Florida Love

“Would you like a fleece blanket?” the first mate asked as she pulled a fluffy blanket from the stack that she was carrying around the ship. “Yes! Thank You! I said with excitement because I was shivering! We were sailing around the island for a sunset cruise on The Jolly Rover; a sailing ship with amazing sails. The wind was cold and the temperature had dipped into the bone chilling low sixties in Key West. I wrapped myself in the blanket as we sailed into the mighty setting sun. There was no sound of engines, just the flap of the sails catching the wind and water being cut by the ships huge hull. I stared into the hot orange horizon where the sun had begun its quick descent and my heart swelled with Florida Love! If you love Florida as much as I do, why not bring some of the outside in? That is just what we did to transform a Jacksonville Beach condo. Let’s take a peek at the newly transformed space nestled in the Florida sand not too far from the heart of The Villages.

• Paint
The former owners did paint and the new owners liked the grey. I cannot say with certainty the name of the wall color, but it was warm grey much like the SW Popular Grey that I use when choosing grey.

• New Sofa
The key to buying furniture for a small space is making every inch count. In this case when both home owners want to recline the best value is a dual reclining sofa. The secret to getting a reclining sofa in a small space is that it must be wall hugging! This feature requires the sofa to set two inches out from the wall in order to recline. If you have a Lantana or an Iris, wall hugging is important for you to have if purchasing a reclining sofa or chair. This feature moves the chair forward in the space when in reclining position and will preserve your walkway by the kitchen island.

• Two new chairs
We were able to fit in two small modern club chairs. These chairs are comfortable and hug your body; and they are lightweight and easy to slide around the space should the homeowners need too.

• Lamps
The two lamps are bluish teal lamps with silver grey accents. Each lamp is blown glass and each is a bit different. They pull colors from everything in the space and when the sun hits them the purple and pink hues can be seen in the glass.

• New Rug
The new rug pulls colors from the art and it is wool. Wool is a very durable and should not be left out for consideration in a beach condo. This rug looks like waves in the ocean and it dried up quite nice after meeting Irma!

• New art
The owners wanted the art to be spectacular! Where else would we go to get that but to the work of Alan Maltz. We chose “Sea of Dreams”, a dramatic sunset in Naples Florida. The colors of the art are the colors of a winter sunset.

• Window treatments
The former owners used lightweight curtains to slide back and forth for privacy. However, they looked flimsy and they interrupted the view. We decided to go back to a vertical. The hope was that the vertical when open, would fade away in to the side walls. The owners close them only during turtle season when buildings are required to be dark at night. I think the verticals look great and they were a real money saver for this large sliding door.

• New TV Console and New TV
Just because the space is small does not mean the TV has to be small. The homeowners purchased a new console and new large TV. The console pulls the green color to the opposite side of the room and has a modern edge that works well with the other pieces of furniture. The homeowners will need something to watch when they can’t watch the ocean.

• More Art
Above the TV we hung a picture from Key West titled Mangrove Reflections. The frame is as unique as the art with a rustic frame. All the art and the color palette of the space bring in the colors of the ocean and beautiful sunsets that they see from their balcony.

P.S. –Attention, club presidents! I give free decorating programs! It is lots of fun and very informative. Call and schedule your club today or call Ruth your full service decorator at 352-804-2056.

Before and After Pics Below