By Lauren Felechner

It all started with a pen, paper and a little inspirational drawing out of Coastal Living magazine. Tom and Rose Costello, the owners and developers of Trade Winds in Sarasota, Fla., brought the enthusiasm of the Caribbean to life with their LEED Platinum certified home that brings the element of the outdoors in. Spotlighting this theme is the 100-year-old Benjamina Ficus tree that is settled in the home's front exterior, whose canopy extends over the entire front lot.

"The goal from day one was to build an energy-efficient home with style and classic design elements... I firmly believe that good design pays for itself," the Costello's said.

To help the Costello's bring their design to life was Josh Wynne from Josh Wynne Construction, who served as the architect, builder and general contractor for the custom project. Alongside Wynne was J. Kurt Lucas, President JKL Design Group Inc. (JKL), and the interior designer and merchandiser of Trade Winds. Wynne was able to complete the design process of Trade Winds in about five months, with completion of construction taking about another nine months that included two months' worth of demo site work. Serving as both the architect and builder for the project allowed Wynne to solve the majority of the design issues on paper before construction began, however, weather and site work proved to be challenging at times with moving this project forward. What was originally intended to be a remodeling job turned into starting from scratch building a custom home due to the strict FEMA requirements for the site's prep work. The removal of 19 invasive trees, demolition, pool removal, a whole site retaining wall and plenty of needed fill dirt were among the necessary areas of site work, according to Wynne.

Despite the challenges that lay at hand, Wynne was able to overcome and bring the essence of the Dutch Colonial Caribbean that the Costello's admired so much. With the collaboration between the four, a reoccurring theme of a traditionally designed home with crisp, clean lines and a soft, tropical feeling kept reappearing, according to Wynne. With the Costello's well-traveled exposure, Lucas felt it necessary for them to serve as an important component in the design's joint effort. "Not only did I design some wonderful features for their space, but they also had great treasures, thoughts and guts to throw into the design. To me, 90 percent of great design is guts."

Although located in an established waterfront community in Sarasota, the Costello's looked to steer away from the typical 'mega-mansions' and wanted a sophisticated yet casual place to winter that was filled with character, warmth, classicism and charm, Lucas explained. The home's outdoor space seems to serve almost just as much functionality as the indoors for its residents. According to the Costello's, every square foot of the lot has been included in the design, as the surrounding lush landscape remains mostly native and "Florida-friendly." The pool and landscaping, according to Lucas, are on the top of his list for favorite amenities; as well as Trade Winds' kitchen. "I love the diverse colors and finishes... it's like Grandma's house if Grandma rode a Harley," Lucas explained. Such design techniques didn't go to waste, as they caught the eyes of those dishing out the titles at the Aurora Awards -- a few times. Trade Winds took home the Grand Aurora for the "Best Natural Gas Single-Family Home" this past summer in the Environmental Design/Natural Gas Home category. As if that wasn't enough, Josh Wynne Construction and JKL nabbed another six Aurora awards as well. In Wynne's eyes, he feels that attention to detail and performance put Trade Winds on top. Or perhaps it could have been Lucas' perception of Trade Winds as an, "Ageless subtlety and culture without severity or arrogance," that helped capture the titles. Nonetheless, helping design and live in your award-winning, dream, custom home would be ideal for anybody; however, the Costello's take pride in their home's energy-efficiency rather than the plaque that could go on their wall. "The awards are not important to us. We wanted to make sure that the home was LEED Platinum certified, after that the awards just validate the contractors work," the Costello's said.

The Costello's goal of LEED Platinum certification didn't stop there as certifications from NAHB Emerald, Energy Star, Energy Star IAP, Florida Water Star Gold and FGBC Platinum were achieved as well. "I feel strongly that any home should be rooted to its locale," Wynne explained, "This home furthers the proof that luxury, custom homes can achieve the pinnacle of environmental awareness without totally breaking the bank," Wynne said.

Lauren Felechner is an editorial assistant at Options magazine. She may be contacted at lfelechner@penpubinc.com