Faux-cus on the Pros: Sherry Duvall and Peter Petrilli, Dave Brewer Realty

I met Sherry Duvall and Peter Petrilli when they e-mailed me about a very unique finish for their home. When I met with them, I was aware that they were involved in the real estate business but as soon as I walked into their home, I knew that they had sensibilities that set them further apart. Since Sherry has strong artistic training and Peter has an architectural, engineering and product design background, they can both conceptualize a space for their clientele and not only create a home that is wonderful to walk into but that will also maximize their investment in the future. They are both involved in the high-end resale market, as well as land sales and new construction. Given this and their flawless design instincts, I thought them uniquely qualified to give us industry insights.

Tell us a little about yourself and your style. As a high-end Realtor, I have seen a lot of homes: the good, the bad and the ugly. When my new husband and I decided to build our dream home in 2006, we committed ourselves to incorporating all of our favorite things. My husband is an architect and industrial designer; we are both artists with similar likes and dislikes. Although Peter lived 25 years in Coral Gables, we love Central Florida. We wanted to create the overall flavor of living in South Florida in our home, including design, features and color.

Tell us a little about your company and its philosophy. Peter and I specialize in high-end real estate, the resale market and land/ construction sales. We have been very successful focusing on our service and professionalism.

What are some misconceptions about interior design and/or architecture that you encounter? In my business, the biggest misconception regarding interior deign and architecture is that each room should have its own personality. The most desired homes have a consistent theme throughout; the flow of the floor plan and design should be present in some capacity in every room.

Please describe your ideal space. Our ideal space is open, light and bright. It has an unassumming elegance detailed with the finest details possible with extra attention to the fixtures, flooring and colors. In our home, our favorite room is a “living room” turned “sun room” that has the ability to be converted to indoor or outdoor space depending upon the weather. On the interior, it has beautifully stained french doors and on the exterior it has 8 ft high pocket sliders. The room is positioned, so that it overlooks the gas fire pit and lagoon-style pool.

What are some of your favorite color, texture and/or products to work with? Because we are both painters, I think we have a great appreciation of color and texture. Our entire color palette was chosen before we started building our home. We did not deviate from that palette in any aspect of the home, which adds to the overall flow and continuity. We chose persimmon, browns, warm golds and citrons/ grassy greens. We complimented all the interior colors by finishing the floors in stained concrete.

What has been the most positive and/or fulfilling project you’ve worked on? I had the pleasure of working with a family that had a grown daughter with MS. They had not been able to afford a universally handicapped designed home until after they received an inheritance. I was instrumental in assisting them with designing the home to accommodate Elizabeth in her wheel chair, slopping thresholds, wheel chair accessible sinks and desks, low pile flooring, wider door ways, etc. This was the first time in her life that she did not have to drag herself up a flight of stairs to go to bed. After her first night in their new home, I asked Elizabeth how she felt and she replied, “I feel like a princess”. After ten years, I still get an invitation to the family Christmas party.

What design and/or architecture advice would you offer our blog readers? I always recommend that my building customers hire an architect, interior designer with experience in new construction and a landscape architect, if possible. Considering where we live, it would make sense to focus on “Florida-style”. I see so many customers relocating from different parts of the country and bringing with them their existing ideas of design and architecture, which could be the kiss of death when it comes to maximizing the overall return on their investment.

Home designed by Sherry Duvall and Peter Petrilli (Dave Brewer Realty)

I completely agree with Sherry’s assertion that a home should flow and not have different themes peppered throughout the house. Picking a beautiful color scheme and incorporating those in different ways is key to successful design. I also love how a home can be tailored to fit the needs of a client, a la Elizabeth’s story. It’s always wonderful when you can make a client feel like royalty. Thank you, Sherry, for sharing your insights on behalf of both yourself and Peter. Please be sure to look them up under their company, Dave Brewer Realty. As always, this interview will be archived in our Message Forum. Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend