Renée Gaddis Builds Luxury on Trust

The Naples designer brings Midwestern values, meticulous service and a commitment to original design to South Florida’s vacation homes.

Renée Gaddis built her interior design career on the glittering Gulf Coast of South Florida, specializing in luxury vacation and second — or third, fourth or fifth — homes for a stable of committed clients.

But Gaddis remains rooted in values instilled in her while growing up in America’s grain belt.

“I was raised as a very humble, hardworking Midwestern girl,” says Gaddis, founder of Renée Gaddis Interiors, based in Naples, Florida. “I’ve carried that with me.”

A beautifully finished project draws the “oohs” and “aahs” of satisfied clients, but Gaddis knows that interior design is as much about customer service as it is aesthetics — another trait she traces to her upbringing.

“My clients expect a certain level of privacy, and they expect a certain level of response and a certain level of professionalism, and I think that is something that I have always held as a very important thing in my business,” she says. “… I’m in their private spaces having private conversations. … I don’t even tell my husband about who my clients are.”

That level of discretion and customer service keeps her team of eight busy. The firm specializes in residential construction, mostly in South Florida though they team does take on projects elsewhere, often working on clients’ other homes, whether in New York City, Saint Lucia, or Newport, Rhode Island.

“Anytime a client asks me to do their place out of state, I get so excited because it’s a challenge,” Gaddis says. “I enjoy the logistics of it. You have to be more organized.”

Gaddis loves a challenge: It’s part of what keeps her passionate about her work.

Building her business

“Now I’ve grown to eight people, including me, and that’s kind of my sweet spot. … Too many more than eight and I feel like I’m spending more time managing than I am designing. Any less than eight and I feel like we’re overwhelmed.”

Her residential projects are shaped by the climate, sometimes literally, of Florida. Homeowners are often tearing down older stock and rebuilding to meet current hurricane codes, so there’s a lot of new construction work. Gaddis also does a fair number of new condos, enjoying when she can get in on projects early, when construction details can be more easily hammered out. Another key part of her business: Gut renovations of older waterfront condos built in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Designing in South Florida

About 95% of Gaddis’ residential work is vacation or subsequent homes.

“(My clients) are only here for the season — it’s definitely a vacation destination,” she says. “So, when they come here, they don’t want to have any maintenance. They want to just relax with their family, enjoy it and then close up and go to their other home — or homes.”

Gaddis loves the design freedom that provides.

“I feel like a lot of our clients are more open to ideas because it’s a second or third home. They’re more excited about doing it differently than what they have up north, and they’re more open to more creativity,” she says. “… We have such wonderful clients. It’s really all about trust — trusting the process and trusting that we’re going to do the best we can for them.”

One challenge in her market: construction delays. That started with Covid-19-era supply chain problems and was exacerbated by major hurricanes, starting with Hurricane Ian in 2024. It’s now further complicated by immigration crackdowns.

She also battles against a ubiquitous “coastal Florida look” when it comes to design.

“There are a few magazines down here that are very Naples-based,” she says. “You flip through them, and every single house and condo looks the exact same. It’s a big struggle for me because once I’ve done something, I really don’t want to do it again. If I’ve used fabrics for a client or I’ve used a certain design for built-in, one client gets that. Then I feel like my next client should get something special for them. I don’t feel like you should rinse and repeat your design.”

But the coast’s beauty does strongly influence her designs. Homes and condos are built to showcase views of the water, and those views often become part of the palette.

“Our clients want (their Florida home) to be a vacation — a tropical place for them to be outside,” Gaddis says. “They’re looking at the palm trees, the water, the sky. All those colors, in my mind, can be neutrals. Whatever you’re looking at outside, you can bring in as a neutral.”

But pride in a recent renovation project comes as much from the process as the design. Last summer, her team completed a condo renovation in just six months.

“They will not allow us to have heavy construction in season,” she explains. “So, they have a moratorium where you can only work in the condo from May (usually either May 1 or April 15) up until October 1 or October 15, and you have to get all the construction done within that time period. We literally did a full gut and put that condo back together with a whole new look and beautiful millwork — everything delivered within that time period. … To get that organization done beforehand and to be able to execute it successfully was like a ‘wow’ moment: ‘Wow! We did it. We actually pulled that off!’”

Her commercial niche

When she first launched her firm, Gaddis was eager to take on commercial projects. A lifelong learner, she enjoyed the challenge of getting up to speed on ADA requirements and the other unique specifications and requirements of commercial design.

“When I started, I was so excited to do any commercial that would land in front of me, and it was something I was just really excited to learn more about. … It was interesting for me because I had to study and make sure that what I was doing was going to be acceptable,” she says. “… That’s why I was so passionate about: I felt like it was something that I really had to dig in and learn.”

Over time, Gaddis has focused less on commercial work and more on residential projects but she still enjoys working on new construction with developers and the entire team of architects, structural engineers, landscape architects and others.

“I’m delivering a golf course clubhouse that is getting ready to open up in a month,” she says. “I’m so proud of this project. I put such heart and soul into it — every detail I feel like I had a part of, and that’s what I’m passionate about. I can walk away feeling really good about it, like I did the best that I could.”

She also recently finished the common area of Infinity at the Colony, a luxury residential high-rise in Bonita Springs and will start on the common area of the second Infinity tower soon.

Today, only about 10% of her business is commercial. “But timewise it’s huge,” Gaddis says. “It’s very time consuming and takes a lot more detailed drawings, more minute details.”

Creating homes

Though many of her clients have expansive budgets, Gaddis says she’s doesn’t get excited about sourcing the most expensive sofa. She’s excited about creating a home for them.

“I’m giving them something that they walk in and they feel so comfortable and it’s their sanctuary. They feel safe and they want to be there,” she says. “For me, it’s a privilege to be doing what I’m doing.”

Creating that sanctuary means considering the mental and physical well-being of her clients, from the safety of materials used in the home to feng shui principles that direct energy throughout the home.

It’s part of why she loves new construction and gut renovation so much: She can consider every element of the home and how it will work best for her clients.

“I like to get involved before the house is even put on a plan. I do feel like I can contribute a different point of view,” Gaddis says. “Average people don’t understand that’s part of interior design, but I really enjoy it.”