What she does is who she is. Judith Liegeois does not remember a time when she wasn’t collecting and creating. From her childhood spent on the beach near her home in New Zealand, the island country in the South Pacific, to design school to establishing herself in Naples in 1977 to present day, Liegeois has been composing scenes. She doesn’t know what she would do if she wasn’t.
Thirty years ago, she opened her own interior design firm, Judith Liegeois Designs, after working with local designers. Her distinctive aesthetic is inspired by her love for nature. Organic pieces—some functional, like a chandelier made from a large branch—are everywhere in her home. Although Liegeois says her taste is not for everyone, she has successfully incorporated it into her personal residences—a few times over.
In 2015, Liegeois decided to downsize from a large home in Aqualane Shores. She found a tiny yellow house built in 1952 in the Lake Park neighborhood. The home sits upon a quarter of an acre and is situated on the south side of the street, with rear-alley access and a large pool set slightly off-center in the backyard. She envisioned what she wanted for her new space.
“I love reimagining homes,” remarks Liegeois, who has completed many remodeling projects. As a designer, she has plenty of experience reading architectural plans but not necessarily drawing them. She prefers to sketch her ideas, believing it is easier when standing within an existing three-dimensional space. She then hires a contractor to retrofit the space according to her vision.
For her Lake Park home, Liegeois manipulated the space to work for her, adding on when necessary and reconfiguring. Now, a larger main home, guest cottage, garage, and pool coexist behind a tall fence hidden by verdant greenery. Liegeois refers to her property as a “compound.” It’s one where she often gathers with friends and family—including her two daughters, their partners, and four grandchildren—and where a golden doodle, a whoodle, and five cats roam.
“My home is a bit of a discovery,” she says. “Visiting it takes you on an exploration.”
Liegeois notes that she loves “curiosities” and has amassed a collection of goodies from her many travels. She positions a variety of items—books, chunks of wood or rock, lights, artifacts, and more—into themed scenes in her home, or what she refers to as “niches.” Each piece has a story. Each “speaks to me,” she says.
For example, Liegeois showcases a selection of tableware in a wall nook in her kitchen that was once a window. A round table in the corner of her living area hosts books, a lamp, and various knickknacks. In front of a mirror hanging at the end of a small hallway appears a perfectly placed gathering of items on the floor. The positioning of each object is something Liegeois specializes in. She describes it as an innate talent. “It can’t be taught; it’s a feeling,” she says.
While traditional and modern works of art from a variety of artists are found inside and outside Liegeois’ home, there also are impressive organic pieces by Ran Adler, a Naples artist who repurposes discarded natural materials. One of his creations, assembled from the thorns of the silk floss tree, appearing to be a flock of birds in motion, graces the Venetian-plaster hallway in the primary bedroom. Adler’s pieces blend well with Liegeois’ designs. But for as much as she loves nature, Liegeois has a soft spot for glamour. Ornate furniture abounds, settees and sofas are accented with oversize pillows in rich jewel tones, and bed linens are sumptuous and inviting.
Liegeois says she loves her centrally located and “very neighborly” location. When she comes home from her recently relocated design studio on Ninth Street South in Naples, she appreciates the coziness of her small space, enjoying feeling the grass under her feet. “My home is my nest—where I am surrounded by things that make me happy,” she declares.
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