Ship Shape Southern Charm
Design by Karen Larson, Broad Avenue Studios, INC., Naples, FL
Text by Charlotte Safavi
Photography by Venjhamin Reyes, Miami, FL
When Kentucky-based homeowners Anna and Tim Cambron were looking for a new Florida winter getaway, they honed in on Naples for its upscale shops and fine restaurants and, specifically, on Kalea Bay, a luxury high-rise waterfront development. But it was the views of the Gulf of Mexico from the 3,500-square-foot condo that sealed the deal. “It had that ‘wow’ factor right away,” Anna says. “This area is so beautiful, the colors of the water, the sunset. It was important to us that you could see it all.”
Designer Karen Larson came on board, with her colleagues Anna Fleming-Neely and Mackenzie Lowe, to help personalize the designer-ready condo. “It was new construction, a clean slate for us,” Larson says. “The Cambrons were looking to customize it to their taste. Tim has a passion for antique boats and nautical elements, while Anna is Southern and elegant, with a touch of formality.”
Nautical influences come into play right away in shiplap wall and ceiling finishes that define seating and eating areas in the open floor plan. The coastal palette of pale blues and beiges accented with pops of nautical navy is on an even keel in the living area, where low-profile furnishings keep ocean views clear and airy. “The condo feels wide open, with lots of glass, and whether you’re indoors or outdoors, it feels like you’re sitting on the Gulf of Mexico,” Tim says.
Nautical touches flow through to the dining area and kitchen beyond. Triple lanterns above the waterfall-edge quartz island play off the cerused oak dining table’s chrome base nearby. “Her (Anna’s) Southern roots come out in the more traditional trellis-patterned host chairs, and in the graceful chandelier with suspended rock crystals,” Larson says.
The home’s private spaces are equally thought-out. Calming gray tones and soft supple fabrics style the guest room, where an intimate sitting area provides the perfect spot to sit back and enjoy a good book. The palette shifts to shades of muted teal in the serene master bedroom with its vertical stripe burlap-and-foil wall finish. “We continue the green tones into the master bath, where we framed out an area around the vessel tub with custom millwork, and accented it with a grass cloth treatment, LED accent lighting, and cascading crystals,” Larson says. A circular shell-framed mirror recalls the nautical aura found throughout the home.
Larson feels the condo now reflects the couple’s combined passions well. “Elegant southern charm is relocated to a luxury coastal home,” she says. “It’s a perfect mix.”
“This area is so beautiful, the colors of the water, the sunset. It was important to us that you could see it all,” homeowner anna cambron says.
