Designer Betsy Godfrey and her husband, Murray Brooks, were contemplating moving to a condominium complex when they realized that their Winter Park, Florida, home offered the ideal location—it just needed some additional space and updating. To one side of the house, they added a master bedroom wing, and on the other side, they built this beautiful lanai, which connects with an expansive renovated kitchen and overlooks the pool. “There’s a wonderful transparency and flow to it,” says judge Pamola Powell.
“What makes it marvelous is the wall of wood-framed glass doors that slides completely open to connect the kitchen to the lanai,” says Godfrey. “The 28-foot-long lanai then becomes a 58-foot-long space that is great for entertaining. We hosted 200 people for a party recently.”
Natural materials are emphasized, with cypress giving the beamed ceiling a rich texture. The same quartzite that covers the kitchen floors extends to the lanai, which is equipped with a plasma television above a gas fireplace. Motorized screens slide down to cover the room’s openings when needed, and the adjoining kitchen area offers a grill and an under-counter refrigerator. “The level of detail is equal to that of any interior room,” says Senior Editor Clinton Smith. Comfortable wicker seating gathers guests around the fireplace, and a slate-top table invites alfresco dining. At night, lighting creates an ambience in which the boundaries between indoors and out disappear. “This is the most used room in the house,” says Godfrey.
Betsy Godfrey, ASID
Godfrey Design Consultants, Inc.
A pioneer in home design, Betsy Godfrey, ASID, was the first woman to hold a residential contractor’s license in Central Florida. Godfrey, whose design philosophy is at once contemporary and timeless, has been designing interiors for more than 30 years, not only in her home cities of Winter Park and Naples, Florida, but also for clients across the United States and Europe. She has won a number of honors, including two 2007 Golden Auroras, entry into the Florida Housing Hall of Fame, and the Life Spike designation from the National Association of Home Builders. Her kitchen design placed second in our 2004 contest.
407/539-2048 or 239/267-8060
www.godfreydesigninc.com
