Fun in the Sun
Though they had lived in Manhattan for 20 years, being stuck in an apartment with two children during COVID caused a young couple to consider a change. They had often visited his parents in Naples, Florida, and enjoyed it even more during the pandemic when the husband worked remotely.
“We realized this could be our real life,” says the wife. “We could have tennis and golf in the neighborhood instead of driving an hour. The weather is beautiful, the kids were getting older, and it was nice to have the space, a backyard with a pool, and we found a great school.”
And so the couple made the decision to say goodbye to New York and move south. The home they found was still under construction, but it was a builder’s spec and the builder was not wild about customizing the project three months into the process. The owners had their own ideas of what their new house should be, and it was far more interesting than the cookie-cutter version they were buying.
Enter Pittsburgh-based interior designer Colleen Simonds, who knew the couple from her days of living and working in New York. They met when their children were in pre-school together, and the wife thought of Simonds when a local designer they hired wasn’t working out.
In the years since Simonds opened her firm in 2011, her reputation has grown and she now does projects across the country. She was recently featured in the New York Times, in addition to numerous other publications, and her work especially resonates with young families, in part because she has her own.
Understanding the requirements of constructing child-friendly spaces is essential, but equally important is not compromising the design elements to accommodate an active lifestyle. Simonds is particularly accomplished at recognizing the way each family lives — she points out that not everyone wants to bring the outdoor cushions in every time it rains.
Those kinds of concerns were paramount in designing the home in Naples. Coming in near the beginning in the summer of 2021, and being able to negotiate some changes in the construction, made a huge difference.
“The owners told me they wanted a Zen beach house,” says Simonds. “They are well-traveled and sophisticated, and they wanted something cool and chic, not a house full of seashells. They didn’t want glitzy or formal or fancy stuff.”
Simonds had never done a home in Florida before and she started with a more neutral palette in the large, open living spaces. “There’s a difference between shades of blues and tans and ivories versus navy and white nautical,” she says.
While she is known for her exuberant use of color, Simonds mostly saved those for the kids’ bedrooms and play areas. The neutral tones in the great room and kitchen draw the eye outside, where the blues and greens of nature abound. A retracting glass wall that runs the length of the loggia helps to diffuse the boundaries and makes the pool part of the living space.
As for her signature flair with wallpaper, Simonds was somewhat constrained. With contemporary architecture, there are few rooms in the traditional sense, with molding and doorways and transition points. Simonds still managed to paper the private spaces, including with an especially vivacious print in the powder room, and grasscloth in the den, to create a more intimate feeling.
“You can’t really wallpaper a great room. This is new construction with 15 feet ceilings, and higher. This is not a house with a lot of millwork or quirky details; no bookcases. I had to push for some wallpaper at first. This can’t be a 6,000-square-foot house with only white drywall when the clients ultimately wanted cozy and warm. By the end, the husband was asking if we should do more!”
Given both the climate and the kids, a practical approach governed many decisions. All the outdoor furniture is metal or aluminum. The fabrics are acrylic that can be bleached if mildew appears, and the rugs are indoor/outdoor. There are no cushions on the chairs “that take a week to dry.” Instead, sling fabrics are used on the dining chairs and chaises, keeping everything easy.
All that simplicity is contrasted with touches of individuality, such as the hanging rattan chair with a sheepskin throw in the master bedroom or the Helix light fixture over the dining table. While other new builds might boast a giant crystal chandelier, Simonds chose the globes held by ropes for their nautical appeal, but also because it fills a large space without blocking the sightlines.
“I think I delivered on giving them something different. This doesn’t look like their neighbors’ houses. [Good design] can change the quality of your life, because this is the space where you spend the most time and if you have kids, these are their memories, this is their childhood. Your space makes you feel a certain way. That’s science, not design talk. These are investments for the long haul, if you do it once thoughtfully.”
If further proof is needed, the wife provides it enthusiastically. “I’m obsessed with my house,” she says. “I don’t want to leave. We never even want to go on vacation anymore, because anywhere we go is not as nice as our own home. It’s like a resort!”
Marylynn Uricchio is the former film critic and SEEN/society editor for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. She now writes fiction in addition to articles about architecture and design.
