Mill Run

Modernising a 1996 Mill Run home inside and out

Mill Run is a whole-home renovation by Kelly General Contracting in Naples, Florida. The 2,525-square-foot single-storey house was built in 1996 and sits on one of the largest lots in the Mill Run community, off Airport-Pulling Road in the Crossings. It came to us with an original roof and an interior that had never been updated. The house was taken back to the studs, reorganised around an open kitchen and living space, opened to the garden through a sliding glass wall, and finished with a new pool and covered lanai.

A kitchen at the centre of the plan

The kitchen sits in the middle of the open plan rather than tucked behind a wall. A white oak island with a stone waterfall counter runs the length of the room, with an apron-front sink and a brass bridge faucet set into it. The perimeter cabinetry is painted a soft off-white with glass-front display units at either end, and the range wall carries a custom hood between full-height oak cabinets. Wall ovens and appliance storage are built into a second run so the working side of the kitchen stays clear.

Living around a glass wall

The living area shares the same room as the kitchen, separated only by a change in the ceiling. A feature wall holds a recessed television above a floating stone hearth, and cove lighting is set into the layered tray ceiling above. The long side of the room is a sliding glass wall that opens the whole space onto the lanai, so the living room and the covered outdoor room read as one space when the doors are stacked back.

The primary suite

The primary bathroom is the quietest room in the house. A stone freestanding tub sits against a window wall with an olive tree beside it, facing a long white oak floating vanity with a full-width mirror. The walk-in shower is finished in large-format stone tile with a built-in bench and a frameless glass screen. The bedroom next door is kept simple: plantation shutters, an upholstered bed and a walk-in closet fitted out with white built-in shelving and drawer banks.

Guest baths and bedrooms

Each of the guest rooms has its own character. One bath is wrapped in chevron wood-look tile with brass fittings and a white oak vanity; another uses a herringbone tile and a brass hand shower. The powder room is smaller and bolder, with an arched mirror over a wood vanity. The bedrooms carry the same wide-plank flooring as the rest of the house, with built-in wardrobes and, in one case, a glass slider straight out to the lanai.

A new pool and outdoor room

The back of the property was rebuilt as much as the inside. A new rectangular pool runs parallel to the house across a travertine deck, and the covered lanai between them is finished with a stained wood plank ceiling, an outdoor kitchen and space for seating. The exterior elevation was reworked at the same time: white stucco, dark garage doors, a paver drive with turf inlays and new landscaping across the half-acre lot.