Behind the Design: A Modern Waterfront Oasis in Davis Islands

Katie Walker
Feb 8
6 min read

A Modern Waterfront Oasis in Davis Islands

We recently had the pleasure of meeting the Miller family, who were in the early planning stages of building their dream home. With a stunning waterfront property on Davis Islands, the Millers envisioned their forever home as a modern yet inviting residence that would embrace the breathtaking views of Tampa Bay and be a place they could age gracefully in.

They came to us during an unexpected and devastating moment, when their waterfront home was hit hard by Hurricane Helene, taking on nearly four feet of storm-surge water. Instead of seeing only loss, the Millers chose to focus on the positive. This loss actually provided an invitation to build the home they had dreamed of for years.

Our Role in New Construction Design

The Millers came to the project with a list of must-haves outlining how they envisioned living in their next chapter. From the very beginning, our role was to translate their ideas, preferences, and long-held wish list into a cohesive design, collaborating with the entire project team to ensure we are all aligned.

As full-service Interior Designers, a seamless new construction project is dependent on collaboration with other professionals for a successful outcome! Design, architecture, and construction must work together from day one to create a home that not only looks beautiful but functions effortlessly.

How Slate Studios Adds Value from Day One

Because we were brought in during the architectural phase, we were able to shape the home holistically and ensure everything aligned with the overall design vision.

Early involvement allowed us to:

Unify the Vision: Our design narrative aligned the builder, architect, and client around shared goals, ensuring every decision supported the same cohesive story
Optimize Space Planning: We evaluated room sizes, furniture flow, and lifestyle needs long before framing begins, reducing revisions and rework later
Enhance Key Architectural Moments: We identified focal points, emphasized waterfront views, and made sure the home’s best features were highlighted, not hidden
Ensure Structural & Aesthetic Alignment: Ceiling heights, window placements, cabinetry elevations, and lighting were coordinated together, details often missed without designer involvement
Design Bespoke Solutions: From custom lighting layouts to clever storage opportunities, we brought specialty vendors and expert partners to the table early so key design elements could be engineered correctly
Streamline the Build Process: By making design decisions before construction begins, we supported a more accurate budget, smoother permitting, fewer delays, and a clearer roadmap for every trade
Create Personalized Touchpoints: We ensured the home reflected the Millers’ lifestyle and taste, thoughtfully tailoring spaces to how they want to live every day

These are the design details often missed when a designer isn’t involved early, and they make the difference between a house that’s well-built and a home that’s built efficiently, considering every detail.

The Design Narrative

At Slate Studios, every project begins with a Design Narrative, which puts into words (and images!) what our goals are for the look and feel of the space.

We tell our clients that the design narrative is the heart and soul of the project. It is the very essence we are trying to evoke with the design, and once we nail down the design narrative, it serves as the driving force behind our design decisions.

For the Millers, our overarching design concept was eternal golden hour. This home is envisioned as a sanctuary where golden sunsets, natural textures, and seamless indoor–outdoor living enhance the experience. A minimalist yet luxurious aesthetic, softened with Japanese influence, layered lighting, and meaningful accents, brings warmth and personality to every space. Designed for entertaining, everyday comfort, and the years ahead, the home harmonizes luxury, functionality, and Florida’s natural beauty.

From Vision to Viable Design: The Master Suite

As designers, we always view the floor plan through a different lens than Architects and Builders because we consider the client's lifestyle and find ways to make suggestions that have a big impact on the way a space is used.

The master suite specifically provided opportunities to create a unique space that is not only beautiful but also practical, while blurring the lines between interior and exterior, allowing for the perfect blend of comfort while enjoying Florida’s natural beauty!

The clients arrived with a hand-drawn sketch of their dream primary suite, a space that combined wellness, luxury, and the indoor–outdoor lifestyle they fell in love with in their previous home. Their sketch outlined the essentials: a generous bedroom, spa-inspired bath, wet sauna, outdoor shower, reading nook, and a closet that felt more like a boutique dressing room than storage.

The architectural team translated this early vision into a preliminary concept, establishing general room locations and circulation patterns. While the overall intent was strong, the layout still needed refinement to improve flow, maximize views, and create functional adjacencies, especially between the sleeping area, dressing room, and bathroom.

This is where our role became essential. By studying the clients’ sketch,the architect’s concept, and understanding the clients goals for the space, we refined the layout to create a primary suite that not only honored the Millers’ wish list, but elevated it. We repositioned the bed to enhance the view, reorganized the bath for a more intuitive spa experience, streamlined the connection to the outdoor shower, and reshaped the dressing room to add a washer and dryer, improving efficiencies for everyday living.

This evolution, from idea to architectural shell to refined interior plan, is the foundation of a well-designed home. When the designer is involved early, the result isn’t just a pretty room. It’s a space that functions beautifully, supports daily rituals, and reflects the homeowner’s envisioned way of living.

In some cases, you may even end up with a resort-like master suite where the interior seems to extend beyond the exterior walls!

Collaboration Elevating the Details

Our approach goes beyond selecting the "pretties", as a partner on a new build project we participate in through coordination meetings with the architect, builder, and trade partners. These meetings ensure that everything is aligned.

By producing detailed interior documentation, including elevations, finish schedules, and specification books, we ensure that every trade has clarity before construction begins. This proactive process:

Streamlines decision-making by resolving selections and layouts before anyone steps on site
Allows the builder to create accurate bids, eliminating vague allowances and surprise cost increases
Reduces costly mid-build changes and minimizes construction delays caused by late selections
Ensures lighting, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC requirements are fully integrated with cabinetry, millwork, and architectural details
Eliminates rework by providing trades with exact dimensions, installation notes, and finish specifications
Improves communication across all parties, giving the architect, builder, and subs a single, centralized source of information
Supports permitting and inspections, since many jurisdictions require clarity on fixtures, finishes, and lighting layouts
Prevents design drift, ensuring that what was designed is what gets built — both visually and functionally
Protects the design integrity from start to finish, bringing the client’s vision to life with precision and confidence

We also collaborate with trusted vendors and specialists, such as lighting experts like Visual Comfort, luxury appliance distributors like Ferguson Home, and specialty vendors like WAYY Automatic pocket doors. These experts bring elevated design features into the home such as lighting controlled on sensors, automated window treatments, integrated cooktops embedded into the countertops, elevators, radiant heat flooring, and so on.

These elements require strategic planning from all parties involved; therefore, our relationships enhance both the design and the client experience, ensuring every layer of the home feels intentional and cohesive.

The Final Outcome?

A gorgeous home designed with every last detail in mind. Every space reflects the Millers’ story, their resilience, and their vision for a home.

Projects like this are why we love what we do!

Blending architecture, interiors, and lifestyle into a home that feels deeply personal and intentional is the power of involving an interior designer from day one. Fewer revisions, clearer direction for every trade, elevated design moments, and a home that functions just as beautifully as it looks.

At Slate Studios, we believe a forever home should be more than well-built; it should be thoughtfully designed to support how life unfolds every day. And we’re honored to help bring that to life from the very first sketch.