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BY MARTY FUGATE PHOTOGRAPHY BY GREG WILSON

 A long road winds through picturesque lakes,

rolling golf course greens and gently swaying stands of oak trees. It’s a mid-summer’s day in The Oaks, a private, country club community in Osprey. The mid-afternoon sun puts the home of Marie and Tom Dowdy in a very good light.

The owners greet me at the door and invite me in like we’re old friends. We sit and chat in front of the massive fireplace. (Not lit, of course.) We

start with introductions.Tom Dowdy has a long track record as an en-

trepreneur and a sought-after consultant for the nation’s top corporations. In 1994, he founded National In-Store (NIS), and grew the company to more than $50 million in revenues. Captive Venues is his latest venture — a business-to-business consulting firm specializing in market optimization. Marie works in the administra-tion offices at Out of Door Academy. That’s no coincidence. Their oldest son is a recent gradu-ate; their youngest still attends. “My work keeps

me close to the boys in my family — and the hundreds of kids in my school family,” she says. “As hard as it is to leave this house every day, I love what I do.”

Right about now we keep talking, but start walking. Something about the open layout defeats the couch potato impulse. The rooms flow smartly into each other and you just want to move. So we do.

As we stroll through this gracious residence, it’s easy to see why Marie and Tom find it hard to tear themselves away. It’s a custom design, not

STYLE HOME

Putting the pieces together

The home of Marie and Tom Dowdy was inspired by a collaboration between Southern Accents magazine and Neiman Marcus.

DOWDY RESIDENCE

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a cookie-cutter product. Tom’s relentless atten-tion to detail informed the project, along with his expertise as a problem-solver.

When creating a home of his own, Tom ap-proached the problem with entrepreneurial thinking. Simply put, he sought out the best. The best example of the style he and Marie wanted. And the best talents to make it a reality.

The inspiration for his dream house had been in the back of his mind for years. More accu-rately, in the back of a drawer …

In 1997, “Southern Accents” marked its 20th birthday. To celebrate, the magazine teamed up with Neiman Marcus to create an “Anniversary

House” in Dallas. Showing off was the basic idea — garnering national attention with exceptional architecture and interior design. It worked.

It definitely got Tom’s attention.Tom saw a special about the house on HGTV.

Intrigued, he videotaped the program, put the tape in a drawer and forgot about it. Eight years later, he was planning to build a new house on a lot in The Oaks. That’s when he took the tape out and watched it again.

The Tuscan-style “Anniversary House” brought his dreams into focus. Before seeing the tape, he couldn’t quite visualize what he had in mind. Now the picture was crystal clear.

Tom immediately reached out to Larry E. Boerder, the original architect. Although he wasn’t licensed in Florida, he was happy to send Tom his plans.

Next, Tom contacted Greg Wall, a Sarasota-based architect. Wall took the original plans as a springboard — and created a new plan, after long consultations with Tom and contributions from Jon Mast of the Davin Group and his partner at the time. Wall made the design more suitable to a Florida climate, and downsized the layout from the Texas-sized 9,000-square-foot original, to a more intimate 7,000 square feet. For the interior, he incorporated elements from a Colo-

Tom likens the two-story coral-stone hearth in the great room to “an enormous three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle.”

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rado ski resort that had caught Tom’s eye.I contacted Wall a few days after my visit. It’s

clear he looks back on the project with pride. “I would describe the Mediterranean Revival exterior as subtle Tuscan with understated details,” he says. “The concept was to create an elegant house that was fully integrated into the landscape and offered dramatic details in the interior. The finished product was like an Italian yacht — the highest quality materials, perfectly fitted and blended.”

The architect’s greatest challenge was the ex-terior pool and outdoor kitchen. Marie and Tom wanted an outdoor experience that related to the backyard and the championship golf course just beyond. But they also wanted privacy. Wall’s

solution was to put an arched structure between the pool and the great outdoors — a Palladian-style terrace that mirrored the house’s propor-tion and detailing. Arched-screened windows look out and keep others from looking in. A gazebo with fire pit makes a perfect gathering space on chilly evenings. The waterfall flowing into the pool — well, that’s just for fun.

Tom made sure that was part of the design, as well.

After approving Wall’s final design, Tom tapped MTD Custom Building as the builder. The late Mike Duffy was the contractor. Con-struction began in 2002. A dream team of the best and the brightest got to work.

The artisans of European Marble crafted the

counter tops and the tumbled travertine marble floors — which flow seamlessly inside the house and extend outside onto the terrace and pool area. The consistent flooring material ties the house together and avoids uniformity, thanks to intricately detailed floor mosaics spaced at intervals.

Hugh Leach’s hand and eye created the perfect lines of the cabinetry and millworking. “He’s got the gift,” says Wall. “He can put things together like a magician.”

Faux painter Cynthia Semerar transformed walls with decorative paint finishes that fool the eye and delight the senses.

The woodworkers of WoodVerks provided the solid ash doors and trim. They embedded the

ABOVE: Dramatic design elements, such as the grand, curved staircase sweeping up to the second floor, are the hallmark of this beautiful home. BELOW: And speaking of drama, the exterior pool and outdoor kitchen create the perfect venue for entertaining.

