Originally published in Interior Appeal.

We worked with two long-term clients on this new home in Winter Park. The clients’ previous home, which I helped them to design approximately 12 years ago, had much more ornate interiors and furnishings, so in this home we tried to make the interiors more tailored and refined. We achieved this through elaborate, opulent accents, furnishings and lighting fixtures, for an entirely new and fresh interior.

Background on the Project

This was a brand new home in Winter Park. From initial design to completion of construction, the process lasted approximately three years.

In addition to making the home beautiful, it had to be livable, and the spaces had to function according to their usage. And beyond what you see on the surface, the home was designed with healthy and holistic living as a key objective.

Certain elements carry through the home. For example, we needed to consider aspects of feng shui, and we focused on limiting blue light emissions and electromagnetic energy. For this job, we had to do a bit more nontraditional research and talk with different consultants. We incorporated these holistic measures, but obviously the design had to also be beautiful, so finding a creative solution to all of that was important. We wanted it to be functional and to be healthy, but also be aesthetically pleasing.

This elegant, dramatic entry features a 25’ ceiling with a groin vault detail, custom fabricated stairway railing, an antique bronze chandelier, a beautifully hand painted Trompe l’oeil ceiling, and checkerboard limestone flooring.

Most of the furnishings were the clients own from the previous home, which have been recovered or repurposed for the new residence.

The dining room features a multilevel and hand painted tray ceiling with blush toned walls, silk and embroidered drapery panels, and a bronze and crystal chandelier.
 

The focal point of the room is the pedestal base slipper bathtub. Many clients are turning toward attention-grabbing bathtubs like this, as they are not only elegant but very functional. They’re much safer than drop in tubs with raised platform decking. Of note is the marble mosaic tile flooring in a classic pattern of intersecting spheres.

The clients’ kitchen features white custom cabinetry with an “antiqued” glazing. The counters are quartzite which has an appearance of marble but is much more dense and durable. The walnut hardwood flooring helps to offset the cabinetry.

This light and breezy guest bedroom features furniture imported from the client’s previous home that fits perfectly into the new home. We added airy window treatments and linens that complement the beautiful light in the space.

We chose two coordinating fabrics for this room: a floral drapery panel at the windows and bed skirt and a dragonfly coordinate at the roman shades.  The bedding is a beautiful reversible Matelassé, the perfect casual (and machine washable) fabric to finish the bed.