COMFORTABLE ZEN
A PERSONAL SANCTUARY SHAPED BY VISION AND CREATIVE FREEDOM
IInterior Designer Carleen Young of Ashmore Design exclaims, “It was a pleasure working with someone so open to bold ideas — in fact, Mr. Shrout demanded it.” Developer and homeowner Timothy J. Shrout, with a penchant for originality, set out to create a home unlike Naples’ coastal norm — one that fuses zen serenity with an industrial edge. “We’ve always liked what we call ‘Comfortable Zen,’” says Shrout, describing a style that softens modernism’s sometimes sterile feel with warmth and texture.
The vision takes form through grounded horizontals, I-beam–styled overhangs, and Syrian stone detailed with rivet accents, subtle industrial gestures balanced by warm wood soffits and layered foliage that temper the home’s linear silhouette. “We designed the driveway to be modern like the house,” says Landscape Architect W. Christian Busk of W. Christian Busk Landscape Architects. “The hammered granite pavers have a radiant, almost sparkling quality, and because of their texture, they resist tire marks — it’s both beautiful and practical.” Shrout’s bold imagination sets the tone for the interior, which Young translates into artful architectural and design details. u
Front Elevation: Generous, industrial-inspired overhangs are softened with thermally treated wood-clad soffits, blending warmth and durability. Clean, modern rooflines create a graceful sense of horizontal movement, while the vertical details — crafted in Knotwood’s wood-grain aluminum — add warmth and a subtle lift that lightens the home’s overall presence. Busk builds planters from cut coral boulders, their low-lying greenery feathering the structure into the landscape. Foxtail and clustered Christmas palms add organic texture, while the sequence opens at the entry stairs, revealing a pivoting door finished in an industrial patina.
The Shrouts envisioned spa-like finishes expressed through bespoke focal points and a palette of silvery-blue tones and animal prints. “We like texture,” Shrout shares. “Some are visual, others are tactile.” Eucalyptus grain and Sicis glass lend visual depth and richness, while real stacked stone and sculpted faux finishes — etched with raised ridges and swirls and inlaid with luminous glass and pearls — invite touch through varied texture. The Syrian stone, used both indoors and out, weaves together shades of gray, white, and tan flecked with touches of gold, unifying the palette throughout the space.
Few design visions as unconventional as Shrout’s succeed without a detail-oriented partner like Young. “If the detailing cannot stand alone, then the house is mundane. We focus on the architectural details so that they are strong enough to stand on their own.” The loft ceiling, inspired by the retreating rhythm of ocean waves, unfolds in sculpted curves that flow into linear beams, uniting ceiling and wall in a continuous motion. From the loft balcony, porthole windows hint at what lies beyond — the submarine bunk room, concealed behind a hidden door seamlessly built into the beamwork Young designed along the wall. u
Great Room: Ostrich and gator leather-clad furniture from International Design Source amplifies the animal motif with subtle texture. Forgoing a traditional fireplace, Shrout and Young craft a full wall high-gloss eucalyptus feature, framed in gold-painted accents and wire mesh. It is bookended by Italian Sicis glass, which glows when backlit and provides a luminous backdrop for the floating shelves. An overhead ceiling design mirrors these materials, reinforcing the room’s intricate detailing.
Kitchen: The high-gloss eucalyptus and matte white cabinetry highlight bespoke craftsmanship, with seamless integration and a flawless finish. Just as the Cristallo countertop flows uninterrupted to the hood, the eucalyptus extends from wall to ceiling, uniting vertical and horizontal planes in a fluid design. A hidden catering kitchen, elongated sink, and beverage station add functional support for this large family — while maintaining the kitchen as a true showpiece.
Dining Room: “We told Carleen, ‘Give us animal prints like crazy!’ Ostrich, alligator, snake — whatever wild pattern we could come up with,” says Shrout. The dining chairs from Vanguard Furniture, with glittering snake-printed leather backs, cozy up to the 600-pound custom wood table. “It’s made from live-edge wooden slabs set in a black epoxy, with a clear epoxy on top that gives the whole table depth,” explains Young. Overhead, the custom chandelier mixes silver and gold tones, harmonizing with the metallic pops throughout.
Inspired by the idea of an underwater escape, the team creates built-in bunks, porthole reading niches, and glow-in-the-dark turtles that illuminate the path to the bathroom at night. “Applying pool tiles over the wall tile is a nontraditional method,” says Young, referencing the aquatic forms affixed to the walls. “I wanted them to feel dimensional and playful — like they’re truly floating underwater, and it worked beautifully.”
While the bunk room offers a playful escape, the primary bedroom serves as a serene retreat, blending organic modernism with an eclectic industrial edge. Imaginative design reaches its fullest expression in the pool’s kinetic waterfall, a living artwork visible from nearly every room. The result is a home where creativity feels unrestrained yet thoughtful, and every detail — from interior forms to the landscape beyond — reflects deliberate intent. “We used marble and artificial turf to give clean lines, creating a geometric dance down the lush-lined path,” notes Busk, a final gesture that embodies Comfortable Zen. n
Guest Bathroom: All vanities in the home are floating for a spa-like atmosphere, but the mirror in this bath demanded a more inventive approach. Positioned against a window, it needed to function without being visible from outside — so illusion became the solution. With a mirrored back reflecting the surrounding trees, the round mirror vanishes into the view. Solid walnut TruStile Doors with black metal inlays complement the jambs, while the slate-blue vanity echoes the artistic shower wall.
