COWBOYS AND INDIANS
July 2006
GULF COAST STYLE
Splitting their time between Montana and Florida, a couple brings a little bit of the west to their home in Naples.
When Don Juan Ponce de Leon found his way to the shore of the place he dubbed Pascua Florida (flowery Easter) in 1513, he stumbled upon a section of the new World rich in natural beauty, with sun, sea, sand, abundant wildlife, and a wealth of cultural heritage. Almost 500 years later, Florida has much the same draw. For John Blakely and his wife, Pam, the call of Naples’ Port Royal community was too seductive to resist. They visited, they saw, and they conquered – or, rather, they purchased the perfect acre site on the waterfront, just miles by water to the Florida Keys – and had their dream home built.
“We loved the Mizner-style homes in old Palm Beach with their Spanish influence,” John says. Addison Mizner is the architect often credited for bringing the Spanish Revival movement to prominence in Florida in the 1920s. His beautiful resorts and homes in Boca Raton and Palm Beach are known for their red-tile roofs, multiple patios, and stucco and tiled archways and walls.
The style is heavily in demand in the region, according to Kathy Harwick, co-owner of Harwick Homes, the Blakely’s builder. “There’s something about the casual elegance of these Mediterranean-style homes that attracts people,” she says. “It’s often called Mediterranean Revival or Spanish Eclectic because it’s not influenced by Spanish architecture but a mixture of Spanish, Italian, Mediterranean, Western – whatever you want,” says architect Eric Brown, who along with interior designer Sherri Dupont and landscape designer Russell Bencaz has worked with Harwick Homes on a number of projects in the area. “Balance is more important than symmetry with this style, and it’s perfect for this region because it encourages the notion of bringing the outdoors in, or the indoors out. Because of the perfect weather and fantastic views here, everyone wants to live outdoors.
The design of the Blakely’s home takes that into consideration, with 8,200 square feet of air-conditioned space and another 4,000 square feet without air-conditioning. A variation on one of Harwick Homes’ standard models, the Vernazza, the two-floor house boasts four bedrooms, five full baths and two half baths, office suites for both John and Pam, a guest apartment with it’s own kitchen, studies, leisure and sitting rooms, an exercise room, a maid’s room, multiple covered balconies, a wine cellar, and a formal parlor and dining room. Between the parlor and the main backyard, which has a three–tiered pool and an outdoor kitchen, are 10-foot tall pocket doors that disappear into the walls, melding the indoors and outdoors. “We love that we can sit in the parlor and look right onto the waterway beyond,” says John. The Blakeley’s picked the site because of it’s south-facing view of the Gulf of Mexico. Avid boaters, they keep their Tiara motorboat docked in the cove behind their house. “We frequently watch sunsets over the water from the boat,” says John, “and travel down to the Florida Keys and up and down each of the Florida coasts.” When the Blakely’s aren’t boating, they’re golfing on any of the nearby courses. “We live outdoors a lot,” Pam says.
But don’t get the impression that these two live only a life of leisure. John worked as a trial lawyer for many years and now practices part time. Among others, he handled the internationally famous Kimberly Mays “switched at birth” case, which became the subject of a movie and a book. Pam is one of the founders of the Hooter’s restaurant chain and is currently involved in the launch of the new Hooter’s hotel and casino in Las Vegas. “We’re busy,” she says, “but we find time to enjoy ourselves.”
When the Blakely’s aren’t enjoying themselves in Florida, they’re at their new home in Whitefish, Montana, a location they chose by discovering America their own way – in a motor home. “We’ve been to every state in the country except Hawaii in the RV,” John says. “It’s a great way to travel. Montana really spoke to us, so we spend some of the year there and some here in Naples. It’s the best of both worlds.”
When it came time to choose the furnishings and finishes for the home in Naples, the couple considered the elements they loved about their Montana home and incorporated them when appropriate, working closely with interior designer Sherri Dupont, president of Collins & Dupont Interior Design. “Our Montana house is really Western,” Pam says, “and we didn’t want to replicate that in our Naples home. But we did want to bring some of the warmer cozier elements to this house, which is why there are wrought-iron fixtures and hickory floors on the second floor.”
“There’s a multicultural look that goes well with this style of home that includes a bit of a Western feel,” Dupont says. “But it’s more gaucho that a 10-gallon hat, if you know what I mean.” Dupont notes that Florida is the oldest and currently one of the top 10 cattle-producing states in the country, a legacy that influences the lifestyle and aesthetic of the region.
In addition to an eclectic multicultural style incorporating everything from Western fixtures to Asian-inspired furniture in the leisure room, the Blakely’s wanted a décor that was elegant yet casual. They wanted “a place where they could entertain and still kick their shoes off at the end of the day and put their feet up,” Dupont says.
With the couple’s input, Dupont chose durable and comfortable fabrics and furniture in natural fibers and jewel like tones. “We call this the “jewel box,” Pam says referring to the strong blues, teals, and coral fabric tones in the house. Colors also abound in the home’s 130 different surface materials. Pam is especially proud of the kitchen countertops, which are colorful slabs of stone including quartzite and Pakistani green onyx. “You can go to the port of Miami and pick out your stone right where it comes in from all over the world,” she says. “We made several trips.”
Rather than heavy window treatments and dark wood furniture, Dupont and the Blakely’s chose little or no window coverings except in the bedrooms. An automatic computer-based lighting system “staged” for four scenarios – morning, party, work, just the two of them – creates an interior ready for any scene. Combine that with a similar lighting system in the pool, which changes colors for dramatic effect, and you begin to wonder why anyone would ever want to leave this house.
“It actually is a problem,” John says, laughing. “We have an osprey nest in our backyard. We can see the porpoises jumping in the water. When we’re here we don’t want to leave.” And yet, he admits the call of the West is also strong. “When we’re in our Montana house,” he says, “we don’t want to leave there either.”
Builder: Harwick Homes www.harwickhomes.com
Residential Design: Eric Brown Design Group www.designgroupstudio.com
Interior Design: Collins & Dupont Interior Design www.collins-dupont.com
Landscape Design: Russell Bencaz & Associates Inc. (239) 263-7447
