Author: — Photographer: / January 22, 2026
Las Olas Isles - Fort Lauderdale, FL
Designed as a polished southern retreat, this Las Olas Isles residence serves as a seasonal escape for an Atlanta-based entrepreneur power couple—welcoming, refined, and calibrated for easy entertaining (with Rambo, their well-traveled white Labrador, never far from the action). Reengaging Fred Furze of Furze Design Associates—who originally shaped the home’s interior architecture and detailing—the owners preserved much of the existing framework while reimagining the atmosphere for a new chapter.
One transformative element became the heart of the main living space: a custom bar and wine cellar designed to anchor gatherings. Crafted from a solid bronze structure, the composition frames a fully enclosed, climate-controlled wine room, turning the collection into a glowing installation. Illuminated shelving heightens the display, while a concealed vanishing drain set into the marble slab keeps the bar’s modern lines impeccably clean. Completed with all-new furnishings and a cool, inviting palette, the home now reads as both vibrant and relaxed— tailored precisely to how the owners live today.
Designed for easy entertaining and quiet weekends alike, this Fort Lauderdale retreat balances polish with comfort for an Atlanta-based couple (and their well-traveled white Labrador, Rambo). The heart of the home is a custom bronze bar and enclosed wine room—an architectural centerpiece that makes gathering feel effortless.
You can’t judge a book by its cover—and that proved true for the client of architect Paul Bates and designer Liz Hand Woods, who had her eye on a Nashville home. In this case, however, the cover was compelling, but the interiors left something to be desired. The charm-laden 1930s façade, with its stonework and peaked, gabled entryway, looks like it could have been plucked from the Cotswolds countryside of England. “It was well crafted, but plain on the inside with minimal detailing,” Bates says. “The house had been tinkered with over the decades through a series of less-than-ideal additions, which meant the floor plan was not intuitive—it felt like a maze.”
Home Details
Architecture:
Paul Bates, Paul Bates Architects
Interior Design:
Liz Hand Woods, Liz Hand Woods Associates
Home Builder:
Mark Poe, Mark Poe Builders
Not only do the redesigned rooms now connect with ease, but they do so stylishly, thanks to the addition of interior French doors that allow light to flow across the home. Other rooms benefit from graceful arched openings that help to guide movement between them. “The original doorways were narrow with no sense of presence,” Bates says.
“The arches and trim make such a difference in drawing you in.” Additional architectural flourishes, like weathered white oak beams and paneling, restore much-needed character. These enhancements continue upstairs, evident in the primary suite, where French doors lead to the bathroom for a cohesive look.
