Crafting a Coastal Condo Retreat
Designer Renée Gaddis of Renée Gaddis Interiors shares how she shifted from the fashion world to the design world and discusses a high-rise Naples, Florida project.
Tell us about yourself and your path to interior design:
I was born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa, and studied fashion design at Iowa State. After getting engaged, I moved to Florida with my college sweetheart, but I wasn’t able to find a job right away. I eventually connected with an interior designer who offered me a position, insisting that many design principles translate between fashion and interiors, such as how fabrics drape and the importance of space planning.
I dove headfirst into it, getting my interior design certification and license. While I fell into this field at the beginning, it’s now a passion. In hindsight, I feel like I should have always been on this path.
Does fashion inform your design?
Yes. I still look at fashion magazines and Instagram sites in my spare time. Doing so makes me feel a little ahead of the game since interior design is actually somewhat delayed from fashion. Something like a new color or color combination that’s on the runway today will slowly trickle into home fabrics, for example.
Is this project a primary home or a vacation home for the clients?
A vacation home. They’re a husband and wife from Chicago with a daughter and son. Their daughter, who’s probably in her early thirties, was heavily involved in the process as well because her parents are planning to keep the home in their family for a long time. She was more focused on the look and design, yet her parents highly valued comfort. It was a refreshing balance and a fun project.
Did you have to run any ideas by a condo association?
I do a ton of condos down here, around a 75/25 split with houses. This one was a new build, so the association wasn’t even created yet. The developer owned everything, and we worked with them pre-close on all the finishes and other touches. Once the clients bought it, we added details like built-ins, paint colors, and ceiling touches.
With the property being a Florida high-rise, did you have to factor weather into its design?
Definitely. This condo’s on the twentieth floor, a big consideration for hurricane season. Most transplants close everything up outside before returning home for months. But we created two layers of protection here: The hidden sliders in the windows are hurricane-proof, and the lanai shutters allow the clients to keep their balcony furniture in place if there’s bad weather.
Would you talk about the openness of the condo?
The elevator leads you right into their unit. When you step off and look to the right, you get a spectacular, unobstructed view of the outside. This required a very open floor plan in the main area with few walls. In addition, we made subtle tweaks to make it feel even more open, such as doorless kitchen cabinet uppers.
What do the decor’s natural elements add to the home?
The clients wanted the unit to have a coastal vibe, which we included with some of the furniture and fixture choices. A fun example of this is the kitchen table, which looks and feels like a giant tree trunk—it’s very heavy. Another is the woven raffia light fixture in the guest bedroom, which provides an earthy, natural feel. I also love the wave in the pretty blue-green kitchen backsplash.
Are the colors informed by the locale as well?
Very much so. I like to say that down here, the green from the palm trees and the blue from the sky and water serve as neutrals. Basically, anything you’re seeing outside your window is considered a neutral inside.
What were the clients’ goals for the kitchen?
The wife loves to cook. She knows where she wants things and how she wants to do things, so we added a lot of intentional touches in the kitchen to make it a comfortable yet practical space. I wanted it to feel like her kitchen at home.
It was just one example of the custom design that we did for them. Another is the massive ottoman. They wanted a spot to put their feet up as well as a place for cups or snacks. The two tables on the ottoman are on casters so they can easily roll back and forth. On the window side, we also chose these cool, amazingly comfortable open-backed chairs that allow the clients to enjoy the view outside.
The ceiling fixture choices are also very interesting.
Very much so. The master bedroom has lights that look like conch shells made of blown glass, adding a touch of beachiness. I am not a huge lover of regular ceiling fans, so we instead added some “fandeliers,” fixtures that look like chandeliers but are fans. A fandelier is my new favorite thing! I wish I invented it.
Do you enjoy finding unique items for each client?
I love it. I find them all over the place, whether through traveling, looking through magazines, or scrolling through social media. And if a client’s budget allows for something custom-made, that’s even more fun. For example, we spent ample time designing this project’s wine wall. The clients don’t drink a ton, but they wanted a cool wall that stood out in the living room.
Do you lean toward a particular design style, or are you a chameleon, changing based on what your client needs?
I think I’m a chameleon. I’m always trying to truly understand what home is to clients and what they’re looking for. My job is to do the best I can to exceed their expectations. I also have a passion for learning, so I love getting to discover more about whatever my clients are looking for.
Some designers have a style they do over and over again, creating the same look with different materials, lighting, and furniture. I don’t know if I could do that. I’m constantly evolving, and I think that once I try one thing, I want to do something different.
You’re a big supporter of children with heart disease. Would you share why and how you advocate for them?
Our daughter has a rare heart condition that was discovered when she was just eighteen months old. At age three, she received a pacemaker, and now, in her twenties, she is 90 percent dependent on it.
It was a huge learning curve for my husband and me. She was our first child, so we were already navigating the uncertainty of new parenthood when we were suddenly faced with serious medical challenges. Those early years were scary, filled with countless doctor appointments and surgeries. At the time, there were no pediatric cardiologists or even a hospital system in our area, which meant we had to drive hours to Tampa or Miami to get her the care she needed.
Those experiences shaped us deeply and are the reason we are so passionate about this cause today. We are actively involved with the American Heart Association and helped get a local children’s hospital up and running so that other families wouldn’t have to endure the long-distance travel we did. Anything we can do to help children with heart disease feels even more meaningful than bringing a design project to life.
For more info, visit reneegaddis.com