Loft: “Everything in the home is linear, so the wave forms on the ceiling add softness,” says Young. A built-in anchors the television wall, topped with textured stone from Design Works and a custom faux finish — one of many handapplied treatments, since there’s no wallpaper in the home. The stair tower, clad in Syrian stone, completes the layered material composition, while a collage of circular pendants punctuates the space with sculptural flair.
Primary Bedroom: Inspired by Young’s concept drawings, the millwork becomes a true collaboration, both architectural and artistic. A lighter-toned smoky eucalyptus wraps the ceiling, headboard wall, and platform bed in a unified, sculptural expression of the material. Behind the bed, a book-matched porcelain slab from Ruben Sorhegui Tile brings organic movement, mirrored by nature-inspired Michael Aram pendants in stainless steel, delicately detailed with bees and butterflies. Underfoot, a textured rug from Abbey Carpet & Floors introduces tactile softness that grounds the space.
Primary Bathroom: Bold materials fuse with artistic expression in the wet room, bridging his-and-her sides. Vivid cobalt and electric blue Sicis glass mosaics create a dramatic focal point, while wave-patterned privacy film adds fluid movement and discretion. A black-and-white mosaic floor grounds the space as natural light filters through a large window, softening the shift from dramatic design to serene retreat.
Submarine Bunk Room: For Young, the greatest creative challenge was fitting it all in and making it fun. Thermoformed panels from ATI Decorative Laminates wrap the walls in a submarine-inspired interior, while nine custom bunks with built-in storage feature rustic finishes and porthole reading nooks. Aquatic vistas applied to the portholes enhance the illusion of an underwater vessel, and carpet that glows under black light completes the deep-sea effect.
Submarine Bunk Room Detail: More underwater magic comes from a projection system that casts rotating scenes of aquatic life or nighttime skies across the ceiling. “We did a special paint for the ceiling,” says Shrout, referencing Behr’s I-300. “It’s a matte finish, but highly reflective, so you get a great bounce from the projector.” With climbing zones and hideaway spaces, the round central structure — complete with a firefighter’s pole — transforms the room into a stage for imagination.
Submarine Bunk Room Bathroom: Aquatic critter pool tiles from AquaBlu Mosaics transform the bathroom into a whimsical continuation of the bunk room’s underwater fantasy. The theme flows into the shower, where bubble tile from Design Works rises like a stream from the deep, meeting wave-edged field tile as it reaches the “surface” beneath a faux-finished sky ceiling. Every detail contributes to the feeling of full immersion.
“Applying pool tiles over the wall tile is a nontraditional method,” says Interior Designer Carleen Young of Ashmore Design, referencing the aquatic forms affixed to the walls. “I wanted them to feel dimensional and playful — like they’re truly floating underwater, and it worked beautifully.”
Fire Pit: Against a backdrop of industrially accented Syrian stone and vertical Knotwood slats, Busk reclaims the space through thoughtful land planning, transforming it into a lush palm alley. Down the marble and turf walkway is the firepit lounge with comfortable chairs from Ebel that invite relaxation and conversation in the shade. Foxtail palms march in orderly succession along the path, culminating in a sunning pad enclosed by rare, full-scale Everglades palms — a secluded retreat within the landscape.
Rear Elevation & Pool: Slip-resistant porcelain stepping stones create a dramatic pathway across the water, leading to a raised spa tucked beneath a custom pergola. A stacked stone wall adds texture and contrast to the shimmering glass waterline tile, while tropical landscaping by Busk softens the architectural lines. Fragrant gardenias, lady-of-the-night, and perfume bushes bloom around the pool, their exotic scents filling the evening air. Though not pictured, the outdoor kitchen — featuring a grill by Fuse Specialty Appliances & Plumbing — is the finishing touch to this exceptional retreat.
Waterfall Detail: This kinetic waterfall feature is a bespoke creation, the result of a seamless collaboration between master craftsmen and visionary designers. A 7-by-9-foot laminated glass panel is layered with an AI-enhanced custom film that evokes the swirling energy of geodes or cosmic formations. Backlit by an RGB LED system, the panel shifts in color and pattern, creating an ever-changing focal point. Water then cascades over its surface into a shallow splash pool with integrated bubblers, infusing the landscape with motion, sound, and serenity.
Written by Rachel Seekamp
Photography by Blaine Johnathan Photography
Architect & Residential Designer:
Ashmore Design
27499 Riverview Center Boulevard, Suite 103 Bonita Springs, FL 34134
239.444.5780 www.ashmorellc.com
Landscape Architect: W. Christian Busk Landscape Architect 816 Myrtle Terrace Naples, FL 34103
239.263.7133 www.cbusk.com
Resources:
Abbey Carpet & Floor
13250 Tamiami Trail North Naples, FL 34110
239.596.5959
www.naples.abbeycarpet.com
Design Works 2082 Trade Center Way Naples, FL 34109
239.378.5219
www.floridadesignworks.com
Fuse Specialty Appliances & Plumbing 990 3rd Avenue North Naples, FL 34102
239.529.5976
www.fusespecialtyappliances.com
International Design Source 6001 Taylor Road Naples, FL 34109
239.591.1114 www.ids1.com
Ruben Sorhegui Tile 3876 Mercantile Avenue Naples, FL 34104
239.643.2882 www.sorheguitile.com