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When Carolyn and Jack Carpenter of Lexington, Kentucky, decided to sell their large home, they planned to buy a Naples place and then downsize to a more manageable dwelling back in Kentucky.
Jack, who has had a career with the National Guard, still works in a consulting role that requires him to travel about 80 to 100 days of the year. On the side, he has always built homes as a hobby. “The last one he built was twice the size we initially started to build,” his wife says. “It was a beautiful, beautiful home but too big for two people.”
When Carolyn retired from a position with the county attorney’s office based in Lexington, they invited their three children to take their pick of household furnishings. Then they sold the 6,000-square-foot home that Jack had built and lived temporarily in Naples as Carolyn embarked on an 18-month investigation to find a new dwelling.
They were looking for a friendly golf course community where they could build a new place. After visiting TwinEagles, and touring a model done by Minto Communities, the Carpenters decided it was the community for them. “We couldn’t wait to be here,” Jack says. “Our closing was Sept. 30, and we were sleeping in the house by Oct. 4.”
Within days of moving in, they hosted a party for the sales team from Minto Communities and others. “TwinEagles is the friendliest place we’ve ever been,” Carolyn says. “It’s a really, really caring community and it continues to be that way without exception.”
Jack is passionate about golf and loves the home’s peaceful setting on the second fairway of the Eagle golf course. “We look out to a lake and see deer, turkey, eagles and turtles—and, yes, even the occasional alligator,” he says. “Who could not feel great looking at this every day?”
The couple is so busy with club and other social activities that Jack confesses to evenings when he asks, “Can we stay at home?”
Inside their new space, Carolyn has created a clean, spa-like environment with a palette of taupes and soft grays, with accents of soft blue. Comfortable furnishings have clean, contemporary lines. The Carpenters especially like the gourmet kitchen and the unobstructed view of the golf course and lake. Disappearing pocket doors and a large serving window open the indoors to the screened lanai, the swimming pool and a well-appointed outdoor kitchen.
“We spend most of our time at home outside on the lanai,” Carolyn says. They also like the guest quarters, designed to maintain privacy for everyone when they have house guests. Indeed, they expect many, including their children and seven grandchildren.
Meanwhile, they are so content in their Naples dwelling that there was no need to have a smaller place in Kentucky. “We just want to be here all the time,” Jack says.
Builder: Minto Communities
Photographer: Vandy Major
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A Busy Life
Carolyn and Jack Carpenter are so busy with activities at TwinEagles that Jack sometimes requests they stay at home for an evening. When they do, their cat, named The Duchess, joins them.
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Party Hardy
A spacious kitchen is just one of the many perks enjoyed by the Carpenters in their new space. “We had a party within two weeks of moving in,” says Carolyn, who sought to keep the decor serene and light. She oversaw the home’s interior design.
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Outdoor Lovers
The Carpenters admit to using their outdoor kitchen almost more frequently than the one inside the house. An up-to-date pass-through window also provides an eating space. “We spend most of our time at home outside on the lanai,” Carolyn says.
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A Spa-Like Environment
A simple, spa-like design was sought by Carolyn Carpenter for the home’s master bedroom. Throughout the house, a natural palette of taupes and soft grays reflect sand and sea. The couple especially enjoys the dwelling’s high, detailed ceilings.