Florida Design Magazine Cover October 2017

To own and live in your dream home is one thing. But to practically copy and paste it into another stellar location for someone else to enjoy borders on fantasy. Interior designer Tara Bates and her realtor husband James have a habit of doing this. One of their most recent projects, a 6,102-square-foot home, located in The Moorings neighborhood, overlooks the golf and country club of the same name, close to Downtown Naples. Situated on a generously sized lot, the home is now a primary residence for Donna and Bob Platzer, a couple from New Jersey, who are new to the area. Punctuating a street lined with sidewalks and lush trees, it’s a dwelling where living comfortably is the order of the day.

West Elm’s gray twill sofa and a round, brass-based cocktail table topped in Carrara marble add a solid weight and smooth texture, which hold their own in the family room already outfitted with dramatic statements. Pulling up to the home, the eyes are immediately drawn to a well-manicured balance. The clean lines of stone pavers outlined and softened with inlaid strips of Zoysia grass lead the way to the entry, while floor-to-ceiling windows offer a nod to one of Bates’ must-haves: light in abundance. With each feature meticulously selected to contribute to the modern and timeless nature of the home, the open-air spiral stairway is a mysterious sculpture that ascends from ground level to the day’s blue sky or cloudy sunset. For the Platzers, it leads to the private rooftop terrace a simple space styled with comfortable, casual furnishings set against nature’s own backdrop.

Just steps inside the home, the main social areas open to a multitude of sensory delights. In the dining room, abstract art lines the walls with bold color, flames dance in the glass gas fireplace, and a stunning glass stairway framed in chrome draws the eye up and around the space. Abstract art makes another commanding appearance in the family room, space where patterns and textures meet. The restoration area rug boasts classic colors in complement to accent pillows that top the deep-seated sofa clad in gray twill. Balance reappears in the kitchen, where high-gloss lacquered cabinetry lines the wall. Above, a dropped ceiling mimics the dark-gray wood center island topped in white Corian. If the kitchen is spotless and minimal, the living room is a rich portal of blue with more than a handful of ocean shades. The sky’s tones, accompanied by the turquoise pool waters, seem to pour through the window. Bates intended for the blue to have its day, visible in the navy restoration area rug that anchors the clean-lined conversation grouping. “You have the outdoors coming into the house as well,” the designer says.

“You get the beautiful view of the pool and the golf course beyond. Everything from the outside is basically inside.” The master bath is no exception with the pool and lush landscaping on view through a wall of glass. Chances are, that when soaking in the Wyndham Collection tub, your gaze will stream up to the effervescent chandelier that bubbles above. Just beyond in the master bedroom, a simple slate prevails as wide-plank Hickory wood flooring sweeps through space. Here, the home’s minimalist interior scheme continues with an oversized bed featuring a large, button-tufted gray linen headboard that dominates the private setting. Looking from the outside in, the home is a work of glass finely lit with tiny lights. “Geometry takes precedence with an interfacing of glass and brilliant white rectangular surfaces that continue the fluidity found throughout the project,” the designer says. “It’s a fascinating rhythm that brings a certain order when the boundaries between outside and in are blurred.”