DESIGNING FOR A BUILDER
OLD BONES, NEW RHYTHM — A REMODEL THAT REFRESHES AND HONORS
PPrincipal Interior Designer Kristin Lyons of KDL Interior Design faced a unique challenge: reinvisioning the personal residence of Builder Brad Nickel, owner of Benchmark General Contractors. Although the home’s existing architecture hints at Tudor influences, the renovation embraces a more transitional sensibility.
Stepping across the threshold into the light-filled foyer, Lyons introduces white oak beams to reinforce the home’s architectural form. “The concept was to give them a timeless, classic, and comfortable home,” Lyons explains. “It’s designed for family life, but it also needed to represent his work as a high-quality builder.” Applied wall moulding and meticulously aligned details speak to the craftsmanship at every turn — a subtle but deliberate expression of luxury homebuilding. u
Living Room: The original fireplace remains the centerpiece, refreshed with a polished porcelain surround from UMI Stone for a sleek, modern statement. Flanking it, custom white oak built-ins by Thomas Mix Kitchens + Baths feature grasscloth-lined backs for added depth and texture. Tailored sofas and a tufted cocktail ottoman from Four Hands introduce a more refined edge, while black accents — from the bold area rug to the drapery rod — lend texture and visual balance.
Foyer: White oak floors from Real Wood Floors are arranged in a herringbone pattern, introducing subtle movement upon arrival. The material continues on the stair treads, while crisp white risers lend a transitional note. A new railing, designed to bridge modern and traditional sensibilities, amplifies the vertical rhythm of the space. Overhead, a stunning chandelier from Capitol Lighting draws the eye upward. Its black finish echoes the iron balusters and accentuates the ceiling’s volume.
Family Room (Above): A white tongue-and-groove ceiling stretches across the casual family room. For comfort, Lyons selects a deep, “sink-in” sectional from Four Hands, paired with a substantial wood coffee table that feels both grounding and durable. Black accents appear in the area rug, balancing the sandy grays and cream palette. On the wall, Lyons creates a custom installation of round, textural backdrops with carefully placed greenery to accompany the sculptural Traveler’s Palm.
BEFORE
Playroom & Family Room
The living room continues the home’s narrative of refinement and craftsmanship. “I wanted the design to feel transitional, updating the home while still respecting its original charm,” Lyons shares, who reimagines the fireplace wall with a polished porcelain surround — a sleek, contemporary update flanked by integrated built-ins that showcase Nickel’s attention to detail, where cabinetry, ceiling beams, drapery, and moulding all cleanly intersect.
Lyons weaves the family’s affinity for green throughout the design with subtle intention. A neutral foundation is punctuated by black accents and softened with a gentle eucalyptus green. “We chose a shade of green that was appealing and neutral — something that honored their preference while keeping the space fresh and classic,” Lyons explains. It’s fitting that the chosen paint color reflects the interior’s mood — Retreat by Sherwin-Williams. u
Playroom (Below): Custom black built-ins directly across from the family room create a bold contrast while providing concealed storage. Designed for flexibility, the space currently serves as a playroom but can easily transition into a reading nook or lounge as the family evolves. Lyons adds subtle texture and dimension by lining the shelving with durable vinyl wallcovering, a practical choice known for its resilience and easy maintenance. White-on-white artwork from Wilford & Lee completes the display with a crisp, graphic finish.
Dining Room (Right): “The overall feel of this room is transitionalmodern,” Lyons shares. “The dining chairs have a touch of Mid-Century influence, which was my way of tying the new design to the home’s classic architecture.” Behind the dining area, a wine and coffee bar integrates a dimensional tile backsplash from Design Works, with white oak–lined cabinetry providing both storage and display. A Sub-Zero wine tower and serving station boost functionality, while a streamlined ceiling design mirrors the kitchen’s aesthetic and complements the black-and-brown palette Lyons creates with the seating.
Kitchen: Along the perimeter, cabinetry in a soft white finish from Thomas Mix Kitchens + Baths sets a fresh backdrop. Lyons highlights the island in Retreat by Sherwin-Williams, topping it with Pompeii Quartz, sourced from UMI Stone, to create an ample work surface and gathering spot. Blackframed windows from Sanibel Glass informed her choice of coordinating plumbing fixtures from Ferguson Home, while brass accents appear in the cream-and-gold pendants from Visual Comfort, bringing warmth and a touch of elegance overhead.
Pantry: Created by reclaiming space from a former stairway, the new pantry centers on a built-in hutch design. Lyons highlights handmade glazed tiles in a soft green that echo the kitchen palette, paired with floating white oak shelves and brushed brass hardware from Emtek. The cabinetry’s toe-kick detail nods to traditional millwork, yet the overall composition feels tailored and fresh — a functional storage zone elevated into a striking design feature.
Primary Bathroom: Porcelain tile across the floor is paired with a marble inlay, accented by brushed gold details. The shower floor features a marble mosaic in shades of black, gray, gold, cream, and white. “I love this because it brings in all of those tones that we are using throughout the house and gives an elegant look to the shower,” Lyons explains. White oak cabinetry grounds the space, and the vanity mirrors were selected to echo the shape of the stair railing, reinforcing cohesive design throughout the room.
