Avila Interior Design, Inc. – Nautica Court Residence

This was a unique project in a neighborhood that has very natural settings. The home was older, and the home is unusual in that it doesn’t have the openness from the entry that most homes today do. It was indicated from the beginning that no surface changes were to take place, and not even the paint would change. So my job was to make this look good with everything existing! I commenced to put a plan together, including a very Floridian color palette that made the Northern couple feel welcome and on a true vacation when they come down from New Jersey. The wife still works remotely when she is here , so her office upstairs was to be functional yet inviting. Their grown children come down to enjoy the home as do their friends, so the secondary rooms have comfort and style. The biggest constraint I found was finding lanai furniture in the very narrow space to accommodate a dining room area and a TV area. So, I set out to find very slim furniture that has that “ease of living in Florida feel”, but that would be comfortable and allow for adequate seating.  
The project theme emanated from art work which they had loved from another client’s home, so I started with that and added some interesting accent colors and natural feeling, more organic looking furniture in some of the main areas. There is an underlying nautical theme, incorporated with casual elegant furnishings, interesting rugs, and an unusual mix of art which includes, paintings, metal sculpture, and shadowbox art with woven pieces. The floors are deeper tone wood, so the aura created from the dark floor coupled with the nautical elements, juxtaposed with the neutral colored main upholstered pieces, create a strong contrast which are further brought to life with the bright orange and blue accents in the downstairs area. The full back side of the living and dining room open to the outside lanai and the view of the garden, which made for a perfect wall for magnificent sheer draperies that were light and airy yet add such splendid warmth. The drama comes in with the artwork and the strong juxtaposition of vibrant color against the neutral backdrop of furnishings (and darker flooring downstairs) .  
Maximizing the space (such as undercounter stools in main kitchen, slim lanai furnishings) by the creative placement of furniture was one of the great feats of this job. Allocating money on key furnishings and fabrics and then working hard to find the rest on a budget allowed me to complete this job within a good budget which the client was happy about. The look is dramatic, exciting, and yet comfortable and extremely functional. It is an up do date Florida home, yet this was done with all existing materials and not one bit of remodeling. Visualizing the end result whilst making careful selections, I was able to make this client truly happy by making their dream home come to fruition.