Whimsical Dutch Charm On Siesta Key

By Jae Hermann

Siesta Key is adorned with many exquisite palatial waterfront homes, several of which have been built by waterfront home building specialists including Perrone Construction. When they were commissioned to take on an ample space of land on the recently dubbed “Spice Bay”, the Perrone family team opted to showcase a fresh, yet classic taste of the tropics. A home that embodied classic yet carefree sophistication—the perfect combination for Siesta Key waterfront living.

“We looked at many different styles of architecture and decided to bring something new and fresh to Siesta, something that would be conducive to what people envision when they come to Sarasota, which is elegant indoor-outdoor living,” said Ricky Perrone, Vice President of Perrone Construction.

According to Ricky, Perrone Construction is a company that very much likes to draw on traditional architectural styles and enhance upon them while staying true to the roots of the style. Taking an innovative approach, the Perrone team traveled to several Caribbean islands to study and model the British, Dutch West Indies, and French colonial architectural influences. 

“In the Caribbean, the British and Dutch West Indies and the French colonial styles lend themselves to what we termed a ‘barefoot elegance’— an old-world style adapted to tropical conditions with some new-world influence,” said Ricky.

The Dutch had strong influences in the Caribbean Islands, as seen in the architecture and buildings of Curaçao. Prominent features that are indicative of Dutch West Indies architecture are the gable ends with scalloped parapets and clean white stucco. The British West Indies Georgian architecture with distinct straight lines is decidedly more disciplined than the Dutch influence, which leans toward whimsical, inviting, and carefree living.

In collaboration with Stofft Cooney Architects, the Perrone team exceeded convention in constructing the Caribbean-inspired Coastal Dutch Home. At just over 7,200 sq. feet, this 4-bedroom bayfront home is bright, airy, and filled with Dutch West Indies character and warmth. 

“This size home is a fairly typical build for us, and we had a lot of fun with it,” said Ricky. “The goal was to take this build to another level, which we did when collaborating with the art team, architect, interior designer, and landscape architect. We created a project that isn’t just great—it’s exceptional.” 

For the home’s architects, Stofft Cooney, it was also a fun and exceptional project. To firm partner John Cooney, the standout features of the home are its vaulted ceilings accented with heavy, stained timbers, and clerestory windows that provide ample natural light filtering throughout the home. 

The entry leads into the great room featuring a stone-clad fireplace and floor to ceiling view of the pool area just beyond. The adjacent contemporary-style open kitchen with a double island and dining area ensures that no guest feels left out. 

Boasting nuanced, classic charm balanced with carefree undertones, the home’s open floor plan and its warm and eclectic Chinese décor, beautifully incorporated by designer Grace Carlson, are notable elements among the Caribbean influence. The interior accent beams of Western Red Cedar tongue and groove added the desired “barefoot elegance” as seen throughout the home. 

The exposed beam accents, shutters, and interplay of materials, all lend to a very fun, whimsical, and relaxed architectural style. The home has extra fun spaces, including a movie theater and a gym.

In the family room off the kitchen, the Perrone team added a corner slider that retracts into a wall on both sides, making it completely open to the outdoor living space and outdoor kitchen area. The retracting doors with 12-foot French doors, accented with 2-foot transcends, “was an engineering feat not seen in Sarasota homes,” according to Ricky. The result creates a dramatic 24-feet wide opening that provides an unobstructed view of the waterfront and pool deck. The combination of indoor/outdoor space is breathtaking.

On the exterior of the home, other details not typically seen in Florida are half-round gutters and a chimney cap found by Perrone in Curacao.

The Dutch Coastal vibe was also carried into the hardware and fixtures used on doors, in the kitchen, bathrooms, laundry room, outdoor kitchen, and bar. Whimsical cabinet pulls, Colonial bronze knobs, bathroom vessel and dish basin sinks with wall-mounted faucets, lever interior door sets in satin brass are true to the home’s style while the latest in rain-head showers, toilets, freestanding tubs, and kitchen sinks and faucets were used to meet the discerning needs of the homeowner. All kitchen, bath and bar fixtures and door hardware are from The Plumbing Place. 

Equally as important to completing the right look in the bathrooms was the selection of tile for both the floors and walls, which came from SRQ Modern. In the master bath, Cappuccino marble tile with a pebble stone accent under the soaking tub works beautifully with the custom Calacatta gold wave mosaic walls handmade in Italy. Onyx split face stone was used on the walls to complement the limestone floor used in the downstairs bath. The powder bath features a custom white marble mosaic on the vanity wall, and the custom waterjet mosaic tile honed in Thassos and polished with Carrara marble was used as a “rug” and on the back wall of the shower in the upstairs guest bath.

Hazeltine Nurseries was charged with creating a unique tropical landscape design that carried the Caribbean vibe to the outside. According to owner Stephen Hazeltine, they took the time to determine the proper hardscape and plant material to compliment the Dutch/Curacao architecture.

“There were many unique areas and niches to put our design abilities to work. From the water garden area between the main home and the home gym, a native hammock on the south side of the home, the bay on the east side, as well as an extended garden on the west side of the home that contained a bocce ball court, water feature, and sitting area with arbor, each area helped us create one of the most charming gardens we’ve designed,” he shared. 

Hazeltine found a dark clay brick for the drive that added a contrast of the Dominican coral used within the water garden areas as well as the sunning pad on the bayside of the home. The majestic Foxtails used in the entry area, along with the slender Carpentaria Palms in the pool area, enhanced the relaxed feel of the total garden experience. The use of the coconut palms helped to complete the Caribbean feel.

For Ricky Perrone, the idea was “to build a comfortable, new home, but at the same time, a home that feels like it could have been there 100 years ago. Rather than build a trendy home, we built a timeless home.”