Jewels on the bay

Residents already know that Longboat Key is a jewel on the bay. But this year, organizers of the 15th annual “Jewels on the Bay” showhouse tour, which benefits the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and Manatee counties, took note and selected two Longboat Key homes for its tour.

The tour features a 1950s home, designed by famed Sarasota architect Tim Seibert, located at 756 Dream Island Road and owned by Reid and Susan Murphy, of Developers Realty Group, along with a home built in the 1980s at 991 Longboat Club Road at the Longboat Key Club, owned by Carri Tryne.

Approximately 30 local professional designers designed rooms for this year’s tour. Each year, members of the design community are invited to view the selected homes and choose a room for which they submit a design.

A committee then assigns space, and designers gather to discuss what they envision for the home. Designers typically have a period of approximately 14 days to install their designs.

Since the tour began in 1996, more than 75,000 people have toured “Jewels on the Bay” showhouses. The tour has raised more than $1 million for the Boys & Girls Clubs.

Contact Robin Hartill at [email protected]

SCHEDULE
For a full schedule, go to www.designershowhouse-sarasota.com.

Opening event — begins at 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 23, at 756 Dream Island Road and 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 23, at 991 Longboat Club Road. Poolside cocktails and hors d’oeuvres will follow at the Longboat Club Road home. Tickets are $75.

Home tours — take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays from Sunday, Jan. 24 through Sunday, Feb. 21.