Friday, July 27, 2012

Room of the Week, Avila at Grey Oaks







I did this living-dining room about 11 or 12 years ago, for a very nice couple from Potomac, Maryland. One of the smaller villas in the exclusive Naples community of Grey Oaks Country Club, it was a starting point for them, and they were rewarded with fantastic appreciation on their investment. I ended up working on about six of these Shafran built villas, and very much enjoyed it. The Shafrans came to Naples from Newport Beach, CA. I remember one of the first ones built, done as a model by Mrs. Shafran and her talented design team. The actor Tom Cruise's mother almost bought it! Then, as a funny aside, when I bought my first Mercedes, the salesman had just sold a Maybach to Tom Cruise himself! It seems that the Beverly Hills dealership had used up their quota, and so he ordered his car through the Naples dealer.


This client has been a long standing patron of mine, and she's always fun to work with and has a great sense of style. If you follow my blog, then you may know that her larger villa, which I also decorated, has been extensively featured. Over the years we've added on to the new one, and it gets better with the passing of time. The high ceilings and heavy mill work with better quality fenestration details give these villas a sense of a much larger home, and of course, feature all of the latest high tech features. I hope that you enjoy this post, my photography leaves something to be desired. DF *****