By Ilene Denton

In the past decade and a half, nearly 75,000 design-loving people have toured Jewels of the Bay showhouses throughout the greater Sarasota area to view the latest fabric and furnishing trends and gather inspiration for their own homes. 

Importantly, Jewels on the Bay every year introduces a whole new audience to the good works that Boys and Girls Clubs do for children in our communities by providing a safe place for youngsters to learn and grow.  Its character, leadership and career programs, its opportunities in the arts ranging from fine arts to dance and drama, its myriad sports and fitness programs, and its health and life skills classes all add up to a priceless asset. More than $1 million has been raised for the Boys and Girls Clubs’ scholarship funds from ticket and merchandise sales and in-kind donations.

Back in 1996, the 1920s-era Powel Crosley Mansion on Sarasota Bay was the focus of the designers’ considerable creative energies. Over the succeeding years, Jewels on the Bay has opened the doors to many other historic homes—the Christy Payne mansion at Selby Gardens and College Hall (the former Charles Ringling mansion) at New College, among them. Some modern classics—a rambling family home on the SaraBay Country Club golf course, a six-bedroom renovated residence in Fisherman’s Bay, for example—have received similar extreme makeovers as well.

This year, in honor of its 15th anniversary, Jewels on the Bay moves to Longboat Key, where 30 participants are transforming two very different—but equally interesting—residences that both happen to be for sale. A 1980s-era two-story contemporary home behind the gates of the Longboat Key Club at 991 Longboat Club Road will be decorated in a “right-at-the-moment”  lush and textural style.

And the mid-century modern Seibert home at 756 Dream Island Road will be treated as faithfully as possible to the time period in which it was built. Expect a lot of clean lines and geometric shapes in this home that was designed in 1960-1961 by Tim Seibert.

Tour-goers will especially be struck by the very different color palettes chosen for each of the homes, says Showhouse chairman Jeff Hart of Robb & Stucky; terra cottas in the Seibert home and a whole range of vivid greens in the Longboat Club Road home. “We definitely want to create some cohesiveness—some sense of unity and theme—without restricting our designers,” says Hart. “There are all kinds of ways to create unity in a space. It can be a unifying color or repeating geometric form.” Here, color is key.

Bonnie Lancaster of Lancaster Humma White Studio is designing the Longboat Club Road home’s entry foyer. She says most of what tour-goers will see will be “classical modern”—clean, soft colors, fewer patterns, less ornate furniture (unless it’s one big statement piece in the form of an antique)—“still glamorous, but simpler,” she says.

Finding the right property to transform into a Jewels on the Bay Showhouse can be arduous. The basic requirements: a home with 20 to 30 areas to decorate, something that can be found easily by patrons, in a central location, with a reasonable amount of parking available. “We’re already looking for next year,” Showhouse chair Hart said early last December.

Once the home is chosen, an invitation is sent to the design community to view it and pick a room, Hart explains. From all those submissions, the committee assigns spaces and notifies the designers. The designers literally go back to their drawing boards, and then gather all participants for a show and explain what they envision for their assignments. Several showrooms at the International Design Center in Estero lend furnishings to the independent designers; designers who represent the larger firms like Robb & Stucky draw from their companies’ resources.

Usually, designers are given a 14-day window from installation to opening the tour. But since both of this year’s showhouses are unoccupied, “We have the luxury of not having to be last-minute,” says Hart. “It’s exciting to see the finished rooms. Even though we all have a concept of what their vision is, it’s not reality until we see it in three dimensions.”

Many of the furnishings on display do get purchased by Showhouse visitors, says Hart. Every room has a listing of furnishings with prices, “and they’re usually priced very favorably,” he says. “You just have to wait until the show is over to get what you bought.” And tour-goers enjoy browsing in the gift shop, which offers a collection of home accessories and gift items brought together by the designers.

Many designers who worked on the original Jewels on the Bay Showhouse 15 years ago are still at it today: Hart, Lancaster, Robert Henry, Bill Tidmore, Diane Machise, Tom Stanley and Gary Ficht among them.

Hart says his very favorite Showhouse was the first one, the Crosley Mansion, which had already been purchased by Manatee County but which had not yet undergone any substantial restoration.  “It was just wonderful because of the joy of participating in saving that beautiful home from destruction,” he says. “It’s great to be able to support those kinds of things.”

“I do it for the Boys & Girls Clubs scholarship funds,” says Ficht, longtime owner of Pedlar’s Village. “It’s a way of giving back to the community.” How can Ficht tell when a room is successful? The balancing act, he says, is to avoid showing too much of his personal taste and to show off current design trends instead. Look for his theme of “renew, redo, refinish, reupholster” in the upstairs guest bedroom Pedlar’s Village has created in the Longboat Club Road residence.

"The children in Sarasota and Manatee counties are blessed to have the support of the great folks working on the Jewels on the Bay Designer Showhouses,”says Mack Reid, president and CEO of the Sarasota nonprofit.  “During tough times our kids are more vulnerable than ever. The Boys & Girls Clubs will continue to be there for all our kids because of our community's continued support."

The 2010 Jewels on the Bay Showhouses—at 991 Longboat Club Road and 756 Dream Island Road—will be open for public tours Jan. 24 through Feb. 21, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $20, and are available at the door. Proceeds benefit the Boys and Girls Clubs of Sarasota and Manatee counties. For more information, call (941) 926-7794 or visit
www.designershowhousesarasota.com.