text by Kelley Marcellus

Photography by Venjhamin Reyes, Miami, FL

Open to see Interior Design Sources:

Sources

Back Exterior

Wicker chairs and lounges – Four Hands, Austin, TX

Accent table – Four Hands, Austin, TX

Pool designed by Windham Studio, Bonita Springs, FL, and fabricated by Custom Pools of Naples, Naples, FL 

Entry

Bench – Arteriors Home, arteriorshome.com

Console – Gabby, gabby.com

Pendant lighting – Regina Andrews, Detroit, MI

Sconces – Visual Comfort & Co., High Point, NC

Living Room

White sofa – Burton James, City of Industry, CA

Brown sofa – Rowe Furniture, rowefurniture.com

Club chairs – Century Furniture, High Point, NC

Cocktail table – Villa and House, High Point, NC

Round side table – Noir Furniture, High Point, NC

Side table – Four Hands, Austin, TX

Lighting – Visual Comfort & Co., High Point, NC

Floor lamps – Lamps Plus, lampsplus.com

Area rug – Jaipur Living, jaipurliving.com

Kitchen

Cabinetry designed by Megan Hickman, Freestyle Interiors, Bonita Springs, FL, and fabricated by AlliKriste, Naples, FL

Stools – Palecek, High Point, NC 

Lighting – Visual Comfort & Co., High Point, NC

Dining Area

Table – RH, rh.com

Chairs – Four Hands, Austin, TX

Lighting – Visual Comfort & Co., High Point, NC

Wall cabinetry – AlliKriste, Naples, FL

Wallcovering – Phillip Jeffries, philipjefferies.com

Sitting Room

Sofa and chair – Rowe Furniture, rowefurniture.com

Cocktail ottoman – Four Hands, Austin, TX

Area rug – Loloi Rugs, Dallas, TX

Powder Room

Sink counter – Kohler, kohler.com 

Sconces – Visual Comfort & Co., High Point, NC

Wallcovering – Scalamandre, scalamandre.com

Office

Desk – Four Hands, Austin, TX

Chair – Four Hands, Austin, TX

Side chairs – Four Hands, Austin, TX

Ceiling lighting – Visual Comfort & Co., High Point, NC

Desk lamp – Uttermost, High Point, NC

Area rug – Lulu and Georgia, luluandgeorgia.com

Primary Bathroom

Cabinetry – AlliKriste, Naples, FL

Bench – Vanguard Furniture, Conover, NC

Mirrors – Mirror Home, Commerce, CA

Sconces – Visual Comfort & Co., High Point, NC

Primary Bedroom

Bed and headboard – Vanguard Furniture, Conover, NC

Bedside table – Vanguard Furniture, Conover, NC

Lamp – Four Hands, Austin, TX

Chandelier – Palecek, High Point, NC

Ottomans at foot of bed – Four Hands, Austin, TX

Chair – Four Hands, Austin, TX

Decorative lounge – Four Hands, Austin, TX 

Drink table – Four Hands, Austin, TX

Round chandelier – Palecek, High Point, NC

Throughout

Architecture – Falcon Design, Naples, FL

Builder – Equinox Construction Group, Naples, FL

Landscape architect – Windham Studio, Bonita Springs, FL

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