“I love places where you don’t necessarily know what year it is,” says designer David Heide, referring to Gasparilla Island, a small barrier island off Florida’s west coast. “There’s a time-warp quality that appeals to me.” With no stoplights, zero high rises and only one grocery store that closes at 4 p.m., Gasparilla has a quaint charm that’s attracted Rockefellers, DuPonts and other blue-blood families since the early 1900s, prompting one travel writer to call it “The Preppiest Place on Earth.”
Photography by Rich Michell
And while the island does have its fair share of polo shirts and Lily Pulitzer prints, it’s the miles of soft, sandy beach and leisurely pace of life that convinced this St. Paul couple to build a second home there. “My husband went to Gasparilla with a close friend when they were in their teens, and now we’ve been coming with friends and family for more than 40 years,” says the homeowner, explaining why, in 2019, they decided to put down winter roots.
The couple purchased a lot that came with plans for a 4,000-square-foot, four-bedroom, five-and-a-half-bath house, but the design was too cookie-cutter for their taste. So they brought in Heide, who has helped them with several other projects and shares their appreciation for historical architecture. The request was simple: casual sophistication, livability and no Florida kitsch. “An elegant house with an old soul,” explains Heide.
The biggest problem with the existing plan was that it was too open. The front door led directly into the main living area, with no transition zone to welcome guests or set down a bag. Heide created a proper entrance by adding a divided light window wall flanked by symmetrical doorways, defining the space while still offering sightlines to the house and pool.
A lack of architectural detail also troubled the homeowners, who wanted a more traditional look that would be in step with the older homes on the island. They were in good hands with Heide, an award-winning historical preservationist who imbued the house with a sense of heritage through extensive millwork, divided light windows, wide plank floors and bespoke finishes.
Shadows, too, have their place in this home, which is one reason there aren’t many white walls. “The light in Florida is so bright it’s almost blue,” explains Heide. “But if everything is blown out white, there’s a story lost.”
Instead, he and designers Tam Ngo and Michael Crull played with the light — allowing it to sink into dark woodwork, bounce off shimmery wallpaper or filter gently through wavy restoration glass. Even the kitchen, the home’s sole white space, has depth thanks to natural white oak paneling and a mosaic marble backsplash.
“By my side throughout the entire project was Tam, who can practically and elegantly finish my design sentences,” says Heide.
The team also drew inspiration from the beach, prompted by the setting and the homeowner’s favorite childhood poem, “Treasures” by Mary Dixon Thayer, which celebrates shells, starfish and other beachcomber finds. But instead of relying on hackneyed motifs, they leaned into color and texture to evoke sand, sea and sky notes — cerused white oak paneling, cabinets with woven grass panels, and textiles in moody shades of blue and green. Lots of wallpaper, too, which the homeowners love. Nearly every room features a grasscloth or quiet print: dusty pink stripes in a guest bedroom, Asian-inspired blossoms in the dressing room and a special grasscloth embedded with capiz shells in the entryway. Each sets a distinct tone.
Crull and Heide combined different periods and furniture styles to create a more collected ambiance including unique and occasionally surprising moments — a carved Spanish console and contemporary bronze sculpture in the entryway, a colorful painting by abstract expressionist James C. Leonard in the living room, a set of bobbin dining chairs with Brunschwig & Fils fabric in the dining room. The problem of disguising the TV was elegantly solved with a custom walnut and bronze lift cabinet, designed by Heide and fabricated by Frost Cabinets, who built all of the home’s cabinetry in its St. Paul shop and shipped it to Florida.
“We’re very particular about cabinetry, and they are the best,” explains Heide.
One tucked-away gem is the den on the main floor, a relaxed retreat in green and brown tones. “The client wanted this to be a really comfortable space,” says Crull. It’s a clubby room with layers of warmth: shadow plaid wallpaper, a geometric Martin Patrick Evan rug, sandy upholstery, classic drapery and a captivating, slightly surreal painting of oranges by Kevin Sloan.
Guests, including the couple’s children and grandchildren, have their own space on the second floor, which includes three en suite bedrooms, a lounge area and a balcony. The primary bedroom is on the main level, a separation that accommodates different, and often early, bedtimes.
“The adults are in bed by nine because they’ve been outside most of the day — fishing, biking, playing golf, walking dogs or at the beach with grandchildren,” explains the homeowner.
The whole house feels inviting and balanced thanks to Heide’s careful attention to proportion, symmetry, function and how each room relates physically and visually to adjacent spaces.
There are plenty of spots to curl up with a book, flip open a laptop, play backgammon, or simply take in the water, rustling palm trees and blue sky. “We have a room with a view all hours of the day,” says the homeowner. “What’s not to like?”
Architectural Designers: David Heide and Tam Ngo, David Heide Design Studio
Interior Designer: Michael Crull, David Heide Design Studio
Builder: Outerbridge Construction
