Pacific Palace

DesiGneRs
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Laura Hay Decor & Design
cANADiAN DEsiGNEr sPENDs hEr tiME crEAtiNG ElEGANt rEtrEAts
thAt EMbrAcE tiMElEss DÉcOr
by Saundra Marcel
Canadian interior designer Laura Hay may be out
of her native country, but not out of her element.
While many of her clients are located near her Toronto
home base, an even greater number of clients
are in Florida, where she splits her time practicing.
Laura Hay Décor and Design is still a young
company—it was only three years ago when this
creative spirit decided to branch off on her own.
But Hay is no stranger to the field. Her mother
was an interior designer, her grandmother a
seamstress and her father in the textile business.
Surrounded her whole life by design and
materials, it was only natural that she might one
day follow the family footsteps. In fact, she followed
those family footsteps from Canada all the
way to Florida, where her parents own vacation
property -- and where she serendipitously found
the warm-weather aesthetic perfectly suited to
her tastes. Living and working up to two-weeks
per month there, she is becoming something of a
permanent fixture.
In fact, Hay is leading the charge for a new look
for Florida. “Homes in Florida tend to be two
extremes: they are either overstuffed and overdecorated,
or they’re über contemporary, with
bright colors and ultra modern lines. Those are the
bookends for my ‘new traditional’ style. My homes
aren’t either of those things. They have all of the
traditional elements without being too much. They
have gold and silver patina finishes and lacquered
antiques. But they also have a lot of neutrals; they
are never too heavy,” she says. According to Hay,
there’s a call for this in-between aesthetic. “People
really do want something different from what has
Port Royal Residence
located in the exclusive Port royal
neighborhood in Naples, Fl, this home is
an example of the “new traditional” design
style. it is modern and fresh-feeling, but
not in an extreme way. Many of the accessories
and decorative elements are from
a local shop called Peach tree Designs
(peachtreedesigns.com). the living room
sofa, dining room table and chairs are all
from the barbara barry collection (barbarabarry.com)
by baker Furniture. living
room armchairs, dining room console
and kitchen chairs are all from McGuire
Furniture (mcguirefurniture.com), which
is one of the designer’s favorite sources.
the room is centred on a fireplace but is
also connected by two walls of retractable
glass doors to the stunning terrace and
pool area. A black lacquered coffee table
and marble topped accent tables add
glamour, and beautiful lighting fixtures
enhance the metallic accents that are
repeated throughout the home.
been called ‘Florida design,’ they just hadn’t been
able to find it.”
A perfect example of Hay’s transitional style is
an exquisite two-story home in the upscale Port
Royal neighborhood of Naples, FL. It is a blend of
some traditional and some modern, and it is both
70 luxury home quarterly SPrING 2012 luxuryhomequarterly.com
PhOtOs: lOri hAMiltON PhOtOGrAPhY