BY CHANNING SPANO
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL OWEN
People love a good before and after conversion. The amazing
changes, the growth, the development—we love to see a
transformation and that is something at which Kristen Williams
excels. Her eye for possibilities allows her to create modern and awardwinning
projects from homes most developers would overlook. Believing
that preservation is always best, Williams prefers to take older homes
which have been part of the Naples community for decades and update
them to suit the contemporary Naples resident. “She looks for homes with
good bones in a good location. If it has those two things she believes in,
remodeling instead of tearing down, which in most cases would be the
easier option,” explains Olde Naples Real Estate broker Chris Wells.
Those two main requirements were met in a 1964 bungalow that has
now been transformed into a beautiful, coastal-inspired cottage. This
home has undergone a metamorphosis much like that of a butterfly,
emerging at the end as something beautiful and new. Sitting just one
block from Broad Avenue South in Old Naples, Williams felt she could
create a space for the stylish Naples resident while still preserving the
original flavor of the home. Her plan included changing the layout of
the home to create an open floor plan, raising the ceilings, and adding
additional square footage through a garage with guest suite above. She
also revised the back yard to create a pool and entertaining space with
the indoor-outdoor living opportunities that people look for in Naples.
The end result is another outstanding home to add to her list of local
projects.
10 | YOUR HOME MAGAZINE
Butterfly the
house