Table of contents for Volume 31-2 in Florida Design – Digital Edition

TEXT WRITER NAME Maria Sharapova’s storied tennis career has taken her all over the world. Sure, she’s brought home titles and championships, but along the way she has also developed a love for design—reflected in her new furniture partnership with Rove Concepts (roveconcepts.com). “This collection was born out of my passion for design and inspired by my love of art and architecture,” Sharapova says. “My first-ever home collection pays homage to my life as an athlete, designer, art enthusiast, and entrepreneur.”…

Featuring 45 acres of bayfront sanctuaries, the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens connect people with the power of native Floridian nature. Established by forward thinking women of their time, Selby Gardens is composed of two campuses—one in downtown Sarasota and another at nearby Historic Spanish Point. If you’re an orchid enthusiast, don’t miss the downtown campus. With a living collection of more than 6,000 orchids, it’s the only botanical garden in the world dedicated to the study and conservation of epiphytes—or air plants—like orchids, bromeliads, gesneriads, and ferns. With its Sarasota bayfront setting, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens is a living museum offering visitors a tropical urban oasis. Make it a family affair and let the kids play in the Children’s Rainforest Garden—complete with a waterfall, swinging bridges, caves, and an adventure…

A NEW-TO-PALM-BEACH family fell in love with a neglected, 1930s-era residence built by local architecture icon John L. Volk and decided to give it some tender loving care. To realize their vision, they hired interior designer Scott Sanders and architect Harold Smith to take this diamond in the rough and polish it into a bright island gem, perfect for entertaining family and friends. “Today, so many people are moving to Palm Beach,” Sanders said. “They’re buying old houses and restoring them, and to me that is wonderful because the architecture here is so incredible. This particular house had not been renovated since a partial update in the late 1990s, and we wanted to be able to integrate modern elements like an open kitchen, game room, wine room, and coffee bar…

IN ADDITION TO ENJOYING their vacation home in the Florida Keys, one couple decided to fully embrace their Floridian footprint by purchasing a primary residence in Vero Beach. “I knew the owners through a recommendation to design their Islamorada vacation retreat,” interior designer, author, and home makeover television personality Libby Langdon says. “They were living in New Zealand at the time, so I created the design long distance…we emailed and spoke on the phone, but never met in person.” Upon deciding to buy this 4,500-square-foot Vero Beach home, the couple once again turned to Langdon for her expertise—but this time they actually got to meet face-to-face. “The design process was so much fun working one-on-one with the homeowners,” Langdon says. Family fun and function define the home’s interior, which is…

Providenciales, the main island in the Turks & Caicos archipelago, is blessed with an abundance of rocky coves, coral reefs, and turquoise waters so clear you can see the scales on the fish swimming about. It’s some of the most dramatic scenery in the Caribbean, which is why Aman Resorts International chose Providenciales (locally known as Provo) for its quintessential island retreat, Amanyara. Located at the edge of a 18,000-acre nature preserve and overlooking the waters of North West Point Marine National Park, Amanyara is surrounded by coastal beauty. When charged with designing a resort on this unique location, architect Jean-Michel Gathy of Denniston was certain of one thing: Buildings had to integrate seamlessly with the outdoors, offering every luxury while complementing—not overwhelming—the landscape. Gathy’s minimalist, transparent design is expressed…

With a portfolio of more than 100 brands (and nearly 9,000 feet of showroom space), Judith Norman Outdoor Living adds to the reputation that the family owned and operated Judith Norman Collection has built since 1985. FD spoke with David Fine, vice president of Judith Norman’s 45,000-square-foot showroom located in the South Florida Design Park to get his take on trends in alfresco design. Q What trends are leading the way for outdoor living in 2021? A Due to the pandemic, homeowners have recognized that their outdoor space is an extension of their interiors—and a safe place to host family and friends. What is becoming extremely popular are umbrellas, day beds, and low dining—sofas, love seats, or lounge chairs paired with a lowered dining table. Q Modular entertaining is having a…

WHAT DO YOU DO IF YOU’VE built your dream house, only to realize that you need a space that better reflects your age and lifestyle? For a single and younger-than-typical retiree who built a 3,100-square-foot, Charleston-style residence near her family in Atlantic Beach, selling wasn’t the answer. When her mother convinced her that an interior design refresh would help her see her home—and herself—in a new sophisticated light, the trick was finding the right designer for the job. Mothers know just what their children need. And in this case, the client’s mother knew her daughter would need a design team with which she could feel comfortable. It wasn’t just about letting strangers inside of her house. It was about having them working around her three beloved rescue dogs, all of…

Set on Tampa’s Riverwalk in a Water Works pumping station circa 1903, Ulele (pronounced you-lay-lee) offers history that goes back even further—to the native people who inhabited the area for 600 to 800 years before encountering Spanish explorers in the 1500s. “Ulele features food that the Tocobaga tribe and other local Native Americans would have grown, caught, or raised—filtered through generations of other cultures and countries,” says Richard Gonzmart, President of Columbia Restaurant Group. While the focus is on indigenous dishes, the space is filled with art from Richard and Melanie Gonzmart’s vast private collection. Outside, the grounds include a beer garden and brewhouse, as well as a natural spring that empties into a lagoon. The centerpiece is a fire-ringed oversized bronze likeness of Ulele, the mythic Native American princess…

WHEN A PHILANTHROPIC NEW YORK couple relocated permanently to Florida, they fell in love with the newly developed Surf Club residences in Surfside, Miami. The wife was drawn to the impeccably restored 1930s Surf Club with its Mediterranean Revival vibe as well as the Richard Meier towers, which house the Surf Club’s private residences and Four Seasons Hotel. The final sell was the property’s serene beachfront acreage, just north of Miami Beach’s high-octane atmosphere. The 5,500-square-foot apartment boasts 2,200 square feet of patio space, which overlooks both the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay. Of course, it went unsaid that her longtime friend and collaborator, David Scott, would design and curate the new space. Over the course of their 25-year friendship, Scott had designed the couple’s former Manhattan apartment, their home…

WHEN HUSBAND AND WIFE design team Zane and Emily Williams were tapped to create a Winter Park client’s dream home, they started in familiar territory—their own abode. “She had seen our projects and loved the style of our home,” says Zane. So, the Williams set to work on the three-bedroom home that mixes Miami color with Alys Beach cool. Inside, the home is appointed with a curated collection of eclectic and colorful art and furnishings that reflect the owners’ vibrant personalities. In the living room, a cool mix of colors permeates the space; its combination of blues and greens foster a mood of serenity. With entertaining in mind, the design team chose an oversized U-shaped sectional from Moss Studio and swathed it in the comfort of deep navy Italian velvet. Backing…

AFTER TWO YEARS OF HOUSE HUNTING, a wrong turn ultimately led George and Jamie Lutich to their dream home in St. Petersburg’s Snell Isle. The couple moved from the Tampa area to a townhome in downtown St. Petersburg after marrying five years ago. They often spent their free time driving down random streets in surrounding neighborhoods to get a feel for the “vibe,” explains Jamie. “One day, we took a wrong turn a block away from where we always drove and halfway down the street we saw a For Sale sign,” she recalls. One look was all it took to convince them of the potential. “The lot was beautiful and we always knew that whatever we found, the home was going to be a tear-down, because we had our own…