We are very happy to share a terrific article about The Villa D’Este Model here at Talis Park. We are very proud of the collaboration between the ultra talented Vogue Interiors and the craftmanship of Harbourside Custom Homes. Our very best wishes and congratulations to Steve & Maria Giannelli for their purchase of this beautiful home.
Article from News-Press.com
By Andrea Stetson
When designers are given a model home as an empty architectural design it’s a lot different than decorating for a homeowner. They are designing a home for an unknown buyer. That’s why most models have neutral colors that appeal to a wide range of people. Tans, beiges, camel or caramel are colors most often seen in a model home. Then it’s up to the designer to add extra touches to take the home from bland to a blast of personality.
That’s what Leslie Gebert, interior designer with Vogue Interior Design, did with the Harbourside Custom Homes’ Villa d’ Este model in Talis Park. Her design was so appealing it didn’t take long for it to sell.
“This model sold the first day it opened,” Gebert explained. “I’ve gotten a lot of business from this model.”
Maria and Steve Giannelli were the buyers who purchased the model the day it opened for sales.
“I fell in love with the open layout,” Maria Giannelli began. “You could see right through into the lanai, and I love the pool area. Initially that was our first impression. You could see right through the house right to the greens. Once we started to go through it, we loved the appointments of the decorating and the rest of the home and I do like the color palate.”
The more the Giannelli’s examined the house the more creative details they noticed.
“We didn’t notice some of the finer points until we started looking around,” Giannelli continued. “In the dining room I like the way they did the indentations in the walls. The way they did those with accent material, and the ceiling in the master bedroom with the textured paper. We really fell in love with it.”
The design in the Villa d’Este model recently won the Lee County Building Industry Association’s Pinnacle Award for Best Interior Design in a single-family home in the $1.5 – $1.99 million range.
Gebert began designing the home in the family room with slate tiles in the back of the entertainment center.
“The slate tile was the inspiration,” Gebert described. “We pulled color scene out of that.”
In the kitchen she found a granite material that is white with chocolate running through it. The natural flow of the chocolate color gave the tile deep splotches in some areas and thinner color in other areas.
“It’s so dynamic, the granite,” Gebert said. “We really featured some of the special areas in the backsplash.”
“The white with brownish granite it is really beautiful,” Giannelli said.
Each room was given a splash of texture and metallic brightness in a different way. In the dining room by the entrance little nooks were covered in wallpaper that looks like pebbles.
“We are using more textured wallpapers then faux finishes,” Gebert explained. “Wallpaper is back with a vengeance.”
Textured wallpaper is also used in the inlaid ceilings. The den and one guest bedroom have a white molding two feet below the ceiling. Above the molding is a woven cloth wallpaper, while below is a textured linen.
“Because the ceiling was so high it’s great to have an architectural item,” Gebert said.
The home has other textured features such as linen and leather light fixtures and a natural fiber rug.
“Models generally have less color,” Gebert said. “They are more neutral. We add texture, reflective surfaces, so when you come in there is life in the room.”
The three-bedroom, three-and-a-half bath, plus study and formal dining room sells for $1.795 million.
With the model selling so quickly, Vogue is now working on another Villa d’Este model in Talis Park. This one will also feature metallic golds and texture, but the palate of colors will feature charcoal and taupe colors along with wood.
“It is such a California casual look, but still maintaining the elegance you need in Talis Park,” Gebert said.