The Perfect Home

When they first set up housekeeping in a rented duplex behind the Site gas station in north Naples, Angela and Todd Gates were perhaps more ambitious than the average newlyweds. But the native Virginians little dreamed that a couple of decades later they’d be living in a multimillion-dollar Pine Ridge mansion deemed perfect by the local building industry.

"It was the level of opportunity that brought us here," Todd says.

The high school sweethearts made Naples their honeymoon and permanent destination in 1984, long after Todd’s many vacation experiences kindled his interest in the area. "We saw that the population was growing fast, and that much of it was made up of retirees," he says. "It seemed that anyone who was willing to work really hard could get ahead."

He did just that. In 1993, he opened his own construction firm. In 1995, he took on partner James McVey. In 2004, McVey retired and Gates bought out his share of what he says is now among the top-ranking commercial building companies and commercial real estate firms in the state. His family, meanwhile, grew with the arrival of daughters Courtney and Brittany.

There were six home moves before the launching of the current Gates residence, which was a year in the planning and two years in the making. A two-acre site in Pine Ridge was chosen for several reasons, Todd explains. "We wanted a big lot to comfortably accommodate a big home; we wanted to feel as if we were in the country; we wanted to be close to our workplaces—Angela teaches four-year-olds at the Vanderbilt Presbyterian Learning Center—and we had to be near all the conveniences the family enjoys."

She adds that they hoped to create the personality of a Tuscan country estate, where everything was old, handmade, one-of-a-kind and not mass-produced last week. The living room’s marble-top, olive wood credenza is one example. Its age is about 130 years, and its last home was near the Vatican.

The use of Jerusalem stone floors is another. Hand-cut, deckle-edged and groutless, it conveys the aura of the past in the living room, dining room, galleries and kitchen. It has even been used to face the curving, poured concrete stairs leading to the second floor. "I hate creaks," Todd confides with a laugh.

But he and his wife love the North Carolina stone that lends a rustic quality to many rooms throughout the home. It antiquifies a dining room already heading back into history with a candle-bulbed, scrolled chandelier, vintage sideboard and red tapestry chairs.

"We further aged the space by making the coffered ceiling’s painted insets look watermarked," Todd points out, "and by giving the walls multi-textures with cast concrete trim and Venetian plaster sections."

The couple used distressed wood for their room doors and chose distressed slate tiles for the backsplashes in the kitchen and patio summer kitchen.

"We decided on banquettes for the casual dining area," Todd explains, "because they have a rustic look, especially paired with the drop-leaf table and a butterfly-print cornice."

To warm the large dimensions of the family room, the homeowners opted for a soft pine floor and leather seating facing the stone fireplace. Terraces hug the family room on three sides. The sector behind the fireplace houses the summer kitchen, embellished with a Tuscan countryside mural, and an outdoor fireplace with a conversation grouping.

Just beyond is a cabana that serves not only as a luxurious guest suite but as a hurricane shelter. Todd reports that in addition to hurricane-resistant window glass and 12-inch concrete walls, there are hurricane shutters and a generator able to maintain the family for three weeks.

The couple is particularly proud of the back of the home. "We spend a lot of time out there," Todd reasons, "so we wanted the back to have a good appearance."

Part of the charm comes from the second-floor, Juliet balconies that extend from the guest suite and the girls’ rooms. A five-level design enhances the pool and deck area and provides intimate spaces for social gatherings. Todd observes that the rose-red color used for the window framework is another element that enriches the overall effect.

It’s a color used in variations throughout the interior. Since the pool table had to be distinctive, the tabletop felt was ordered in deep rose, and the billiards room’s ceiling inset was painted to match. In the master suite, the chairs in the sitting area have a deep red hue, as does the area rug, one of many hand-knotted, Central Asian rugs selected to heighten the Tuscan ambiance.

"Because we preferred paint to wallpaper, we had a stencil treatment applied to the walls of our sitting area," Todd notes. "And we had the upper area designs painted darker than the lower ones, to reflect how old wallpaper would have faded."

That treatment reappears in the master bath, an area distinguished by a mural-decorated barrel vault ceiling over the tub, dual water closets and a super-sized shower, indoors and out.

How distinguished? The five-bedroom, seven-bath Gates home was the first to receive a perfect score in the judging of the 16th annual Sand Dollar Award competition, sponsored by the Collier Building Industry Association and held last August. That Grand award was accompanied by a quartet of other citations: best product design in its price category, best outdoor living area, best kitchen and best master suite.

But to Brittany Gates, 16, and her sister, Courtney, 19, it’s just home. It’s big enough to have private space—both dote on the family room and cabana—and warm enough to feel comfortable and cozy.