Sarasota Cabinet
THE SHARFF RESIDENCE
EUROTECH DESIGNERS: TRACEY SCALZO & DAVID ASHER
In 1994, we participated in a remodeling project for the Sharff family. They purchased and remodeled a ranch style home on 2 acres east of I-75 and it suited their lifestyle per-
fectly. But things change over 13 years; kids grow up and go away to college, parents get tired of maintaining big lawns and gardens and sometimes driving an extra 15 minutes to get “into town”, and the face of the community changes as well.
Mark and Maggie Sharff wanted to be closer to downtown Sarasota and all that it has to offer, but the “urban lifestyle” of downtown condo living was more of a change than they were looking for. After much searching, they decided to buy a home on half an acre in The Landings that was similar in size to their previous residence. The house was built in 1984 and was in serious need of an update. There was lots of closet type storage, but no place for their books, pictures, art, etc. “The Family Room lacked warmth” according to Maggie. “The fireplace wall had no color and was covered in a boring stone that was very heavy looking and out of scale for the room. And we had no place to display personal items.” The study was set up as a commercial type office as the previous owners both worked out of the house. The Sharffs wanted a private retreat/den, something warmer. “The room is part of the Master Suite and we didn’t want something that looks like an office in our Master Suite”, says Maggie.
The Sharffs enlisted interior designer Jessica Holmes to help them with the project. First, they tore out the entire stone façade in the family room. Maggie and Jessica then chose a door style and finish for a floor to vaulted ceiling wall unit that EuroTech provided. It provided ample room for their books and display items and helped to warm the room significantly. “The style is not traditional but more of a comfortable contemporary”, notes Maggie. The wall unit was finished off with new fossil stone counters, hearth and fireplace provide by European Marble. In the study, we designed a unit that not only functions as a computer desk/home office, but also houses a flat screen t.v. and stereo components. This is the room that Mark looks forward to coming home to after a long day of work. It’s where he can watch his beloved Seminoles play football, read his current favorite book or just kick back and listen to some jazz. Unfortunately, we did too good of a job. “I come home and Maggie and Betsy (their college Junior) are sitting in my den, watching my t.v. !!!” says Mark. Sorry about that, Mark.