Character Study

Wood-wrapped ceilings and walls, striking accent pieces and laidback luxury define this Port Royal home, redesigned by Wendy Berry.

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Principal interior designer Wendy Berry, of W Design Interiors, is well known for creating luxurious spaces that blend comfort with warm sophistication. When her longtime clients decided to buy this home in Port Royal for its expansive Naples Bay views, they called on her to take what was already a lovely home and update it in their style. “Even though it had absolutely beautiful architecture and great bones, we gave it a shift to what they were looking for and made it something really unique,” Wendy says.

Wendy has an aptitude for designing spaces that are both high-end and approachable. This 9,000-square-foot, five-bedroom, seven-bath compound captures her organic-yet-structured vibe. “This home is all about the water views and keeping it feeling light, airy and open,” Wendy says. “So we tried to unify some spaces.”

To accomplish that, Wendy moved some interior doors to improve flow and changed ceilings. Previously, the home had a formal dining room, which Wendy transformed into a media room, with a step-down wood ceiling, built-in sound system and a sectional from her furniture line, W Home. She moved the dining table into the oversized living room to create a dual open-living space, which you see the minute you walk through the front door into the two-story foyer. There, the grand staircase stuns, with its feature wall and built-in bookcases surrounding an inset of Calacatta gold marble and an installation of swirling butterflies by Naples artist Juan Carlos Collada. Massive Holly Hunt chandeliers hang over a custom Patterson Flynn rug.

In the new living-dining room, Wendy capitalized on the 13-foot-high ceilings and added bleached walnut beams to create an umbrella-like effect that stretches over the sitting and dining areas. The wood is medium-toned but looks quite bright since the beams are illuminated. Darker Legno Bastone floors balance the luminous ceiling and light-toned walls. Meanwhile, built-in bookshelves warm up the contemporary beveled limestone fireplace. “We touched every wall and put new flooring throughout,” Wendy says.

Subtle additions of dark lines against lighter backgrounds—the framing of the artwork over the fireplace, the patterned F. Schumacher pillows on the Holly Hunt sofas, and the Yves Hang chandeliers featuring white milk glass and antique brass from Urban Electric—create dimension in the main living area.

The adjacent kitchen is classic white with dual farmhouse sinks, double islands (one finished in bleached walnut) and surfaces in Calacatta gold marble. The ceiling was dropped with the addition of a white perimeter inset of tongue-and-groove bleached walnut planks and features four shaded white pendants that illuminate the islands.

The powder bath is one of the most striking areas of the residence, with its black stone slab floating vanity top, which is polished so the water gently drains to the back with no noticeable sink. Its walls are floor-to-ceiling walnut panels, and Apparatus lighting makes the room shine. “I love making powder rooms like little jewel boxes,” Wendy says. “When guests come over, it is the one place in the house where they go alone, and they notice and enjoy all of the special details.”

When night calls, the primary suite draws the homeowners in with its illuminated stepped ceiling, Philip Jeffries wall covering and EJ Victor king bed, plus views of Naples Bay, the outdoor living area and the pool. ( Wendy captured another opportunity to add whimsy to the home through the colorful pool bath, adding Kravet Acquario fish-print wallpaper and a coral-colored vanity.)

Lucky guests, like the kids and grandkids who often visit, enjoy a variety of plush bedrooms that define relaxation and were designed with each family member in mind. In one guest bedroom, John Rosselli & Associates wall coverings, beds by Theodore Alexander and Lillian August, lighting by Palecek and Visual Comfort, and focal-point ceiling details harken the laid-back elegance of the great room. Meanwhile, the kids’ room charms with its bunk beds, nautical blue ceiling and fabrics that recall camp living. It’s safe to say everyone in the family feels right at home.

Architects: Stofft Cooney Architects (original); Kukk Architecture & Design (renovation) Builder: Kurtz Homes Designer: W Design Interiors Photographers: Doug Thompson & Diana Todorova

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