The Publisher | Jimmy Dean

Welcome Home Charlotte County

Dear Readers:

Our home is our retreat. It’s where our lives happen. It’s where we raise our children and entertain our guests. Home is where our dreams are realized. As the classic idiom states, “Home is where the heart is.”

In this special Home & Garden issue, we take you inside some of our area’s most remarkable homes, sharing some of the thought and planning that went into the design of these magnificent spaces. We think you’ll be impressed.

I would like to begin this issue by thanking the homeowners for allowing our editors and photographers inside their special havens. I would also like to thank those designers who assisted us in this issue. We couldn’t have done it without you.

He is the happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home.
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

As the issue was coming together, I recalled a note I once received from the late John D. McDonald, famous author of the Travis McGee series. He lived on Siesta Key when I was publishing SARASOTA Magazine. We wanted to feature his Gulffront home and approached him with the idea. He replied, “Seldom does the hermit crab remove its shell to examine its contents. Thanks, but no thanks.”

Disappointed, I could understand his reluctance. He was fiercely private. However, I’m thrilled that we were invited into these fine homes you’re about to explore here in this issue. They are all different, unique reflections of those who live within them. You’ll see how each owner drew upon their own life’s journey, experiences and tastes to weave the tapestry of design for each home.

We hope we help you with some inspiration for your own special space, castle or cottage. Please enjoy!

Sincerely,

Jimmy Dean, Publisher