Downtown Sarasota Apartment Embodies Metro Moxie

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“My art is in the edit,” says interior designer Aubrey O’Brien. “To me, designing a home is like painting, as it starts with a vision and then a layering of materials, textures, and color. It’s about knowing when to take a step back and when to stop.”

In the case of a 2,100-square-foot condo (with three bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a half bathroom) in downtown Sarasota, O’Brien and designer Soundous Benterki focused on creating a look that’s metropolitan and au courant but doesn’t forget its location on Florida’s Gulf Coast.

“I spent two days with the client in New York, where we visited showrooms, and he approved almost all of the furnishings on the spot,” she recalls. “The rest of the pieces were sourced from L.A. or custom fabricated for us.”

When she began work on the project, O’Brien was essentially handed over a white box. In order to channel a sense of calm and sophistication, she incorporated furnishings and light fixtures with architectural appeal, as well as rugs and artwork to warm up the living space. In the dining room, for instance, the focal point is a hanging pendant by Apparatus. With its triangular suspension and a solid brass frame, it immediately catches the eye. “It’s called Trapeze, and we liked that nod to the circus given Sarasota’s history with Ringling,” says O’Brien. “It’s a true conversation piece.”

Throughout the main living areas, wood flooring arranged in a herringbone pattern brings about an understated elegance. O’Brien says that her client saw similar floors in one of the New York showrooms they visited, sparking the idea: “He was first drawn to herringbone floors in a Paris apartment while he was traveling for work many years ago, and seeing them again brought him back to that particular point in time.” So in they went into the residence, albeit in a large-scale pattern for a contemporary touch.

To further personalize the unit, the design team opted for bespoke white oak cabinetry and shelving in the office. The centerpiece of this space is a photograph of still blue water by Jami Goldman. “It’s a smaller room, so having the perspective of the artwork really draws you in,” notes O’Brien. “Also, the built-ins and the sofa have the proportions of more imposing pieces, and we intentionally kept the same scale to make the space feel more sizable.”

As a whole, the apartment is true to O’Brien’s design intent: curated and refined with a laid-back vibe. “Nothing here tries too hard,” she says. “The floor-to-ceiling windows and 13-foot ceilings bring in great lighting, and the space has a natural urban-meets-coastal feel where one can’t help but be relaxed.”

Story Credits:

Interior Design by Aubrey O’Brien & Soundous Benterki, Aubrey O’Brien, Sarasota, FL

Builder Phillip Finnell, Finnell Construction Services, Brooksville, FL

Text by Mallory Jacobson

Photography by Ryan Gamma, Sarasota, FL

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