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door frames with sparkling metal rosettes. Wrought-iron railings on the curvy staircase and second floor balcony repeat the motif. They also worked their art on the majestic entrance door — pecky cypress on the outside, ash within.

If the geometric details of the leaded-glass windows on the second floor seem familiar, there is a reason. It’s a licensed use of a Frank Lloyd Wright design.

The house is filled with other enchanting details. It’s the little things that count. But the big things count, too.

Like the grand curved staircase sweeping up to the second floor.And, of course, the fireplace.The two-story, coral-stone hearth commanding the great room is the

masterful handiwork of the Ruck Brothers. “They sketched out the fire-place I wanted,” Tom recalls. “Then they traveled to Cozumel, Mexico, and hand cut the stones, numbered them, shipped them back and put it together.”

Tom compares the fireplace to an enormous 3-D jigsaw puzzle. The same applies to his house. Building it took five years of painstaking work. Thanks to Tom’s vision and a small army of talents, all the pieces came together in July, 2007.

The late Werner Meier, an acclaimed Sarasota-based interior designer, supplied the finishing touches. His interior design scheme in-cluded warm tones to match the house’s material vocabulary, intimate furniture groupings, eclectic works of art and interesting details — but nothing crowded or overstuffed.

The result is a grand house with the welcoming, homey feel of a smaller space. Wood and earth-tone materials create a sense of warmth. The dramatic 24-foot ceilings are pecky cypress, crisscrossed with ash beams. Abundant windows and glass sliders fill the house with light and draw your eye to the verdant world outside. The ceiling feels weightless — not pressing down on you, but rising up. You feel expan-sive, not overwhelmed.

We encounter plenty of eye candy as we stroll. A neo-impressionist

Marie and Tom Dowdy and their sons have created a home that is both impressive, yet comfortable.

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ABOVE: The cozy master suite, with its fireplace and plantation blinds, provides a private retreat for the busy couple. BELOW: Exquisite marble and rich woods add a sense of elegance to the master bath.

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painting bursts with red poppies in the foyer. Stunning sightlines draw your eye to the perfect day outside. It’s a beautiful home, all right. But this house is filled with life; it’s not a sterile showcase. Tom, Marie and the boys eat, live, work and play here.

Take the kitchen, for example. The gleaming Viking stove and range aren’t just here for good looks.

Both Tom and Marie are avid cooks with a simple division of labor —indoors and outdoors. Marie whips up inspired feasts in the chef-driven kitchen, outfitted with state-of-the-art appliances, custom cabinetry and an enormous island. As the designated grillmaster, Tom puts the gleaming Lynx grill to work in the outdoor kitchen. His all-time hits include steak, sweet Italian sausage and peppers, rotisserie turkey and grilled grouper.

When he’s not grilling, Tom is hard at work at his home office — nicely equipped with custom-built shelves and cabinetry. His desk isn’t the typical rat’s nest of tangled wires. The conduits and cables run up through one hollow leg. “Hugh did a marvelous job building all this cabinetry,” he says. “What you see is beautiful — and what you don’t see is pretty cool as well.”

To illustrate, he pops open a wooden panel to reveal the brains of the home automation sys-tem. Pretty cool indeed. Any secret passageways?

“Not yet,” he says with a smile.We follow the curved staircase to the second

Everybody’s favorite place to be is the tricked-out home theater, with stadium-style seating for 12.

The elegant dining room is the scene for many dinner parties hosted by this couple, both of whom love to cook.

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floor. Their youngest son is answering his Call of Duty in the game room — silently, thanks to the miracle of headphones. He waves to us politely as we pass, then gets back to his game. Their oldest son is away at work. In one very neat bedroom, a lacrosse stick testifies to his athletic ability.

The Dowdys take me to the tricked-out home theater. Hands down, it’s everybody’s favorite place to be. Dubbed “Teatro O’Dowd,” it’s the only room in the house with a carpet — or, for that matter, stadium-style seating for 12.

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is playing for my benefit. Crisp picture and great sound to match. Tom invites me to test out my plush recliner seat, but it seems a little too relaxing. Best avoid any napping on the job.

Unless you live here, of course.At the end of their busy days, Tom and Marie retreat to their master

bedroom sanctuary where they often wind down in front of the fireplace on chilly eves. A Kohler soaking tub sits in front of a wraparound alcove window overlooking a garden bursting with color. This suite is entirely self-contained, complete with wet bar and fridge and plantation blinds for privacy. When guests stay over, the Dowdys can retire to a world of their own.

But there’s still plenty of day left in this day.We head out to the pool lanai, and a panoramic view of the sprawling golf

course and the Oaks Clubhouse. Panthers and other wildlife occasionally play through. Eagles fly by as they please. Marie, Tom and their sons feel just as free.

All the pieces really did come together. Marble Floors and Counters:European Marble

Architect: Gregory K. Wall

Draftsman and Design Consultant: Jon Mast

Woodworking and Cabinetry:Hugh Leach

The fire pit is a favorite place for family and friends to gather at the end of a busy day.