Modern Beach House

This HLevel Architecture and Oakley Home Builders space in Aqualane Shores pays tribute to its waterfront views.

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It’s safe to say that Marilyn and Richard Magnussen love the street they live on. The 4,835-square-foot, five-bedroom, six-bath property you see here is the third house on the street that the Canadian couple has called home. With this brand-new beauty, they believe the third time is the charm. “We loved the curb appeal and design,” Richard says. “It’s sort of a transitional coastal design.”

Though the style of the home is more traditional than what we’ve come to expect from contemporary leaning HLevel Architecture duo, who tend to create structures with straight lines and heaping helpings of glass and wood, it still exudes the firm’s signature edge. Originally designed as a spec home by Oakley Home Builders—a Chicago-based luxury developer that is looking to gain a footing in Southwest Florida—the residence has dark window frames and a distinctive design that allows it to both stand out and look right at home in the neighborhood. “It’s about trying to find that balance of what’s next for the area and how we think a transitional beach home can look and function,” Sarah Bogaczyk of Oakley Home Builders says.

HLevel created staggers in the floor plan, providing multiple corners that look toward Naples Bay and yielding a long view of the waterway.

While the exterior hints toward a modern farmhouse aesthetic, inside the space is filled with light and clean lines. Aside from the wide plank Legno Bastone European white oak (Giginella) and decorative wooden beams in the great room and kitchen, surfaces and fixtures are contemporary and often touch on industrial. And, not surprisingly, the layout is open—way open. “We like to be able to stand at the front door, or in the foyer, and see straight through to the key features in the backyard,” Richard says. Fortunately, the two-story front entrance is mostly glass, allowing direct views of the pool and canal, not to mention a glassed-in wine room in the foyer.

Oakley’s interior designer, Heather VanHoven, a former Naples resident prior to moving to Chicago, chose a Macaubas Fantasy quartzite for the great room’s media wall, which also features a 60-inch linear fireplace balanced by built-ins. The large kitchen includes Mont Blanc quartzite on the island and the backsplash. A custom 89-inch stainless steel hood offsets four Presidio pendants by Visual Comfort—with brass and glass detailing that complement a stunning Smyth chandelier over the dining table.

The adjoining master suite is an oasis unto itself, thanks to its own separate garage entrance and retractable corner sliders that open onto the pool area. “We liked the indoor-outdoor living, but the pool is exceptional,” Richard says.

That pool runs the full length of the property and includes a sun shelf, spa and bar with in-water seating. There’s also a bridge for access to the dock, and the area also features an outdoor living area with fire pit, an outdoor kitchen and a separate dining area overlooking the pool. “Aqualane Shores is all about the water access,” Brandt Henning of HLevel says. “One of the critical things was to integrate the pool with the water beyond.”

That idea continues upstairs, where a second master suite features its own balcony under a powder-coated aluminum trellis, allowing for views of the water below and beyond.