Dream Home - Naples Daily News

M
Dream Home
HOUSE
OF GLASS
Stan Saran shows off his art,
etchings and eclectic persona
By Marion Nicolay
S
tan Saran has
to have the only
powder room on Marco
Island that’s also an art
gallery. That’s because his
entire home is a showcase
for art — some of which he
has created himself.
Stan Saran’s glass-block cocktail bar is inviting to guests
enjoying a beverage, and the memorabilia lining the walls
makes for interesting conversation.
Photos by Kelli Stanko
MARCO | 25
“My mother was a painter who
studied in Europe and I grew up
using her tubes and brushes as toys,”
he says, adding drily, ”I once painted
a splendid abstract on the ceiling of
her art room.”
Saran, whose name is pronounced
just like the food wrap, spent much
of his career in New York designing
fabrics, wallpaper and clothing. He
later worked in stained glass and,
finally, etched glass. His work is
in private and public collections
nationwide, and he’s won awards and
been featured in arts publications.
“I tried over the years to save at
least one sample of anything I did,”
he says. Those samples are what
makes his apartment unique.
Saran’s choice of home was unique
even before the addition of the art. He
came here in 1987 and bought an old
commercial building that he spent 18
months remodeling into a studio below
and living space above. The structure
had housed many businesses: a dirtfloored barroom, a beauty parlor, a
real estate office, a video store, a shell
shop and storage space for a lawnmaintenance company.
Saran, now retired, still lives in
the upstairs, where he writes, cooks
The kitchen is done in all black with red accents.
All the major appliances are black too.
and makes candy. The downstairs is
rented to a commercial business.
The double door into his home has
oval panes of etched glass in an oldfashioned style — Saran originals. In
the living room, a monster spider plant
named George shares attention with a
shapely Art Nouveau lady in alabaster,
bearing a lamp. At the far end of the
room stands a full-sized wood carving
of a butler by Richard Rulli, holding a
tray of glittering glass objects.
Beside him is an overgrown paper
maché mushroom made by Saran,
A full-sized wood carving of a butler by Richard Rulli is the focal point of the
room. It stands near an overgrown paper maché mushroom made by Stan Saran.
MARCO | 26
with line drawings, by a friend, of
nudes frolicking on its surface. A
stained glass trunk stands nearby; a
high, clear glass folding screen with
etched mermaids separates this area
from the dining room.
Near the butler is a glass scale
model of a large outdoor sculpture that
Saran created for Hodges University
in Naples. The original weighs 93 tons
and is constructed of steel, concrete and
granite. It depicts pyramids, leopards
and a circle, signifying knowledge,
strength and eternity. Small glass
replicas are given as annual awards by
the university.
At the front wall of the living room
the exterior wall is done with a halfheight window wall of glass blocks,
topped by a circular window with
small angel silhouette hanging at
the top, one of Saran’s trademarks.
“It’s amazing, but on Valentine’s
Day, the sun sets in the exact center
of that window,” he explains.
White leather couches share a
glass-topped table and beneath is an
Oriental rug in vivid colors. There
are 27 rugs throughout the home,
with, for the most part, white walls to
highlight the artwork. Lighting in the
front area is from overhead high hats
Stan Saran loves to cook, so his
kitchen is also a work of usable art.
and all of ceilings are all faux painted
in white swirls.
Many antiques and family
heirlooms are on display, including
Saran’s pieces of Meissen china.
Built-in shadow boxes are used in
many places.
Saran appreciates glass and puts
it to use everywhere in his home.
To the left, beyond the living room,
is a glass-block cocktail bar, its
bottle shelves sharing space with
memorabilia and collectibles on
the wall. Across from that is a glass
serving shelf with a circular opening
that fits an oversized salad bowl
for company dinners. Glass-front
cabinets above this show off an
assortment of china and
serving pieces.
A real eye-catcher is the glass
dining table with six place settings
and plates etched underneath in
silhouette.
Beyond all of this is the kitchen,
done in dazzling black glass with
gray counters and red accents.
The major appliances are black.
Illumination comes from small
recessed spotlights. There’s a
professional Wolf gas range; Saran
is a serious cook.
“Cooking has always fascinated
for me,” he said. His mother was
an accomplished chef, he says, and
he learned in her kitchen when his
parents entertained.
At the rear of the kitchen are more
cabinets, including efficient “garage
doors” which drop down to conceal
small appliances on the counters.
Down a hall lined with artworks
are the bedroom and bath. An
enormous window with translucent
white verticals allows light into the
bedroom, with a hanging lamp for
nighttime. A built-in entertainment
center takes up one wall, with an Art
Deco chair beside it.
The room is often used for
meditation, so the bedspread is a
soft gray to promote tranquility,
surmounted by a floral mural in
quiet tones. A shell collection is here,
as is a photo-montage of a scale
model Saran sculpted of the Statue
of Liberty when it was undergoing
restoration for the nation’s
bicentennial celebration.
In one corner of the bedroom is a
compact office, complete with
electric typewriter.
“I’m a Neanderthal who will not
use a computer,” Saran admits.
He’s completed four volumes of
autobiography and two novels. He
currently is working with a friend on
a story, which has drawn attention
from a publisher and a production
company specializing in television
series and movies.
Behind his building is his “garden
patch” where Saran raises herbs and
vegetables, another interest.
He has one more hobby that his
friends appreciate. His mother, he
said, was known as the Candy Lady
of Miami Beach. She made and gave
away 500 pounds of confections
every year and carried candy in her
pockets for children.
He carries on the tradition
by creating velvety, handmade
chocolates to give to friends. That
makes a visit to Saran’s unusual
home a treat in many ways. M
Home facts
• Location: Marco Island
• Square feet: 1,500
• Built: 1965
• Inside: 1½ baths, 1 bedroom
MARCO | 27