Finding a lot to build on behind the gates of Naples’ Bay Colony luxury community is no easy task. So when the professionals at STOCK Custom Homes found two on a major thoroughfare in the neighborhood, they felt like they had struck gold. But before the team could focus on building, they had to take down the very large (more than 14,000 square feet), very dated existing home, which spanned the length of both lots.
Once it was removed, the lots were re-subdivided to maximize the lake views, and Stofft Cooney Architects was called in to collaborate on the design. “This is a very high-end, well-established neighborhood, so the challenge was to create something that looked new but wasn’t out of character with the other homes on the street,” STOCK’s vice president of sales and marketing Claudine Leger-Wetzel says. “Blending is important. The people who live here spend a lot of money for a certain aesthetic, and we worked hard to build something that would complement and enhance their homes.”
While the architect and builder certainly took pains to implement some of the prominent structural details found throughout Bay Colony, STOCK vice president of operations Jeff Robinson says they also plugged plenty of unique elements into the design. “We were going for a ‘grand estate’ look and feel, so we designed an exterior with a [circular] driveway, dual garages, a pronounced entryway and a hint of the gorgeous floating staircase inside,” he says. “It creates a big impact as soon as people drive up.”
Photography by Blaine Johnson
Photography by Blaine Johnson
Photography by Blaine Johnson
Photography by Blaine Johnson
The sense of drama continues throughout, thanks to the efforts of Troy Beasley of Beasley & Henley Interior Design, who entered the project with a specific idea as to who the buyers of this 7,780-square-foot, five-bedroom, seven-bathroom home might be: well-traveled empty nesters who love entertaining friends and family in a sophisticated space. To that end, he created a warm welcome via an entry with 20-foot ceilings and a wine cellar under the floating staircase—a visual focal point that’s also visible through the big sidelights.
Beasley clad the first four steps with porcelain and installed lighting beneath the treads for extra flair. “The remaining steps are white oak, so it’s a nice combination,” he says. The main element driving the design is the steel component supporting the treads and risers. Fabricating a single stringer to support the individual treads was more labor-intensive than their usual approach. “But the finished result speaks for itself. The details transition beautifully to the adjacent wine room as well,” Robinson adds.
Porcelain and white oak make return appearances on the accent wall in the wide-open great room; via custom cabinetry, double islands and countertops in the kitchen; and in the adjacent club room, which in addition to oak paneling and detailing on the walls and a burst of gold porcelain tile in the bar area, also features an angled drywall ceiling with a combination of cove and recessed lighting. “I wanted that room to be a ‘wow’ space, and the lighting really enhances the entertaining factor,” Beasley says.
Photography by Blaine Johnson
Photography by Blaine Johnson
Photography by Blaine Johnson
Photography by Blaine Johnson
Impressive lighting was a focus throughout the home. “It’s the jewelry of every room,” Beasley says. “I probably spend too much time on it.” Artful fixtures include a combination of black-and-brass pendants with a linear chandelier above the kitchen island; sparkly chandeliers that shimmer in the great room, dining and bedrooms; and contemporary sconces installed on the walls around the stairwell and in various bathrooms.
The designer also gave extra thought to the walls and ceilings to create an extra element of wonder in all five bedrooms. “I wanted to make each one unique, but everything still had to flow,” he says. He cozied up the large primary bedroom by planking the ceiling and added definition between the bedroom and seating area with moldings and brass details. Beasley dropped the ceiling on two sides in a guest room with a four-poster canopy bed to create a drapery pocket for extra texture and warmth. Artful molding on the walls in the VIP suite shines alongside Lucite furnishings. Another bedroom’s walls were topped with drywall to create a backdrop for drapes on the entire wall. In the fourth guest room, Beasley installed molding details on the walls that carry to the ceiling. “It wraps the bed like a gigantic U,” he says. “Those details allowed me to reframe the space and give it its own personality.”
The spaces beyond the walls of the home are just as thoughtful. “We always have an indoor/outdoor mindset because our clientele is very seasonal. They live here in the prime months and want to use the outdoors,” Robinson says. The builder and designer maximized outdoor living with a plush second-floor patio and a backyard retreat featuring an Island Stone-clad fireplace, a modern rectangular pool and an elevated spillover spa. Fire-and-water bowls and a sun shelf with a sitting area complete the space. “We also installed motorized, roll down shutters and screens that drop with a push of the button if bugs get bad, as well as motorized aluminum shutters that come down in case of weather,” Leger-Wetzel says.
Photography by Blaine Johnson
Photography by Blaine Johnson
Photography by Blaine Johnson
Photography by Blaine Johnson
When it came time to furnish the home, Beasley stuck to a neutral palette with pops of color inspired by the landscape and pool tile. He focused on finding clean-lined pieces at showrooms such as Hickory White Furniture, Noir and Hooker Furniture. “I chose items that would make the home feel warm and comfortable because I want people to walk in and feel like they belong here,” he says. “I hope someone appreciates all the thought behind every single element and feels like they could move right in.”
STOCK Custom Homes president Matt Sellick seconds that sentiment. He says there’s nothing cookie-cutter about this $15 million home. “You have the talent of Architectural Land Design, John Cooney of Stofft Cooney Architects, Troy Beasley, principal Beasley & Henley Interior Design and all of the actual construction work—the staircase, all the built-ins, lighting codes. True craftsmen worked on all of these things. It’s pretty incredible to see a vision executed very well and really come to life.”
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Photography by Blaine Johnson
stock development bay colony home outdoor
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Photography by Blaine Johnson
stock development bay colony home dusk pool
The alfresco space is decked out like an interior room with sophisticated finishes and furnishings. The team elevated the backyard living area with an Island Stone-clad fireplace. The spillover Jacuzzi borders the rectangular pool, perfectly playing off the property’s waterfront views.