Timeless Travels: A Globally Inspired Marco Retreat

Tucked away on Marco Island, this elegant condo project by Claudia Leah of Claudia Leah Design is a testament to slow, thoughtful design. Completed over a three year period due to the owners’ busy schedule and the condo’s restrictive renovation calendar, Leah was able to create a home that functions on two levels. First, as a family home for the owners, their children, and nine grandchildren; and second, as a business retreat for colleagues and potential clients from around the world. “While this project took some time to complete, we were able to make a home that feels cohesive thanks to long term planning with the end goal in mind,” says Leah. Her master plan allowed for a clear path through the multi-room remodel based on the client’s needs and lifestyle. “When you work on a home over multiple seasons, you must think about the impact each decision will have over a much longer time frame. Projects can snowball, and you can end up repeatedly dealing with dust from tile or drywall removal, or you move furniture over and over again when you don’t create a long term vision.” This property was featured on the program, Out & About. To view the episode, visit claudia.decoratingden.com.

International Affair

The living area of the home reflects the owners’ love of West Indies design. Dark wood is mixed with light fabrics, natural textures, warm colors, and elegant fixtures. On the far wall, Leah wanted to create structure and detail to balance the room and add a focal point. Her solution was to put a chair rail below three panels of grasscloth trimmed with moldings. The finished look is both textural and cohesive with the overall theme. The art was chosen to tie in the colors of the room and the technique used to paint the fish makes them look three dimensional. “It’s like they have their own little aquarium without the work,” Leah says. The owners’ professional interests often take them to China and India,

so they also wanted their Marco home to be a nod to that part of the world. Leah used bamboo, ceramics, and the Koi pattern in the drapery to reflect these regions. Because the home hosts both family and business guests, only important or sentimental personal belongings are used in the home. The focus here is on comfortable, durable living, rather than filling spaces with simple items. The tight back sofas are upholstered in a crisp white performance fabric that cleans like a dream. “I got a call about a purple marker incident,” laughs Leah. “An unnamed grandchild had drawn on one of the cushions but I was able to tell them to simply take a little dish soap and warm water and wipe it away. They were shocked by how well it worked and the cushion was a good as new!” The sofas were also chosen because they were tailored without being too formal, a perfect fit for the design of the home. Other durable yet beautiful items like the faux leather-topped ottoman and the only look alike natural fiber rug are easy to clean, especially if any of the avid wine drinkers were to spill a glass. To finish the space, Leah added more lighting through sconces and the floor lights in the corner of the room.

Gathering Space

The old dining room has been transformed from a dark, uninviting box to a beautiful entertaining space. Placed just off the great room, the blue walls and white trim add an elegant contrast to the colors found there. Leah used the soft color as a backdrop for the dark case goods and chair rail, which mirrors the one in the main living area. “I am finding people are more and more interested in adding color to their spaces. For a while it just felt like a scary suggestion when I would offer it as an option, but now there is a real willingness from my clients to embrace color,” explains Leah. A glass top table maintains the room’s openness by not blocking sight lines and sits upon a woven, natural fiber rug. She also installed more lighting to create a warm and welcoming ambiance.

The Updated Cellar

The eye is immediately drawn to the mother of pearl and marble backsplash of the redone wet bar. The space provides plenty of storage areas for glasses and bottles and the glass front cabinets are the perfect place to showcase the owners’ glass collection from Milan.

Kid-Friendly Design

The den is now the perfect space for the couple’s grandchildren. The large sectional brings in the much loved navy blue, while creating room for movie nights and nap times. The sectional’s performance fabric means easy cleanup in this kid-friendly room, and it can also be unfolded to create a queen sleeper for overflow guests. The ottoman was placed on wheels for easy mobility across the muted area rug. “Working with a professional has its perks,” says Leah. “People tend to forget about things like halls, stairs, and elevators when ordering furniture, they simply measure the room and get what fits. Because I’ve worked on other condo projects, I measured the elevator and then, after searching through countless vendors, chose the largest possible sectional based on what we could actually get into the condo. That saved the owners time and money—no returned furniture with this project!” Throughout the home, Leah has artfully woven dark case goods with lighter walls and flooring to create a perfect blend of of formal pieces and casual appeal. Here, the media stand and adjacent shelving from Lexington pop against the cream curtains and light floors.

Marco Magic

“I loved working with this couple because it really was a collaboration. They were very eager to take my suggestions and brought their own great design ideas to the project,” Leah says. For example, the stately poster bed was something the owners really wanted in their bedroom while Leah pushed for the grasscloth accent wall to introduce a natural element. Together they create a fantastic merging of textures that feels authentic to the rest of the design found throughout the home. On the floor, the custom rug trimmed with leather, sports a similar pattern to the drapes with inverse colors. Dark furniture looks beautiful against the newly redone wood-look tile floors. According to Leah, the location of the home was an important factor as she worked on the project. “Throughout the home we wanted to bring in the colors of the sand and sea. The condo’s beautiful view was such an inspiration to the design process.”

Sunroom Living

The large outdoor living area is protected by glass sliders creating a sunroom. When the sliders are closed, the door leading to the main interior can be opened creating more air conditioned space which greatly adds to the square footage of the home. When the weather is nice, the sliders can be opened to let in the Gulf breeze. Motorized solar shades keep the heat and damaging UV rays out of the home while leaving the view unobstructed which is a total game changer for homes along the coast. The shade and slider combination means the furniture is protected and Leah was able to put in dark wood pieces that complement the interior of the home without fear of damage or fading. This modern indoor/outdoor space also features a new kitchen area with better ventilation and counter space. At the end of it all, Leah is glad she had the extra time to complete this project. “While it may not seem ideal, working on a project over a longer period of time actually gives you opportunities to really pinpoint areas that aren’t working for the homeowner and they have a chance to really see how they live in the space. Instead of making informed guesses, I was able to really work with the layout and their lifestyle needs to create a home that works for this amazing couple.”

Check out the before photos of this amazing transformation