Collins DuPont Design Group, a leading Florida-based interior design firm with 35 years of experience, has been contracted to transform a home in Mangrove Bay, an exclusive and luxurious waterfront enclave located along the Gordon River in Naples.
“Our inspiration for designing this home comes from the high-end yacht clubs located throughout Florida and Hawaii,” commented Hailey Burkhart, designer at Collins DuPont.
Mangrove Bay was designed by MHK Architects and developed by Lotus Construction.
John O’Gren, director of the residential studio at MHK Architecture and Planning, stated, “Our goal with Mangrove Bay was to build a neighborhood with a small town feel consistent with Naples. Each of the 53 luxury residences will have a striking open concept floorplan, as well as a private boat slide them”.
“We are proud of how beautiful Mangrove Bay and its contribution to the beauty and uniqueness of Naples,” said John Robinton, Mangrove Bay developer and owner of Lotus Construction, LLC.
The fact that each house has a special boat slip provided inspiration for Collins DuPont’s designs.
“When Collins DuPont was initially given the opportunity to design the home’s interior for Lot 50, the goal was for it to become a defining home that showcases the elevated aesthetic that these homes provide to their owners,” Burkhart recalls.
Many of the items the design team discovered were items often found in and around yacht clubs.
“Large open sections expose dining rooms and other notable areas of the house to the waterways, all serving to show off the river on which Mangrove Bay is built,” Burkhart said. “Inside the sliding barn, too, sliding barn doors create a casual feel of home and open up the guest room to the River Gordon.”
Collins DuPont has built up a reputation over the years for customizing their projects.
Burckhardt acknowledged, “We modified the home’s design to fit a high-gloss lacquer bar. The bar’s muted blue can be seen consistently throughout the home. It is calm and relaxing by nature and the perfect contrast with the warm stained wood floors.”
Healy further stated, “We were able to reuse the space from one of the underutilized bedrooms to make this possible, which ends up making the bar an interesting focal point for the main living area.”
Collins DuPont Design Group is also known for its custom ceiling elements. Their designers have found that too often ceilings are overlooked when it comes to space design. However, to tie all the elements together in a custom design for a luxury home, every surface must be considered to ensure that all the elements work in harmony with each other.
Collins DuPont Design Group co-founder Sherri DuPont has commented on the new custom ceiling of this Mangrove Bay home.
“We created a floating slab ceiling detail to bring the color of the floor to the ceiling, which helps accentuate the height of the area,” DuPont said.
In addition to the structural elements of the bar and roof, it was important to add a fireplace to the central area of the overall design of the house.
“We added an electric fireplace in the large room to create a warm and inviting area, which has a wide wall of sliding doors that open onto the large outdoor living area,” Burkhart stated. “This cozy and beautiful element makes it easy to host parties at the same time, keeping the doors open and creating an area where the owners can gather with friends or family and continue to feel the fresh breeze from the river.”
The Collins DuPont team members not only wanted to showcase the home’s architecture, but they also wanted to highlight the opportunity in the space provided.
“We turned a guest room into an office and added barn doors that open onto the Gordon River, creating a great view while working remotely,” Burkhart recalls. “Over the past two years, as more and more people continue to work from home, adding a study to this particular home has created the perfect space to work from home with the calm waters of the riverfront as its backdrop.”
One of the challenges the team had to overcome was to find a better solution to the layout of the master bathroom.
“The difficulty with the master bathroom was that most homeowners wanted a double vanity and still left enough room for an oversized walk-in shower and tub,” DuPont said. Thinking that a split layout might be better, the team decided on a design that didn’t make the room feel heavy on one side over the other. This was made possible by placing a dressing table on either side of the bathroom opposite a tall double sink.
As a testament to Collins DuPont’s great design work, this spec home was sold before it was completed after the client saw the design direction and mood boards alone.
Collins DuPont Design Group, now in its 35th year of operation, is a dedicated team of diverse professionals, with expertise in multiple areas of interior design. From architecture and interior design to demolition work and custom art pieces, Collins DuPont gladly takes on any project or challenge with enthusiasm and passion.
If those looking to remodel the interior of their home, upgrading its functionality and beauty, Collins DuPont specialists can be reached by calling 239-948-2400 or visiting the website at collins-dupont.com.