Inside an Idyllic Island Retreat in Boca Grande

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After years of visiting friends and admiring their homes up and down Gasparilla Island, one Midwestern couple finally decided to take the plunge and build their own at Boca Grande, a small residential community in the Lee County portion of the island. To steer them through this endeavor, they called on a team that had delivered for them before: Illinois architect Paul Konstant and interior designer Natalie Konstant (Paul’s daughter). The duo’s mission was to create a beachfront vacation escape that the clients could enjoy with their four adult children and, someday, their grandchildren.

Trust between the homeowners and the design team was established long before any construction work began. Paul has designed a good number of homes on Gasparilla (including his own), so he’s well versed in local rules and logistics, and the clients were already familiar with his work after they’d collaborated on properties in Illinois and Wisconsin. “There’s a similar feel to all of Paul’s houses even though they are all different,” says the wife. “They’re like little jewel boxes that are beautiful and reflective of the personality of the family they’re designed for.”

For their Florida getaway, the clients wanted a true island home. Or, as Paul puts it: “a house where you can kick off your shoes, walk on the sand outside, and be surrounded by materials that are conducive to that beachy environment.” They also wanted comfort for both them and the family and friends who visit regularly, so architect and designer ensured the home’s 4,710 square feet were fully versatile, with areas that completely open to the outdoors. 

Because this is a home where entertaining is common, the outdoor areas and those leading to the outdoors were given special consideration. Natalie opted for comfortable yet stylish seating groups that can easily be relocated or merely swiveled for conversation. The wife says one of the family’s favorite gathering spaces quickly became the rather large screened-in porch with its beautiful cypress ceiling: “That’s where we pretty much live.”

Wood, in both tone and texture, dominates much of the palette indoors. Engineered teak floors were chosen for durability (and with the family’s lovable but destructive black Labrador in mind). In the dining room, a custom table warms the area and alludes to the numerous gatherings that take place here, but getting it situated took a crane and some strategic brawn from more than a few workmen. In the kitchen, oak cabinets from Naples’ Ruffino Cabinetry provide an ideal contrast to the bright white nickel gap paneling.

As accents go, both the homeowners and the designer agreed that incorporating natural fibers such as sea grass and rattan, as well as shades of blue, would add the type of layering and personality the interior needed. “There’s something very California cool about the interiors, but they’ve also got a surf shack vibe thanks to the fringe on the chairs and the raw teak coffee table,” says Natalie. “It all just works together.”

While the home’s overall look may be difficult to pigeonhole into one theme, one thing is certain: This will be a family retreat for generations to come.

Story Credits:

Interior Design by Natalie Konstant, Natalie Konstant Interiors, Boca Grande, FL

Architecture by Paul Konstant, Konstant Architecture & Planning, Boca Grande, FL

Text by Riki Altman-Yee

Photography by Dustin Halleck, Berwyn, IL

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