Creating That Wow Factor
A Ritz condo surrounded by the best that Sarasota has to offer from boardwalks to marinas to restaurants to Sarasota Bay should have nothing but the best when it comes to its interior. The new Ritz-Carlton Residences in Downtown Sarasota exemplifies luxury living, and each of the 73 condominium residences deserve every chance they can get to show off the luxurious lifestyle they have to offer.
One such condo resides on the eighth floor. With developer-built kitchens and bathrooms, it already had the essentials, but the wow factor wasn’t just yet. The homeowners still had plenty of blank walls that needed an extra touch of grandeur. With the help of a high-end design-build firm like us, we added that wow factor with newly designed fireplace built-ins, closets, textured wallpaper, live edge wood, and 3D tile.
Custom Bathroom Island
The custom bathroom island is the first touch of luxury we designed and built in this unit. As the homeowner said, it’s “so much better than just empty space.” One of the main reasons homeowners gravitate toward these bathroom islands is to have a focal point for an otherwise empty space.
In this otherwise large master bathroom with an open his and her shower, your eye immediately goes to the island. This island is Elmwood Custom Cabinetry with a Silver Plum High Gloss finish. The island top is crafted with recycled leather.
Illuminated Master Bedroom
The same high gloss finish and leather tops continue into the master bedroom, making up what the homeowners like to call their craft wall. The glossy cabinets seem to disappear into the wall from the reflections from the bay outside the window. The Elmwood shelves also reflect the water with their white high gloss finish.
The really magnificent feature in the master bedroom is the drop ceiling. We designed this new drop ceiling, which is fully illuminated and has a diamond-pattern design that flows from the ceiling and down the wall, disappearing behind to where the bed would be. With a coffee bar along the inside wall for easy access to refreshing drinks and snacks, do you really need a reason to leave the bedroom?
Quartzite Fireplace Surround
Now you might want to step out of the bedroom if not just to relax in front of the fireplace and lounge in the fiery glow. Custom-made entertainment panels and shelves surround this electric fireplace. This system uses revolutionary ultrasonic technology to create the flame and smoke effect. As the mist rises, the light reflects against the water molecules creating a convincing illusion of flames and smoke. The result is an appearance so authentic it could be mistaken for a traditional wood-burning fireplace.
As if melting from the fire, a chocolate-look panel in Creamy Mocha Horz grain backs the TV, while a snaking shelf system painted in High Gloss White floats above. The custom fireplace is surrounded with a silvery Ijan Blue quartzite. Completing the wall are two columns in concrete Venetian plaster.
More Touches of Luxury
Ijan Blue quartzite wraps around the Elmwood Custom Cabinetry in the den in this Ritz condo. This floating unit has a Natural Diamond Gloss finish. A quartzite piece also acts as a desk near the window that overlooks Downtown Sarasota.
Sprinkled throughout the unit are walls clad with luxury wallpaper. Run your hands over this textured, handmade wallpaper to feel a jagged, leathery finish. The entire foyer is covered with this textured wallpaper and is even covering a couple of hidden doors. This wallpaper is the ultimate accent piece to make your home really stand out from the ordinary. It helps make everything blend in and sort of melt together.
3D Tile & Live Edge Wood
While we didn’t touch the developer-built bathrooms in this Ritz condo, we did redesign the powder bathroom that’s right off of the main entrance. A small floating cabinet hovers above the ground with again a top of Ijan Blue quartzite. These custom floating cabinets are illuminated by a custom decorative mirror that sits on a wall of 3D marble mosaic tile, or as the homeowner calls it, a wall of “bling-bling.”
Our finishing touch for the best wow factor yet in this Ritz unit is the custom live edge wood. The bedroom at the end of the hall has new live edge wood shelves and countertops, and a beautifully crafted almost 400-pound custom barn door serves as the closet entrance.
A live edge slab is a piece of wood that still has the natural edges of the tree. The width of a trunk determines the width of the live edge slabs. With these live edge wood pieces, this Ritz-Carlton residence is truly displaying its luxurious lifestyle to its fullest potential.
Upgrade From Ordinary to Magnificent
