Scaling Up the Glamour in Naples

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Danielle Weener was just along for the ride when she accompanied her sister on a Naples househunting outing. Nevertheless, she found the home she didn’t know she was looking for. 

An Atlanta transplant, Weener says she didn’t realize she was craving change until she saw the newly-built, 3,700-square-foot coastal contemporary cottage. “I went home and told my husband, ‘We’re getting a new house,’” Weener says. “And we did! It’s bright and beachy modern—so different from our larger Spanish Colonial revival—and that was the appeal.” 

Enter Traci Rhoads, an Atlanta-based designer who had worked on three other homes for the Weeners in Atlanta. “Their Atlanta home was about 10,000 square feet, very formal with crystal chandeliers, dark wood, and deeper colors,” Rhoads says. “This project was way more casual, yet had to have a glam factor, because that’s very Danielle.” 

“Traci really listens and delivers,” says Danielle. “I trust her, even when I need convincing.”

The two-story home has  all the charm of Old Naples  architecture—but reinterpreted, with generous proportions and a sleek, open concept interior. The soaring 27-foot high ceilings called for a designer with a precise knowledge of proportions. Since Rhoads always sketches every room with the furniture to scale, the project was well within her skill set. “We went to the Atlanta Decorative Arts Center and Danielle saw a shimmery, three-foot high chandelier in a showroom window,” says Rhoads. “I had to have it,” exclaims Weener (but, keeping scale in mind, Rhoads ordered the five-foot version). That same day they found the dining room table. “Danielle saw it and lost her mind over it,” says Rhoads.

Once the biggest, most impactful pieces were chosen, Rhoads says the rest of the interior fell effortlessly into place. The homeowners have kids, dogs, and guests galore—so durable materials and fabrics were a must. “We entertain a lot,” says Weener. “It’s usually cocktails with a few other couples and always big dinners with family, including five kids, since my sister lives nearby.” She adds: “We have food and drinks everywhere. So much of our living [is done] outdoors, where we have about 2,000 square feet.”

The jumping off point for the downstairs interior’s color scheme came from a photo of a chandelier that Weener had saved for several years. “It’s whimsical, yet elegant with draped strings of wood turquoise beads,” says Rhoads. “It didn’t work in her other homes, but it was the perfect casual glam for this kitchen.”

For Rhoads, that kind of open client communication across projects makes things fun—and successful. “We have a great chemistry,” she says of Weener. “I love that my projects all have things unique to that person’s home. That’s what keeps me so excited going from one project to the next.” 

Story Credits:

Interior Design by Traci Rhoads, Traci Rhoads Interiors, Atlanta, GA

Architecture by MHK Architecture & Planning, Naples, FL

Builder Waterside Builders, Naples, FL

Landscape Architecture by Horticare Landscape Services, Naples, FL

Text by Daisy Olivera

Photography by Galina Coada, Atlanta, GA

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