French countryside inspired living room
John Eder

Dream Homes

A French countryside-inspired abode and a glam walk-in pantry.

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A French countryside-inspired abode and a glam walk-in pantry.

Gold Standard

Old World details and modern amenities come together in this Naples home—inspired by the style of famed architect Bobby McAlpine. The residence, which was built in 2021, has a French-chateau-in-Florida vibe. The estate spans 6,463-square-feet and sits on a private lot abutted by a bird sanctuary and estuary preserve at 254 Audubon Blvd. Ohio-based design-build team SMC Interior Design and Naples’ The Williams Group worked closely with the homeowners on the construction. “To have a new build in this style, with this level of finishes and custom touches, it’s just not something we see very often,” listing agent Amanda Van Slyke of Compass says.

A mix of fine materials shines throughout, including stone flooring imported from Turkey, ceiling flourishes such as plaster scrollwork details in the dining room and pecky cypress beams in the great room, and a hand-forged stair railing in the entry. The kitchen is outfitted with custom nickel medallion tiling on the wall and a grand 7-foot island trimmed in reclaimed iron. “The homeowners wanted art deco touches, and I found a stunning iron piece from an old building in Cleveland that we reused,” Shelly Cipriani of SMC says. The designer also commissioned cabinets, light fixtures and plumbing fixtures for the kitchen.

The outdoor spaces provide ample room for elegant backyard soirees, with artful planters (below) adding a touch of whimsy to the aesthetic.

The grounds are home to a statue of the Greek goddess Athena by sculptor Carl Payne and antique calcium travertine forms, along with a 12-by-40-foot pool and more than 4,000 plantings, including resilient zoysia sod. And since the property sits on the edge of preserved lands, the stellar views will remain protected from future encroachment. “When the sun sets to the west and floods the home with beautiful light, and you get that unobstructed view, you feel as if you’re absolutely alone and at peace in the world,” Van Slyke says. The home was listed at $8 million as of October.

Must Have... A Stunning Pantry

A stylish pantry may sound like an oxymoron, but for designer Dwayne Bergmann no space is too small or too ordinary to instill panache. Bergmann transformed an unused garage into a sophisticated butler’s pantry with artistic details that begin with exterior sliding doors, installed on gold hinges and painted in an abstract pattern of brilliant fuchsia, cobalt blue and gold. “When the doors are closed, it looks like a piece of art. It’s a great conversation piece,” he says.

The small space—just 7-by-20-feet—packs a punch with blush-colored Dwayne Bergmann Cabinetry, with radius and square moldings along the left side of the room, and geometric mirrored tile-and-glass floating shelves shimmering on the right.

Dwayne Bergmann’s design includes glam cabinetry from his collection.

The centerpiece is the cheeky refrigerator, which was painted blush and hand-stenciled with the outline of a woman’s winking eye and pouty lips. The elaborate embellishments came out of necessity, as almost everything in the space was recycled from the main kitchen, which also got a top-to-bottom renovation. “It was such a fun challenge to integrate used items into this new posh room that we created,” Bergmann says.