Striking a Balance

Nestled at the southern end of Naples, the neighborhood of Port Royal is steeped in a tradition of enduring elegance. Through its serene, winding streets, past its lushly landscaped estate homes, a newly completed London Bay Homes-led collaboration at 700 Admiralty Parade West seamlessly assumes its place among the streetscape, striking a sophisticated balance of simultaneously fitting in, yet standing out.

Situated on a once-in-a-lifetime homesite with commanding wide water views across Admiralty Bay to Keewaydin Island, the 7,640-square-foot, two-story estate home offers a design as timeless as the renowned enclave in which it stands. Maximizing its idyllic location, glass is introduced in rooms to welcome light and capitalize on the commanding water views. A judicious selection of repeated elements — including articulated corner windows and dark-trimmed windows and doors — provide both continuity and drama throughout the home. The design creates a dramatic interplay between equally stylish interiors and outdoor living areas, marrying transitional detail and contemporary flair in a traditional-scale custom estate home.

The spirit of this luxury estate lies in a blend of beauty and livability. A natural flow in the home presents five bedrooms and five full baths, including a master suite and a grand VIP suite both offering private outdoor access, two half baths and laundry rooms, a multifunction second floor bonus room, and a flexible outdoor living space, pool, and spa with majestic panoramic views.

While London Bay Homes conceived and constructed 700 Admiralty Parade West over a three-year period, there is no question its design feels particularly prescient today.

“The functional aesthetics of the spaces where we spend our time are more important now than ever before,” says London Bay Homes President and CEO Mark Wilson. “This grand home offers easily personalized spaces for individual endeavors like working, studying, and exercising, coupled with communal destinations for dining and entertaining both inside and out. It’s a refuge, where every need is thoughtfully anticipated and beautifully fulfilled,” Wilson continues.

Beyond practical needs, the desires of today’s discerning homebuyers are addressed as well, from a handsome, custom-designed wine bar off the great room to an ultra-luxury master suite with a spa-rivaling bath. Foretelling trends in home design, an insatiable craving for expansive closet space is satisfied in fashion with dual Poliform-outfitted walk-in wardrobes from Richlin International. To greet guests in style, a VIP suite is similarly appointed to the master, but on a slightly smaller scale, while offering water views, a luxurious bath, and sizable walk-in closet.

Acknowledging the prevalence of dual-career couples, a pair of studies in the home grants both partners’ wish for office space private unto themselves. A vaulted-ceiling guest suite presents additional possibilities for a dedicated fitness studio, play space, or media room over a garage large enough to accommodate five vehicles with a lift and electric car charging capabilities.

To create a custom home benefitting the caliber of its locale, Wilson and his award-winning firm harnessed a team of proven professionals to collaborate with: architect Jon Kukk, landscape architect Christian Andrea of Architectural Land Design, and interior designer Michael Scott of London Bay Homes’ interior design firm Romanza Interior Design.

Inspired by the transitional flair in Kukk’s plan, award-winning designer Scott conceived the casually elegant, clean-lined coastal interior design of the estate, with modern touches and neutral tones to enhance the livability of the home. A point-and-counterpoint contrast of dark against light in the home’s exterior continues within, most notably in its caviar-painted doors and black-trimmed window casings.

A seamless transition to the breath-taking outdoor living area is achieved through pivot doors from the dining room and an easy lift-and-slide pocket door from the great room, while a sunken seating area with a fire table features a wood deck inlay. “We created defined spaces through elevation change and material contrasts,” says landscape architect Christian Andrea.

An intuitively integrated interface allows the homeowner to effortlessly control shades, shutters, interior lighting, pool settings, and create timed events — like dramatic pool and landscape lighting effects at night, or opening the master suite shades at dawn. A curated selection of knobs and pulls and Phillip Jeffries wallcoverings add detail, depth, and texture to rooms throughout the home. “Each room is a balance of function, comfort, and style,” Scott concludes.

*Feature cover image: Wide expanses of iron-trimmed glass by Andersen Windows & Doors capitalize on the views and impart a visual rhythm that creates an interplay between indoor and outdoor spaces. Pivot doors from the dining room and a lift-and-slide pocket door from the great room offer a seamless transition to the outdoor living area. Italian porcelain floor tiles on an integrated pedestal drainage system designed by Architectural Land Design allow the entire pool deck to be on one level with the outdoor living space, without drains or sloping. Principal landscape architect Christian Andrea explains, “The vanishing edge connects the pool to the bay, bringing the water views to the foreground.”

Guests are greeted with a collection of limited-edition silver-framed Charlotte Morgan abstract giclee fine art prints, while a Thomas O’Brien polished nickel fixture with linen diffusers is reflected in the ceiling’s smoked mirror glass by Glass Design, which is repeated in the great room and wine room.

Inspired by a once-in-a-lifetime Port Royal homesite, London Bay Homes collaborated with architect Jon Kukk to create a timeless, traditional-scale home that marries transitional detail and contemporary flair. Taking its cue from the home’s positioning, Architectural Land Design introduced a turn-in to create a moment of discovery upon entering the drive.Southern exposure dictated design aspects of the two-story plan, while glass maximized in each room welcomes light and capitalizes on the commanding water views. Repetition of select elements – including articulated, wrapped corner windows and dark-trimmed windows and doors – provide both continuity and drama throughout the home.

The first-floor study features a wrapping bay window and a built-in wall detail reaching up to clerestory windows. A postmodern contemporary desk is paired with automotive-inspired leather upholstered chairs and Theodore Alexander’s Racer maple and glass side table that playfully evokes a steering wheel. A light maple built-in morning bar features a reverse-plated glass backsplash by Glass Design and Kohler’s pottery-inspired Derring undermount sink from Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery in a bourbon finish.

A walnut finished built-in server with lighted display provides a visual break between the all-white kitchen and the dining space. A trio of large lanterns in a polished nickel finish with clear and white glass shades illuminate an Alfonso Marina dining table where guests can eat while they enjoy the magnificent water views beyond.

The home’s master suite, featuring a king-size Alfonso Marina bed and ebony-finished chests with brass hardware, is positioned to take advantage of its premium water views through an expansive wrapped window with touch-control motorized blackout shades. Along with a pair of Theodore Alexander mahogany frame arm chairs finished with polished stainless accents and a matching bench, an abstract watercolor pattern Glen Eden custom New Zealand wool and nylon area rug completes the room. Outside, a trellis frames the view, while the use of the same tile for coping and waterline helps add to the seamless effect of the pool edge spilling into the master bedroom’s window.

Defined by Venetian plaster walls and a masterful mix of tilework, the spa-style bath incorporates custom blue-gray Calacatta floors with Carrara white accents. Within its sleek, Laguna Series sliding barn door shower system from Glass Design, the walk-through shower’s wall of Bianco Carrara marble tile with a silver leaf backing adds dimension and depth, reflecting the natural light shared by the luxurious Kohler soaking tub from Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery.