See A Modern, Masculine Take On Coastal Interiors In Sarasota

The crystalline waves of Sarasota Bay have tempted many snowbirds for a piece of waterfront paradise. Like so many before him, one New Yorker became equally enthralled—drawn to not only the shore but also the city’s art scene and walkable downtown. “It’s not just another beach town,” he says. The newly minted Floridian embraced this bustling streetscape, acquiring a sleek high-rise condo offering bayfront views. For his life by the Gulf, “I didn’t want a traditional beach house but something more energetic, sophisticated and contemporary,” he explains, turning to designers Monica Santayana and Ronald Alvarez to enrich the blank-slate space.

Inspired by the city’s cosmopolitan pulse, the duo envisioned a “more modern take on coastal living—one that’s a bit more metropolitan,” Alvarez describes. Partnering with builder Thomas A. Jackson, they began by filtering the style’s typical colors, textures and moods through a sharper, bolder lens with a masculine bent. Instead of light sky tones, for instance, their palette plunges into deeper oceanic pigments, incorporating saturated green-blues and inky black accents. “The sea is never just blue,” Santayana observes. “In our coastal reinterpretation, we wanted to capture another side of the water.”

Spaces shift from dark to light—starting with the elevator vestibule, wallpapered in cascading black and blue-gray waves. Illuminated by the soft amber glow of an ambient light installation, the final effect feels “obscure and dramatic, providing a moody introduction into the home,” Alvarez says.

The vestibule opens to a luminous foyer that flows into the great room, two areas the team fortified with white oak paneling. The sun-bleached wood tone would feel familiar in any traditional seaside retreat, yet the precise slatted millwork reads confidently contemporary—especially alongside the great room’s slabs of seafoam-green marble and mirrors antiqued to create shimmering, liquid-like surfaces. “They capture the view and make the space feel larger,” Santayana explains. “Instead of seeing a flat surface, you see these beautiful reflections of light and movement.” Doors to storage and utility access seamlessly blend into the various finishes—a meticulous feat, Jackson admits. “Seeing everything tied together with the scenery is spectacular,” he says.

Honoring this vista, the great room avoids a boxy, linear layout—no right angles in sight. Instead, an archipelago of sinuous, avant-garde pieces anchors each focal point, “allowing you to meander through the room without walking into the back of a sofa,” Santayana notes. “It felt like the appropriate geometry for the space, creating a fluidness in line with the water.”

Gatherings drift between the living area’s curved sofas and rug, resembling abstract rippling pools, and a boomerang-shaped verdigris bronze dining table overlooking the bay. Above, fixtures composed of colorful glass baubles are “organic and asymmetrical, creating this beautiful, overarching lighting effect,” Santayana says. And tucked behind a structural column, a tapered console turns a once-dead corner into a functional workspace. “We wanted to take advantage of these void areas,” Alvarez says. “We find the fluid motions help when something is not symmetrical.”

Clever space improvisation also shaped the den, carved from a spare nook just off the hallway. An avid audiophile, the client dreamed of an intimate listening lounge. Perforated paneling helps visually enclose the cozy spot, outfitted with statement pieces like a striated sectional, jelly-like glass tables and a hand-tufted geometric rug. Mossy grass-cloth walls and a high-gloss ceiling in a deep shade of blue conjure a grotto-like atmosphere, which “ties back to the moodier experience of the entryway,” Alvarez notes.

Meanwhile, the primary suite returns to the light. “We wanted to give him a Zen retreat that feels like a hotel,” Santayana describes. Swathed in shades of white sand and warm rust, the space emphasizes soothing tactility. See the statement wallpaper handmade in papier-mâché, the wraparound headboard upholstered in dappled fabric and the built-in cabinetry featuring fluted detailing. Yet the clean furniture lines and graphic prints on the rug and walls preserve the home’s contemporary perspective.

From every angle, the condo channels the unique mélange of coastal downtown living—the juxtaposition of nature against modern steel and glass sparkling in the subtropical sunlight. The owner treasures every moment, perhaps most when the sun sinks west across the bay. “I grew up on the East Coast watching the sunrise,” he shares. “And now here, I’m never bored watching the sunset over the Gulf.”