The Florida lifestyle is glorified in a lavish new home in Waterside

In Lakewood Ranch, traditional architecture still sets the tone — gables, arches and stone accents shaping much of the landscape. The styles may vary, but one thing has been largely missing: modern design. It’s a surprising gap, considering Sarasota’s reputation as a center for modern architecture. 

That’s beginning to change.

Now we’re seeing a new type of home at the Ranch — boldly modern, with its sights set firmly on the future. The star of the moment is the Oulina model by John Cannon. Located in the Kingfisher Estates section of Waterside, it’s been prominently featured in many online videos, and rightly so. This is a home with a great personality. Modern architecture can be a little stark and austere. This home certainly isn’t. 

The Oulina is big, over 4,700 square feet under air and has an almost monumental scale. From the outside it’s an intriguingly asymmetrical arrangement of geometrical shapes with a massively scaled entryway. If it suggests a waterfront mansion on Siesta Key, that’s part of the point. It has local roots.

Jack Cannon, the vice president of Cannon Homes, founded by his father, John, back in 1987, explains that the time had come. “Lakewood Ranch is evolving,” he told me. “We saw an opportunity to introduce a more contemporary architectural style, one that reflects how people want to live today.”

And how is that? Jack is specific. “Clean lines, open spaces, indoor-outdoor connectivity and a strong emphasis on natural light.” The result might best be called Lakewood Ranch Modern, which is boldly contemporary but respectful of the community. The design was developed in-house by architects Barry Pattison, Cara Mead and Jaime Scarpitta.

After a tour of the house, the best word to describe it is “curated,” and beautifully so. Jack says this was their intention, “with every detail from the architecture to the interior finishes working together.” Clive Daniel, the high-end furniture retailer and design studio, was charged with the staging, and the collaboration has produced a model home that has everything a state-of-the-art Florida home should have — plus a surprise that left me speechless.

I’ll get to that surprise in a moment.

Image courtesy of John Cannon Homes

First, a look at the main living spaces. The surprise wasn’t in the grand living area, an enormous space with 12-foot ceilings and an all-glass view out to Kingfisher Lake. It’s the ultimate open concept and, on this scale, it seems almost loft-like. The seating area features modern furniture but less angular than you might expect and set rather low so that your eye travels out to the view. The accent color, appropriately enough, is Tiffany blue. The focal point is the dramatic fireplace wall, a modern art piece, composed of quartz, tile and wood and set off by a large photo of a woman exhaling smoke. (It is the fireplace wall, after all.)

The elegant kitchen area has large windows, which is a signature Cannon touch. Multiple dining areas invite everything from intimate dinners to larger gatherings. Adjacent is a room that totally breaks the mold — a sort of den/hangout/playroom with two glass walls that slide back, making it truly indoor/outdoor. Here the predominant color is orange and the furniture gets very informal and even a little wacky. But no, that chair shaped like a sunflower isn’t the big surprise, either.

Image courtesy of John Cannon Homes

Image courtesy of John Cannon Homes

And it's not the putting green, complete with sand trap, that is located a step or so down from the pool. Nor is it the resort-style pool, with an infinity edge that visually merges with the lake, with a spa and sun shelf that complete the setting.

Continuing on to the primary suite, you encounter a series of mini surprises. There’s the dedicated exercise room, whose glass walls — they look out to the pool and to the bedroom — can, at the flip of a switch, become opaque, making the space totally private. This is done with a technique known as “smart glass.” 

The primary bath is a showstopper in itself. The soaking tub is set on an elevated platform looking out to an enclosed garden, complete with outdoor shower. The indoor shower also has a view — with glass enclosed on all four sides. You can bathe and shower with a view out to the lake. Or not. Just flip the switch. 

Image courtesy of John Cannon Homes

Image courtesy of John Cannon Homes

The most playful part of the primary suite is the closet. Here the designers have taken an expensive boutique at Saks as their inspiration, and the room-size space is peppered with boxes and bags from designers like Chanel and Dior, with special cases for jewelry display. The effect is over-the-top in a fun, witty way.

But the big surprise is hidden away in the most unlikely place. Toward the front of the house is the study, a light and airy space with windows on three sides and a 20-foot ceiling. Against one wall is an impressive wall of bookshelves and chic storage. But look around. Off to the side, your eye is drawn up to what seems, at first, impossible. A little reading nook has been tucked into a corner — a second-story mini loft. You can see the bookcase and the comfy armchair. But how do you get there? True, there is a decorative ladder that only adds to the whimsical mystery.

Image courtesy of John Cannon Homes

What’s going on here? 

It’s part of what many observers have said about the house. The Oulina has a fun, entertaining atmosphere that points the way to a new look in the Ranch. And for Jack Cannon, a local boy who grew up in the business, it’s a personal achievement — a collaborative effort that he is proud to have been a part of. 

No surprises there.