Our Favorite Room in a Gables Estates Home

Card Room at a French Château, Gables Estates Style

The home on Arvida Parkway in Gables Estates was 13,668 square-feet, and its design was inspired by a French château with high wood beam ceilings throughout. It had eight bedrooms and nine bathrooms, a wine cellar, a pool, a gym, a spa – but not this room.

“The client wanted a room where he could play cards, have friends over and smoke cigars,” says Patrick Lee, president of Shorecrest Construction, who was hired to retrofit the property with a variety of modifications, including this men’s parlor. “So, we got our carpenters to do all the mill work, all the paneling, and paint it all the same color. [The room] was made to have the details, but be subtle, to follow the French château look.”

What is not immediately visible is a powerful ventilation system installed for visiting cigar aficionados so they could enjoy it, says Lee. The color chosen for the walls and glass door trim was Prussian blue, to match the felt on the card table. Place your bet and pass the lighter.