SARASOTA -- When Marilyn Schroeter was growing up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the one girl among a family of boys, she designed herself a tree fort and convinced her brothers to build it.
PHOTO GALLERY: Marilyn Schroeter's home
A view from the upper gallery down into the dining/living room. Shown are Realtor Barbara Ackerman of Coldwell Banker who is listing the home for $2,475,000. Next to her is the home’s designer and contractor Marilyn Schroeter and her building partner Jeanne Guglielmi, CFO of Iridium Property and Development. (STAFF PHOTO / THOMAS BENDER)
Did she take to architecture and construction at the age of nine? “Not really,” said the CEO of Iridium Property & Development. “I just liked telling those boys what to do. But, I did admire the construction of the tree fort. It had a double deck, one on top of the other, and I designed a hole going through both so I could lower my pail straight down to the ground for supplies from the highest point.”
Later in life, when Schroeter helped her parents maintain rental apartments they owned for investment, she began to get her hands dirty on renovation projects and enjoyed the challenge and creative process. After college, marriage and children, Schroeter moved to Florida in 1993, and in 2005 became serious about the construction profession.
The builders of this custom home, Marilyn Schroeter and Jeanne Guglielmi, agreed that a little bling is just the thing. There are seven Murano crystal chandeliers in this home as well as numerous crystal sconces throughout the two-story residence, even one in the secret safe room. The home is on the market through Barbara Ackerman of Coldwell Banker for $2,475,000. (STAFF PHOTO / THOMAS BENDER)
The Duke alumnus is not an architect. She designed a custom speculation house on Riverview Boulevard in Bradenton and ended up living in it when the housing market’s bubble burst. She made it through the bad years by doing upmarket renovation projects, and now she is back in the game doing custom model homes with a female partner, Jeanne Guglielmi, who is the CFO of Iridium.
With a background in property development in Texas, Guglielmi has homes in Naples, Chicago and Texas. Guglielmi’s daughter lives in Sarasota and she had hired Schroeter for an eight-month renovation job. Jeanne Guglielmi came to visit, and that’s how the two property-minded moms met.
The white kitchen with its extravagant granite counters done in Mystery Gold features an extra large walk-in pantry, cabinets that stretch to the ceiling and two islands, one for prep and stove-top cooking and the other that functions as a buffet or as a table that seats people across from one another instead of in a line. Women love this feature and it’s become a signature in the custom homes that Marilyn Schroeter designs. The Murano crystal chandelier is one of seven in the house. (STAFF PHOTO / THOMAS BENDER)
In 2012, they decided to search for available lots and build a big, glamorous house that was full of the features most women look for when house-shopping. The result is a 5,000-square-foot, two-story home on a deep-water canal in an older Sarasota neighborhood off South Tamiami Trail near Phillippi Estate Park. Completed earlier this year, it is being offered at $2,475,000 through Barbara Ackerman of Coldwell Banker.
“We knew we wanted water and a view,” said Guglielmi, “and this lovely lot is on a canal deep enough for sailboats. From the dock, it has direct access to the Intracoastal Waterway, which means no bridges. It was the ideal setting for the size home we envisioned, and we knew we would orient the rooms of the home to the water views, including a swimming pool.”
The square footage of the house is increased by another 1,000 square feet of outdoor living space, “which is wonderful for entertaining for just for family relaxing,” Guglielmi said.
The back of the new custom home on Stanford Lane that was designed by Marilyn Schroeter. Her building partner is Jeanne Guglielmi, CFO of Iridium Property & Development. (STAFF PHOTO / THOMAS BENDER)
The women had to take down an existing house on the property. What they built is a spacious home with large rooms and 10-foot high ceilings, an open-concept floor plan, plenty of natural light and a style that combines contemporary conveniences with traditional, gracious styling that most women find both welcoming and practical.
“We put in all the things we would want if we were out looking at custom homes,” said Schroeter. “This house has 40 percent more storage than a new-build of comparable size. We eliminated sliders and put in French doors with quality hardware because they are prettier. And the Neuma brand doors have a five-point locking system, which is a safety factor with so much water around.”
All doors and windows are fully cased in wood; the windows are impact-resistant to the Miami-Dade code.
The women installed wide-plank mahogany flooring throughout. The spacious laundry has a wall-mounted collapsable metal drying rack and an extra deep and extra long sink, as well as cabinets galore. Off the kitchen is a 200-bottle glass-front, stone-clad wine room, which is a handsome design feature in the house. And inside the wine room is a secret entrance to a safe room. That room is embellished with a dazzling crystal wall sconce that is emblematic of the elegant lighting throughout the house.
The house has seven Murano crystal chandeliers, as well as multiple crystal sconces, some in every room. The crown molding is double-deep at 12 inches; the baseboards are 7 inches tall. A special feature in the glamorous living room has a certain “Downton Abbey” reference. The fireplace wall is stuccoed and then scored to look like the inside of a castle or an English country manor house, without the rising damp, of course. All the rest of the walls in the house are level-5 drywall, which means they are as smooth as glass.
The paint color throughout the home is a custom-mixed shade of pale gray that can read warm or cool, lighter or darker, depending upon the light.
“It took us forever to get the color right,” said Jeanne Guglielmi, “and we’re giving the formula to the buyers, but not to anybody else. It’s truly a custom color and we think it’s perfect.”
The spacious master suite is on the first floor; four bedrooms and four baths are upstairs. The baths are marble-clad from floor to ceiling; the master walk-in shower has four separate jets. The master also has double vanities, each with their own storage tower, as well as a third vanity area on the other side of the room. A marble clad toilet/bidet room is separate.
In the kitchen, with its fully integrated appliances and expensive Mystery Gold granite counter tops, is a signature statement of the designer. “Almost every new modern kitchen has a generous center island for prep and for accommodating the cooktop or a second sink,” said Schroeter.
“But in my big kitchens, I always add a second island that is wider than the other one, and is intended for people to gather for a meal and be able to sit across from one another instead of in a straight line. There’s storage underneath, and the wide top is ideal for shared meals, for laying out a lavish buffet and also for doing projects.
“The second island an option that women notice right away and they appreciate it.”
It’s a feature that will appear in the next custom house that Schroeter and Guglielmi build, which will get under way as soon as this one sells. They’re already confidently scouting waterfront property.
