Judith Liegeois translates her New Zealand coastal upbringing into a fresh interpretation of Florida design. One of Naples’ longest-reigning interior designers, she still speaks with her lovely Kiwi lilt and brings her homeland’s sophisticated restraint to waterfront living. She diverges from the region’s expected palette of subdued tones and weathered woods, opting for shocks of vibrant color, boldly scaled art, and rich surfaces that add warmth and definition. “My idea of coastal is taking in what’s really going on outside,” she says. “In Florida, that isn’t always the expected blue and white. With all the palms and lush vegetation, there are a lot of greens out there, and a canal is often far from blue.”
Her distinctive approach caught the attention of clients seeking to reimagine their 4,500-square-foot vacation home in Naples’ Aqualane Shores. The 1980s residence required complete reinvention within its existing footprint. “It was very nice but very basic,” the designer says.
Collaborating with architect Antoine Testard and builder Bear Industries, Judith transformed the layout into a modern floor plan that balances openness with intimate moments. The interplay of walnut and white creates rhythm through horizontal planes, while black-framed glass walls give architectural definition to a glassed-in study. “It’s not overly blown out—you have a huge kitchen, family room and living room, but everything feels very defined even as it’s connected,” she says. Adding a fourth bedroom and a study suits the active couple well (he works in the automotive industry and she serves on nonprofit boards). “It’s a space within a space, which allows the homeowners to close the door and have a phone call and still be a part of what’s happening in the house,” the designer says.
With the floor plan in place, Judith established a canvas of white perimeter walls and neutral-hued sofas and furnishings, laying the foundation for dramatic elements and strategic color placement. “The house will always tell you,” she says. “Here, it started with the yellow rug in the living room, and from there, we brought in some warmer tones.” A large-scale yellow abstract painting by Naples’ Richard Diedrich casts a sun-like glow down the hallway leading to the guest rooms. Sculptural pendant lighting creates visual interest without competing with the alfresco views, and coral-hued glass table lamps in the bedrooms add warmth without beachy clichés. The kitchen pairs Cristallo quartzite with walnut finishes, including floating shelves that preserve a sense of openness while adding warmth.
In the living room, Judith navigated aesthetics and practicality. “In an ideal world, it would be nice not to have to deal with a television at all and just have a great painting there, but this is a holiday home,” she says. “The owners need a spot where kids can flop down and hang out.” Rather than flanking the television with predictable artwork, she created architectural interest through layered textures and depths. A grasscloth wallcovering provides subtle movement behind floating white display niches, while a slate-gray console appears to hover beneath the screen. The symmetrical shelving displays a composition mixing white abstract forms, black ceramics and metallic objects, creating visual rhythm without overtaking the scene. Modern wall sconces in black and brass crown each shelf column, adding illumination and artistry to the composition.
Judith, who recently relocated her art and design gallery to a larger space on Tamiami Trail, is also helping the homeowners build their art collection. A vibrant abstract by the couple’s friend, Naples artist Juan Carlos Collada, anchors the primary bedroom, while works by muralist Melissa Del Pinto, painter Bob Paul Kane and photographer Ray Stone populate gathering spaces. “It’s been a slow process,” Judith says.
In the private quarters, her subtle approach to beach living continues through watercolor-inspired drapery in blues and corals that recall the Gulf without over-saturating the serene spaces. The surrounding landscape influences details throughout, creating an innate connection to the outdoors. A gray-scale, palm-patterned Phillip Jeffries wallpaper offers a muted take on local foliage in the pool bath, cobalt blue glassware on the kitchen’s floating shelves echoes the water connection, and stone-shaped bath mats follow nature’s curves. Practical matters received equal attention. The designer maximized space with bespoke built-ins, like floor-to-ceiling closets, dressers stretching the horizontal length of walls and a series of 2-foot-deep niches elegantly tucked into a hallway with 10-foot walnut doors. Each solution integrates seamlessly with the design.
Now, her clients can enjoy all the comforts of home while on vacation in a residence that mirrors the landscape in just the ‘non-coastal’ way they asked for. “Design is always a bit of a jigsaw puzzle,” Judith says. Here, each piece creates a picture of its own.
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Photography by Troy Campbell
Judith Liegeois design naples aqualane
Phillip Jeffries Arboretum wallpaper and Abyss & Habidecor stone bath mats present a subdued, almost abstract interpretation of nature. “My idea of coastal is taking in what’s really going on outside,” designer Judith Liegeois says. “With all the palms and lush vegetation [in Florida], there are a lot of greens out there, and a canal is often far from blue.”
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Photography by Troy Campbell
Judith Liegeois design naples aqualane
Creative storage solutions maximize space in the 4,500-square-foot home. Case in point: Built-in, floor-to-ceiling linen closets are tucked between the primary bedroom and bath.