Lyons anchors the generous kitchen island in this inviting green, carrying the tone into the adjacent pantry through handmade clay tiles that offer a natural, patina-like variation. While the surrounding cabinetry remains crisp and fresh, classic sculpting on the base of the cabinetry brings in a subtle sense of tradition. Lyons designs the family room and playroom with comfort in mind, selecting furnishings that are as durable as they are inviting, favoring deep upholstery, grounded tables, and tactile finishes that support everyday living without compromising the home’s honed character.
“I turned up the drama in the primary bedroom,” Lyons shares. “The wallpaper had so much richness and texture, it gave me the freedom to introduce a deeper wood tone on the bed while still keeping things airy with cream linen bedding. It’s informal yet layered in a way that feels right for Florida.” In the primary bathroom, Lyons reconfigures the shower layout to carve out space for a full-height linen tower. The adjustment brings clarity to the footprint and introduces a more functional rhythm to the room.
Open communication between Lyons and Nickel fueled the home’s reinvention — a collaboration they themselves call Tudor Revival. “They are thrilled with the house,” Lyons reflects. “The way they live in these spaces and how it feels — that is everything to us.” R.S. Walsh Landscaping designed and installed the exterior landscape, crafting a refined, Florida-friendly outdoor living experience for the property. n
Primary Bedroom: Lyons introduces applied moulding on the ceiling with an inset of whisper-soft wallpaper, a subtle detail that contrasts the drama of the headboard wall. The wallcovering from MDC Interior Solutions features a silver metallic background with a sand-like texture, overlaid with handprinted strokes in brown and soft champagne. Gold accents continue through the table lamps and bench, while a tailored Four Hands bed rests on a handwoven Surya rug, grounding the room in layered natural textures.
Pool Bathroom: “The paper drove the design,” Lyons says of the grasscloth from Wallquest. “It’s a classic take on a palm.” In soft aqua and burnished brown, the colorway is inviting, while the intricate pattern provides a lively juxtaposition to the wainscot tile below from Glazzio Tile — chosen to stand up to the function of a wet space. The rope-framed mirror from Bassett Mirror Company adds just the right coastal texture for a bath adjacent to the water.
Nursery: Grand Flying Ducks wallpaper by Lee Jofa for Kravet sets a playful tone, grounded by wainscot in Rock Garden by Sherwin-Williams. Lyons brings in that favorite green on the window treatment, while the ceiling receives clean trim, a fine grasscloth, and a woven fixture that matches the warm wood tone of the nursery furniture. To balance whimsy with function, she selects a performance rug from Kravet that is durable yet soft underfoot, adding comfort for moments of daily play.
Laundry Room (Right): A soft plaid floor tile from AKDO sets a playful yet refined foundation for this multipurpose space. Wall-to-wall cabinetry in Escape Gray by Sherwin-Williams offers the right saturation against the delicate pattern below, while maximizing storage and function with a hanging rack, steamer unit, counters, and built-in bowls for the family dog. Overhead, a beaded chandelier from Regina Andrew introduces texture and a subtle coastal ambiance, elevating the room’s utilitarian role with style.
Guest Bathroom: The vanity, painted in the saturated hue Sea Serpent by Sherwin-Williams, sets the tone for this masculine-leaning palette, paired with chrome hardware and plumbing fixtures. “I love the chrome with this color palette, but it’s also easier to clean,” Lyons notes, pointing to the functional side of the design. A blue-gray hex tile from Design Works brings subtle movement across the floor, while vertical subway tiles in the tub-shower surround add an artistic layer of dimension.
Written by Rachel Seekamp
Photography
by
Diana Torodova Photography
Interior Designer:
KDL Interior Design
7370 College Parkway, Suite 204 Fort Myers, FL 33907
239.317.3103
www.kdlinteriordesign.com
Luxury Home Builder:
Benchmark General Contractors
16836 McGregor Boulevard Fort Myers, FL 33908
239.466.1590 www.benchmark-gc.com
Landscape Architect:
R.S. Walsh Landscaping
12651 McGregor Boulevard, Suite 504 Fort Myers, FL 33919
239.768.5655
www.rswalsh.com
Resources:
Design Works
2082 Trade Center Way
Naples, FL 34109
239.378.5219
www.floridadesignworks.com
Ferguson Home
38 Goodlette-Frank Road South Naples, FL 34102
239.963.0087
www.build.com/ferguson
Real Wood Floors
2013 Trade Center Way Naples, FL 34109
239.592.4572
www.realwoodfloors.com
Sanibel Glass
16804 McGregor Boulevard Fort Myers, FL 33908
239.472.5318 www.sanibelglass.net
Thomas Mix Kitchens + Baths
18070 South Tamiami Trail, Suite 13 Fort Myers, FL 33908
239.898.0799 www.tmkbinc.com
UMI Stone
1615 Trade Center Way Naples, FL 34109
239.593.6995 www.umistone.com