KARA MANN

Kara Mann first came to the fore back in the mid-aughts, with the publication of her own Goth-style Chicago townhouse, replete with Blackman Cruz skull lamps and Chrome Hearts furnishings. Her style has since evolved into a fusion of contemporary and classic all her own. And while she’s embraced white in a big way, few other designers are as adept at employing black accents. As is apparent in this dining room of a Naples, Florida, retreat, where a collection of blackened-brass Lariat pendant lamps from Apparatus take center stage. (They hang over a poured-concrete table, slipcovered chairs from HOLLY HUNT and a pair of rustic armchairs by Gregorius Pineo.) “The client wanted to feel like she was on vacation at a luxurious resort every time she came to stay,” says Mann. But “she didn’t want it to feel too specific to Florida.” To make the most of the dazzling light bouncing off the Gulf of Mexico outside, Mann chose a large-format snow-white marble with subtle veining for the floor and light-reflecting plaster in a blue-tinged white for the walls. The overall effect? Heaven.