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BY MARTY FUGATE / PHOTOGRAPHY BY GREG WILSON Yvette and Rick Cusack are a rare breed — high school sweethearts who recently cel-

ebrated their 30th wedding anniversary. They’ve got a lot to celebrate. They married young, and succeeded young, too. Longtime Chicago residents, they both launched their stellar careers in that competitive city. Yvette Cusack became a nationally recognized interior designer, and the founder of the Chicago-based BJC Designs. Rick Cusack made a name for himself as an investment broker, a managing member at Pearson Capital Management. Chicago made them what they are today.“We’re real Chicagoans, born and bred,” Yvette says proudly. “The city’s in our blood.

Why move? We fi gured we’d stay there forever.”So why aren’t they there right now?In 2008, the oldest of their two children, Christine, was still in college. B.J., their young-

est, had just graduated and was on his own. Their family home was an empty nest. The Cusacks sold it and bought a gorgeous lakeside apartment in Chicago. But before they could move in, a buyer gave them an offer they couldn’t refuse. Once again, they needed to fi nd a new home. This time, they headed south.After a long search, they were drawn to Sarasota. They loved the warmth they found

here, in more ways than one.“People call this area paradise, and for us it is,” says Rick. “There’s everything here,

from the spring-break feel of Siesta Key, to the theaters and art galleries. Sarasota is an artsy community. It reminded us of Evanston Park in many ways. And it’s also a true community full of friendly people.”The Cusacks made the move, initially settling into the Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota. BJC De-

signs became Sarasota-based. Rick’s brokerage work continued, thanks to a daily virtual commute to the Chicago home offi ce via the Internet. “I really love the Internet,” he says

Coming in from the coldThe nearly 4,000-square-foot home of Yvette and Rick Cusack is situated in their ideal community — The Oaks.

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with a smile.After getting the lay of the land, they found a rental home on Casey Key and began the

search for a permanent home in the area.“We wanted more than a home on a street,” says Yvette. “Like Rick said, we were look-

ing for a true community lifestyle. Then we drove down to Osprey, and that’s exactly what we found at The Oaks Club.” She adds that the member-based community offered golf and tennis, but that wasn’t the deciding factor. “The warm people we ran into won us over,” she says. “The people here truly welcomed us.”As far as the Cusacks were concerned, they had narrowed the search. First, they found

paradise. Then they found the perfect community within paradise. Now, all they had to do was fi nd the perfect house inside that community.“That took some doing,” Rick adds. “But we fi nally found it.”The nearly 4,000-square-foot house they discovered was built in 1989. Was it love at

fi rst sight? Not at fi rst. “It was love at fi rst sight in my mind’s eye,” Yvette says. “We were in love with what it could be. The house had a good location, good bones. We knew we could turn it into our dream home. We’ve done this before.”“What Yvette means is, she’s done this before,” Rick says with a smile. “I want to say,

I had total confi dence in our interior designer.”This gets another laugh from Yvette.But the truth is, she had done this before. In fact, Yvette had redesigned the Cusacks’

original family home in 1986. Her makeover was featured in Metropolitan Home maga-

Rick and Yvette Cusack describe themselves as “Chicagoans born and bred,” though they have found happiness on Florida’s Gulf Coast.

As part of Yvette’s design, her team eliminated non-structural partitions and incorporated the dining room into the expanded great room.

The fully-equipped kitchen became a clean, well-lit space with all the necessary amenities.

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zine; that notoriety helped launch her nationwide interior design fi rm. So, yes, Yvette had the necessary experience. As her own interior designer, she could get the job done and do it right.“I do my best work for every client,” she adds with a laugh. “In this case, I can hon-

estly say I knew exactly what the client wanted.”Yvette also knew what she didn’t want. She describes the house’s original layout as

“boxy and abstract.” Not their style. “When I fi rst walked in, it was like not being able to see the forest for the trees,” she recalls. “I couldn’t see the house for the walls.” She adds that, “I believe in designing for living. Your home should be a happy home. It should fi t your daily life like a comfortable pair of shoes.”Yvette got to work, initially on her sketchpad and on the computer. She envisioned

dramatic changes. Taking down walls, consolidating rooms and bringing in natural light was the plan. To put her plan into action, Yvette needed a new network of re-gional talent. Top-fl ight designers depend on top-fl ight subcontractors, after all. She quickly found them, and the physical work began.Russ Edward of Westwood Manufacturing created the house’s beautiful, custom-

designed cabinets. Alex’s Wood Floors laid down its lightly distressed walnut fl oors. Fran Suppa, of Joy Landscaping, turned their lawn into a vision from a Rousseau paint-ing. Norman Sharrit was their architecture consultant.Beginning in early 2009, Yvette’s team put her ideas into action. They created wel-

coming, glass-paned double doors at the entrance. They eliminated non-structural partitions and incorporated the dining room area into the expanded great room. They replaced a superfl uous bathroom with a handy wet bar and wine cooler. The fully equipped kitchen became a clean, well-lit space with a bar and breakfast nook, adjoin-ing an informal family room convenient to pool and patio. Barriers came down. The light of sun, moon and stars fl owed over everything.Throughout the renovation, Yvette and Rick stayed in the guest rooms of the Wind-

sor House at the nearby Oaks Clubhouse. “It was wonderful,” Rick recalls. “We had every possible comfort.”Before the year was over, the heavy lifting was done. After redefi ning the house’s

