It’s a tremendous opportunity in life to help make something right that had been very wrong. That was the opportunity for St. Louis-based designer Gigi Lombrano, ASID, NICDQ, in helping restore a client’s Florida home to the architect’s original intent.
Designed by the award-winning Seibert Architects, the waterfront home in Boca Grande draws heavily upon the style of the Sarasota School of Architecture. This midcentury modern approach utilizes extensive use of glass walls, sliding doors and open spaces to blur the boundaries between indoors and outdoors, creating light-filled, breezy homes.
A previous owner’s renovations, however, resulted in a home that felt dark and heavy rather than breezy and light. Gigi’s client puts it bluntly: “It was just horrid. But once I knew that the original owners had worked with architect Tim Seibert, I knew what it could be.”
Restoration was extensive. Case in point: the ceiling in the great room. The 26-foot-high, black tongue-and-groove cedar ceiling was torn out and reinstalled in a more natural color to recreate the original architecture. “It was a big deal to do this, the scaffolding was up for months, but absolutely necessary for the restoration project to be successful,” says Gigi, founder of Gigi Lombrano Interiors. “All the spaces in the home have a direct relationship with the great room.”
Cabinetry in the family room and kitchen, a bulky staircase in the great room, enormous pendants over the kitchen island—all were removed but salvaged by contractors working on the home. “They were thrilled to take everything, and I was thrilled, too, because nothing went into dumpsters,” says the homeowner.
New, 24-inch porcelain tile replaced a travertine tile throughout the main level. The new tile’s white, high-gloss finish creates an ethereal effect, “like you are walking on clouds,” says Gigi.
To ensure unobstructed views from the kitchen to the outdoor spaces, upper cabinets were installed only along the cooktop wall. “Lighting was reimagined to bring task light to the island, but it was discreetly tucked up out of the sight lines,” Gigi explains.
Lighting was also meticulously designed in the great room. “Wilson Lighting in Naples sent three designers, and they spent hours here drawing up plans,” says the owner. “A room with such a tall ceiling is tough to get right.”
In the family room, a new, built-in entertainment center nods to midcentury modern styling, complemented with new lighting and new furnishings. A blue and white area rug mirrors the hues of the water just steps away.
Upstairs, the primary bathroom was gutted. New custom vanities were placed in recessed niches accented with wallpaper to bring added interest to the room. In the adjacent primary bedroom, Gigi utilized the same color palette as the public spaces—bright blues and sunny orange—but toned them down to bring a lighter, softer note to the bedroom.
“When you’re in the house, you can feel how it has come to life,” says Gigi. “The owners saw the opportunity of this house and were not daunted by the challenge of restoring it. We like to think the Sarasota School of Architecture architects would be pleased with the results.”
Resources:
Lighting: Wilson Lighting
