New Life in The Landings

A Miami couple and Nashville designer reimagine a dated home with a less-is-more mentality 

Photography by KHAKI DELANEY

WHEN MIAMIANS Leslie and Marty Steinberg’s youngest child entered college, the couple began an exhaustive search for a second home that would become their primary residence. 

“The Landings came to my attention in an article about luxury-living communities,” says Marty. “I looked it up, and the array of activities and events was incredible.” When he arrived, he found that the facilities did not disappoint — with many tennis courts and golf courses, bike trails, clubhouses and restaurants. “And everyone was unusually pleasant and friendly,” he adds.

The Steinbergs closed on a 1989 home in The Landings just before the world shut down in 2020. Leslie had agreed to move to the Skidaway Island community, sight unseen, given one condition: that Mitzi Maynard of Redo Home + Design, the same Nashville-based interior designer with whom Leslie had worked on a former house in Tennessee, could oversee the renovation. 

“Mitzi was the first designer I’ve connected with who just really got me,” says Leslie. “She certainly had a vision, and I’ll tell you, I’ve never felt like that in any previous home we’ve had.”

“I fell in love with it,” says Maynard of Steinbergs’ new home. “It’s a great house, but it was, for sure, neglected.”

Maynard did the architectural design for the renovation herself. Then, Lowcountry Custom Built Homes arrived to bring it to life. The kitchen and butler’s pantry, primary bath and laundry room were completely gutted and redesigned; the second floor and primary bath received new wood floors; a powder room was added, and more. Through it all, they were careful to keep the home’s original structure.

“The room that the kitchen is in is gorgeous and has that Savannah-style architecture,” Maynard says. “It just wasn’t very functional.”

In the butler pantry going from the kitchen to the dining room, they created a coffee bar and a champagne bar. “That way, the coffee makings aren’t taking up space on the kitchen counter,” Maynard explains. They also added giant doors that open and slide back in, so the area can be closed off while entertaining. “But it is pretty cute open,” Maynard adds. For more inspiration on butler pantries click here.

Adding an island also helped with space issues. They removed and replaced all the hardware and appliances and had new cabinets installed by AWD of Savannah. “Harley Ashbaugh and his team just killed it with the cabinets,” Maynard praises. “The finish was beautiful, and they kept exactly to the design I sent.”

Next, she says, they “dipped the whole house in paint, inside and out.”

What Leslie refers to as a “tired beige” exterior was repainted with Sherwin-Williams’ Alabaster paint. The shutters, repainted in Farrow & Ball’s Light Blue, add a freshness the Steinbergs hoped to carry with them from Miami.

“They wanted to bring that fresh style, but also honor Savannah — a nod to the traditional,” says Maynard. 

Another classical Georgian feature that Maynard not only wanted to keep but also emphasize are the stunning, arched windows throughout the home. Above the kitchen sink is one such large window, with two smaller rectangular windows on each side. Maynard kept the trim white and then tiled the entire surrounding wall with white tiles from Kenny & Company in Nashville. In the main living room, the trim was painted black to “really make them pop.”

Leslie chose neutral tones for the home’s color scheme. 

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“Loving a piece of architecture back to life and bringing it into this decade — it feels so good.” — Mitzi Maynard, interior designer 

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“Leslie’s favorite color is texture,’” Maynard laughs. “The way that I accomplish something [that is] not boring, for someone who loves neutrals, is through texture. Those brick floors, the fabulous windows, the heart pine floors – they made such an awesome palette to then bring [in] the furnishing.” The furnishings were all purchased through Redo Home + Design and utilized various textures, as well.

“Another thing that’s important, in a neutral space, is to let the lighting really make a statement,” says Maynard, who also provided the light fixtures through Redo Home + Design. “And, when you’re putting several pieces of interesting lighting in a space, they really have to complement each other.”

The finish in the primary bath is both refined and rustic. “We mixed warm wood with a minimal style,” explains Maynard. “In general, the home is more on the minimal side than traditional.” 

For Leslie’s part, she has maximum satisfaction with her new home and surroundings. “It’s so calming, so warm,” she says. “We like [having] a lot of different sitting areas. We use our house a lot, and we just want to feel warm and comfy wherever we are — nice without it being too formal.”

“It really feels like a new house when you’re in there,” says Maynard. “Loving a piece of architecture back to life and bringing it into this decade — it feels so good.” 

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