Jamie Merida spotlights daring, fashionable artwork in a vintage-style cottage on Sanibel Island
“When each room has a million-dollar view, you do not have to do lots,” declares designer Jamie Merida. He is referring to a custom-built retreat he lately adorned for a shopper who hails from Maryland. The beachfront dwelling overlooks the Gulf of Mexico on scenic and secluded Sanibel Island. Conceived in Nineteen Twenties Florida cottage vernacular, it showcases its proprietor’s eclectic aesthetic through whimsical, up to date artwork. “She’s an artist and a collector,” Merida observes. “My job was to curate her collections and make them shine—after which to fill in any blanks.”
In opposition to a conventional backdrop of shiplap siding and weathered oak flooring, Merida launched a recent palette of white partitions and fabric that displays the sunshine, guaranteeing the proprietor’s distinctive work, sculptures and collections take middle stage (classic sand pails from the Thirties playfully displayed on a bookshelf, as an illustration). Items accomplished by the proprietor additionally adorn the partitions—primarily collages of textiles, paper and paint.
No sooner was the mission accomplished than Hurricane Ian arrived. “The proprietor barely acquired one season,” Merida says ruefully. Although the principle ground was destroyed, fortunately most one-of-a-kind items have been saved. Designer and shopper are already at work restoring the house.
Structure: Leslie Kelly, Leslie Kelly Structure LLC, Wilmington, Delaware. Inside Design: Jamie Merida, Jamie Merida Interiors, Easton, Maryland. Builder: The Wolter Group, Fort Myers, Florida. Panorama Structure: RS Walsh Landscaping, Fort Myers, Florida. Styling: Charlotte Safavi.
