The reveal of this beautiful Longboat Key condo was an emotional one. To understand just how much time, creativity and planning went into the redesign and renovation of this vacation home, you must see some of the work along the way. We were thoughtful in every design and piece selected for this couple – from the custom-made game table to the venetian blue tiled Bourbon Bar to the warm wood tones throughout the space.

Check out the first two blogs in this series: Going the Extra Mile for Design: Our Longboat Key Remodel and Designing A Dream: Our Longboat Key Remodel.

And one of the driving forces behind my design process and furniture selection after I spent time in the actual space, was the fact that they would be keeping the gorgeous solid mahogany interior doors that acted as the entrance into each room and double into the master suite… Can we say GORGEOUS!?  They were the start of what would be a feeling of ‘Big Sur Meets Florida’! Gorgeous wood tones mixed with a beautiful view of the intercoastal waterways… I knew there was no end to the creativity which would drive this design to the finish line!

After we made our furniture and decor selections, our owner Sharon Lemond, architect (and my husband!) Dave, our logistics team and I made the trip to Longboat Key with all of the furniture and decor to ensure the perfect installation – working two straight days until it was complete. The end result… flawless.

From the finalization to the actual design, to the demolition, to the construction of the project, to the installation, everything fell perfectly into place. The final reward of this completed project was seeing the client walk in.

As the couple walks in their condo for the first time after renovation, she drops her purse in awe and her husband stops to watch her reaction. There are no words, just tears of joy to see her dreams come true! The client’s expression says it all. Everything had come together exactly as planned. They gave credit to me and my team, but it really was their dream I helped to make a reality.

We decided to come back at night for a second reveal, igniting the fireplace, lighting the LED channel over the island and setting up the channeled light in the shelving – picturesque! What once was a dream, they can now call their own space.

My work as a designer is to get to know my clients in a way that I can capture the essence of who they are as people and make the picture in their head a reality, that’s my job. Enjolé has given me the freedom to be creative and the ability to work with an amazing group of people that keep me energized. They allow me to give my clients moments like these and spaces that serve as inspiration to their lives.

And as you can see, a designer’s road takes them many different places, but it all leads back to someone’s home!  What a pleasure it was and it is to make a difference in the way my clients enjoy their homes.

We often get a look of surprise when we share that we travel across the country for design projects–whether it’s a vacation home or just a client we’ve built a relationship with from afar. Well, of course we travel for you! And when our client has built trust and a relationship with us, they often don’t want anyone but our team on their project. When a client and a designer connect, distance is no barrier.

We all get inspiration from different places, and for me as a designer, inspiration often comes as I travel. So, when I get opportunities from my amazing clients to perform my craft on their vacation homes – it’s a dream.

I recently completed the design of a condo in Chicago, will soon be finishing an install on a home in Arizona, and I was lucky enough to spend time in Florida for a complete condo re-design and renovation. I jumped at the opportunity to help this long-standing client – a relationship 12 years strong with 3 prior design projects. Their need was quite clear… A full remodel of their condo in sunny Longboat Key, Florida.

Creating the Design for the Longboat Key Condo

We already knew how our client lives and what they like, which are incredibly important first steps in the client/designer relationship. But, this project was a little different. This was their vacation home…their retreat. We talked about their goals and the vibe they were going for – wow, they were dreaming big! We discussed budget, timing and logistics of how they would like the project to go. I wanted them to have as little stress and time invested as possible, while also getting them in their newly renovated and designed space as quickly as possible.

And so, we went to work on designing their perfect retreat.

In my travels to and from Florida, I set up necessary meetings with contractors, which helped to move the project along as planned. I began to build my design off the gorgeous, solid mahogany interior doors that served as an entrance to each room – wood tones mixed with a beautiful view of the intercoastal.

Together the client and I had big dreams. We just had to decide how we were going to make it all happen, including a decent amount of construction and renovation, which was when we decided to bring on my husband, Dave–a mechanical engineer specializing in architectural design. Once Dave, Sharon (our Enjolé’s President) and our amazing logistics team joined the project, we were able to really see the plan came to life.

Dave–after being hands on and getting specific measurements–was able to put the client’s actual floor plan to a set of drawings and create 3D renderings for them to get a better picture of what the space could be. This was really exciting and important to them, to make sure they were in love with the design before undergoing such a large project to their space.

To make sure we didn’t miss a beat, we traveled to Florida and stayed for several days to take in the “vibe” of the space. It was then that we decided – after careful thought and research – on a theme for our design: Sophisticated Beach. We nailed it, and it was magic – exhilarating!

While we can’t wait to share more exciting before & afters from this beautiful condo redesign – we leave you with this view. Our new design and Dave’s architectural plan allowed us to create a view that meant taking down walls to allow visibility of the inner coastal waterway from the moment you walk through the door.

From the living space to the powder room and kitchen – stay tuned for our next blog in this series!