Yvette achieved a sense of unity in the design that extends to the understated and elegant master bedroom.

All of the lanai furniture was Yvette’s design, through the grilling duties be-long to Rick.

44 S T Y L E M A G A Z I N E M A Y 2 0 1 1

fl oor plan, Yvette fi lled the space with a brilliant interior design scheme: an understated, classical approach verging on the monochromatic, with art and splashes of color as ac-cents. The fi nishing touch: the colorful arrangements of Juarez Floral Designs.The Cusack’s art collection returned from Chicago. Their contemporary art includes

several striking, expressionist paintings by Adolf Benca. Asian treasures range from a precisely painted Japanese wall screen to lovingly carved Chinese statues of the Buddha and Kwan Yin.Their prized furniture also returned, a few beloved antiques, but mostly “transitional”

pieces, neither stark and contemporary nor ornate and old-fashioned. Darker wood piec-es predominate, like the intricately carved, mahogany base now supporting the formal dining table. Years before, Yvette had picked it up at a Palm Beach antique store. “I took it up to Chicago, then I took it back to Florida,” she recalls. “Now it’s fi nally come home.”Some of the pieces have a lighter feel — Yvette’s mirror-fi nish nightstand, for example.

It found a new home in her master bedroom, along with a late-1800s French vanity table she had treasured from childhood and a companion, plush ottoman that she had found on an adult treasure hunt. “I’ve always loved French design,” she says. “That’s been re-upholstered a million times.”There are lights and darks, but no loud primary colors. In the hall, there’s a two-drawer

oak cabinet, richly stained the color of dark coffee with a black, marble top. Along the kitchen’s breakfast bar, there’s a row of off-white, scoop-back chairs, one of Yvette’s custom designs. Nothing is in your face here. There is very little shine and fl ash in Yvette’s arrangement. The design scheme is understated and elegant, and perfectly in-tegrated with the dark tones of the rough, walnut fl oor and fl at, white walls.“I wanted a sense of unity,” Yvette recalls. “Not an eclectic hodgepodge.”She achieved it. “My wife is so good at this,” Rick says proudly. “Everything fl ows so

beautifully from one room to the other.”

That’s a husband talking. But he’s right.It’s a warm place. Although the Cusacks’ house is fi lled with beautiful art, it doesn’t feel

like an off-putting museum. The art shares space with evidence of Rick’s Irish heritage, including a treasured Irish harp. Photos and souvenirs of friends and family abound. Of-ten, their friends and family are here in person. Their adult children — Christine, B.J., his wife, Alle, and their new baby, Hudson, love the guest room.“We’re constantly throwing big parties,” Yvette adds. “That’s what a house like this is

for.” And their new Oaks Club neighbors are big fans of Rick’s grilling wizardry. Other fans have a longer trip. “Twenty fi ve of Rick’s UVA (University of Virginia) fraternity buddies were just down here,” Yvette says. “Yeah,” Rick jokes. “It’s amazing the place is still standing.”Across the great room, a row of French doors open out onto the lanai, pool and hot tub.

We stroll outside and settle down. Rick points to more evidence of Yvette’s design skills. “All the lanai furniture was her design,” he says. She smiles. “A patio furniture company puts it out as a line now,” she adds. “I didn’t even get a royalty.”Rick indicates a rocking recliner. “I defy you to sit in that chair for 10 minutes and not

fall asleep,” says Rick.I decline his offer. It’s a lazy afternoon in early spring, and I don’t want to risk it. The sun

hangs in the sky, at the border of afternoon and evening. Across the pool, the screened enclosure reveals a pond. Something pokes up from the water.“That’s Brutus,” says Rick. “He’s our resident alligator. He’s our neighbor, too.”Brutus is not their only neighbor, of course. This loving couple has found plenty of

warm-blooded neighbors in their adopted community. Their connections to Chicago remain strong. But thanks to their new friends at The Oaks Club, this stretch of sunny Florida has become their home. Their new connections grow stronger every day.It seems the Cusacks have come in from the cold.

The kitchen adjoins an informal family room that is convenient to the pool and patio.