London Bay's new Watlington estate model designed for Fifth Avenue South living

London Bay Homes continues to transform luxury living near the Gulf of Mexico with its newest custom estate. The two-story Watlington, a single-family model emphasizing indoor and outdoor living and coastal contemporary décor by Romanza Interior Design, is nearing completion at 41 Fifth St. S.

The home’s location near Fifth Avenue South and Third Street South also provides a wealth of options for dining at award-winning restaurants or window shopping while taking in festivals, live entertainment and theatrical productions at Naples Players or Gulfshore Playhouse.

The model embraces the high standards and brand promise of Private Label Living by London Bay Homes, an award-winning homebuilder and developer in the Southwest Florida luxury home market for nearly three decades.

Designed around a flowing open concept floor plan with numerous entertaining destinations, including a formal dining room and three fire features, the Watlington expands London Bay’s offering of luxury homes and home sites from Park Shore to Port Royal as part of its Naples Collection.

Finishes and furnishings selected by Jennifer Stevens, Romanza’s senior design director, include specialty ceiling and wall treatments, wire-brushed ash flooring in main living areas, and wood tones mixed with polished nickel, glass, capiz, graphite, aged silver, metallic pewter, chrome and shimmering crystals.

"This home has generously sized spaces, which are enhanced by soaring ceilings with backlit beams and the glimmer of metallic and reflective surfaces," the designer said. "The great room is spacious and will have ample upholstered furniture and casegoods providing comfortable seating for entertaining and conversation. There is also a large TV anchored by an oversized, floating media cabinet adjacent to pocketing glass doors to the outdoor living area."

The Watlington offers four bedrooms, a study and a second-floor bonus room within 4,182 square feet of living space.

"It’s a great floor plan for entertaining," Stevens said. "I envision dinner parties being hosted in the dining room amid the glow of its blue-flame glacier crystal linear fireplace. The bright white of Venetian plaster walls is warmed by rich ombre draperies in shades of blue and the room accommodates a large rustic oak and antique nickel table with seating for eight.”

 The adjoining kitchen and a butler’s bar make staging a dinner party a breeze. Appliances include a dual-fuel range, steam oven, Sub-Zero refrigerator, microwave drawer and refrigerated drawers. Stevens has selected Pompeii extra white and statuario quartz counter tops and has designed a backlit, floating drywall ceiling detail.

"It also has a large island with a cantilevered counter top, textured large-format Porcelanosa tile backsplash and a combination of grayed rift oak and high-gloss white cabinetry," she said.

The connection between large indoor rooms and outdoor areas enhances the Watlington’s entertainment quotient. The great room flows out to a covered living area and open-air pool and patio spaces. Christian Andrea of Architectural Land Design created the home’s outdoor spaces to maximize the home site by carving out areas for dining and sitting pool or fireside. Acquatico, London Bay’s in-house custom pool and outdoor design division, will be overseeing the installation.

"The sunken spa is really dramatic with its stone-clad walls, water features and a sheltering trellis," Stevens said. "There’s a dining area and lounge seating at an outdoor fireplace with cypress-paneled walls under a tongue-and-grove ceiling painted gray with a nickel edge. Brushed shellstone flooring flows from the outdoor living area onto the pool deck."

An outdoor kitchen provides a grill, refrigerated drawers and white fusion bluette stone counter tops. A second fire feature – a fire pit – offers gathering room with sectional seating on a raised platform deck. Grayed green mosaic iridescent tile will accent spa and pool, which features a shallow beach area for in-water lounging.

Ash wood flooring, soft watery greens paired with crisp white beams against a pitched ceiling, a silver on gray area rug and shell white four-poster bed reference the coastal theme in the model’s master bedroom. The suite also has two walk-in closets and a French door to the pool and spa.

Relaxation is also the inspiration for the master bathroom, offering a freestanding oval tub, soft Calcutta porcelain tile floors and shower walls, rich gray cabinetry and pure white quartz counter tops. A four-tiered étagère will feature an alabaster finish with antique silver finished backs that will provide extra storage for linens.

The study, overlooking the front of the home through large windows on two walls, offers a multifunctional workspace. A closet and adjoining full bath allow the room to be used as a fifth bedroom. Stevens’ design includes wool and sisal carpeting, a table style desk and a tiered media/bookshelf in a pale gray matte finish.

Guests enjoy privacy in the three suites on the second floor, each offering a full bath and one featuring a built-in desk. Two balconies are accessible from the bonus room and a bedroom.

The Watlington also offers five full baths, a powder room and two-car garage.

 It is expected to be completed in spring and is priced at $4.825 million, fully furnished.

London Bay’s Naples Collection features single-family estate models as well as an exclusive selection of prime on-your-lot home sites located close to the city’s top restaurants, major shopping destinations, art and theater venues and Gulf of Mexico beaches.

London Bay Homes has been named America’s Best Builder by Builder magazine and has earned more than 300 industry awards. Its commitment to Private Label Living ensures quality, attention to detail, an enjoyable building process and homes that are a unique expression of their residents’ distinctive tastes.

The company builds new luxury custom single-family and multi-family homes priced from $1 million to more than $10 million in many of the region’s most exclusive neighborhoods and communities.

Visit www.LondonBay.com.