Home: Ode to Versace

Lauren Ann Walsh should have been born in the Catherinian Era. She should have risen every morning in a majestic four-poster bed dressed in Medusa fashions before roaming the hallways of her castle, passing sleek furnishings with chunky gilding on her way to the kitchen for a four-star breakfast.

Seven years ago, when the Walshes moved into their new space at the Promenade, the look was modern contemporary. Four years ago, Lauren Ann Walsh set sail on a trip to the Baltic and fell in love with the European style. Her next trip took her to Russia.

“I wanted Catherine’s palace,” Walsh said. “To me, it’s over the top and more interesting. I like things that pop, and I want to be uniquely different.”

When she found out one of her friends was transitioning from Versace to modern and selling his collection, she jumped on it.

Now, there’s Versace everywhere. Versace in the living room, Versace in the dining room, Versace in the bedroom and even Versace in the kitchen. And, because she’s so involved with the Sarasota Ballet, Walsh added a couple of tutus and pointe shoes to the mix.

“I love the gilded era,” Walsh said. “You see the red with the gold.”