The grand living room features a soaring two-story cathedral ceiling and a view
of the second floor’s floating hallway.
Upon entering, there is an amazing tropical garden to the left.
Closer to the front door, you can peak through the clusia-lined
walk into a breathtaking pool area that is lined with large spillover
vases and a rectangular fire feature at one end. There are swim jets
on the deep side of the dark blue pool, which has an extensive spa.
The exterior LED lighting accentuates the grounds. An outdoor
entertaining area has built-in seating, table, sofa and chairs and
an outdoor kitchen.
Inside the 4,556-square-foot home, new travertine flooring
leads the way through the custom mahogany and glass door to an
astonishing two-story exquisite marble foyer with a solid stained
bamboo meandering stairway. The foyer opens to an enormous
grand room where a huge 25-foot-high fireplace dominates the
space. Jim has furnished it with leather furniture and tables, while
David’s 12-foot Bösendorfer concert grand piano adds magic to
the area.
The new kitchen features a Wolf cooktop, Wolf oven, double
Sub-zero appliances, double Bosch dishwashers and an island
with a rollout for garbage and recycling. One of the home’s three
icemakers is built into the island, and a salad or cocktail rectangular
sink helps caterers do their work. Both sinks, the large one-piece
and island sink feature garbage disposals. All the lighting has LED
fixtures. Jim designed an armoire, where doors slide into the large
cabinet to keep small appliances off the counters. This includes a
microwave, coffeemaker and additional oven. The granite shelf
serves as the home for toaster, mixer, blender, etc. When the doors
are closed, you see a beautiful cabinet.
Under the stairway is a new wine cellar with stone backing
that matches the fireplace. It has chrome racks for 288 bottles,
magnum space, a glass window and glass door to showcase the
collection that is chilled at 55 degrees. Continuing down the hall
is the powder room with hand-placed stoned rocks. The walls are
fabric, chosen by designer and friend Franco Pasquale.
Since Jim and David did not want to walk through the dining
area to get to the master suite, Franco used a felt navy design
wallpaper Jim had chosen for the dining room to create an open
separation for light. Matching ironwork separates the dining room
to create a hall to the master suite that was enlarged by enclosing a
screened porch, adding 100 square feet of space. A stunning marble
wall serves as a backdrop to their king-sized bed in the bedroom.
From here, French doors open to a private lanai. The adjoining
bathroom has stone flooring, walls of cabinetry and a large linen
closet. The shower has a rainfall head, stationary spray and
handheld spray. There is a romantic stone tub for soaking, and
an extraordinary custom-designed closet.
You can enter the service hall through a glass door. The flooring
in all the common areas is a wood-look porcelain. The laundry
room off this hall has a built-in desk with a granite top.
126 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018