March 29, 2024

Executive Lifestyles

City Living

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GRANITE AFOOT: Alfred Karram incorporates granite into his designs.

Granite Flooring -- Alfred Karram Jr., of the family-run Alfred Karram II design firm credited with changing the face of Boca Raton with its European modern style, says he's done the lobbies of many condos on the beach and recently completed at least four lobby redesign projects in luxury high-rises like The Addison, Presidential Place and the Aragon in Boca Raton and Trump Plaza in West Palm Beach. All have granite flooring.

Detail Work -- Neutral grays, striking accents and stainless steel detailing. Karram likes to do intricate details on ceilings and mirror them on the floor. He scouts out stone for his projects two to three times a year in Italy.

Mr. Downtown

Phil McCabe is often referred to as Mr. Downtown Naples. He was instrumental in revitalizing Old Naples 10 years ago when now-trendy 5th Avenue was failing. He bought buildings, transformed an old bank into The Inn on Fifth, a popular boutique hotel, and brought in an authentic Irish Pub, straight from Ireland, and gave it his name, McCabe's Irish Pub.

Now an area near 5th Avenue is about to get a facelift, and once again McCabe is in the thick of things. The area is divided by Route 41 (also referred to as Four Corners), which McCabe likens to a Berlin Wall separating the nice residential sections of Old Naples from the commercial areas. In the works are plans to turn many of the first-generation commercial buildings into mixed-use developments, with residential space, that are accessible by foot, bicycle or car. Billions of dollars of private money will go into the project.

McCabe himself is building a luxury midrise in the area. Called Intermezzo, it will be surrounded by the Gordon River on three sides. Units will range from $1.45 million to $4.6 million. McCabe has already picked out his unit. He hopes to sell his north Naples residence and move downtown in 2008, when Intermezzo is expected to be finished. "I want to be part of that downtown lifestyle," he says.

Tags: Florida Small Business, Entrepreneur

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