February 2017   |   49  

A Diamond

Destination

story by

 

Liesel Schmidt

  |  

photos by

 

Angeline Ross and Deanna Hebert

T

o call the nearly 9,000 square 
foot home that has been fi ttingly 
crowned with the name Destin 
Jewel “breathtaking” would be 

nothing short of an understatement. True, 
it claims 100 feet of private beach frontage 
that offers million dollar views of the Gulf of 
Mexico; but no thousandth of a millimeter 
of space in this massive home has not been 
fi nished to the highest degree of luxury, no 
detail overlooked in its undeniably opulent 
and magnifi cent design. It is easily a home 
that could stand up well to those found in the 
Hollywood Hills or on South Beach, in those 
enclave communities so grand in their estates 
that price tags command numbers well into 
the six-fi gure mark. But for Julie and David 
Schnieder, Destin was the perfect place to 
build their manse; and now they’re polishing 
up this jewel to sparkle unlike anything else 
that can be found along the Gulf Coast.

Since its completion in 2016, the home 

has been used as a rental property, the 
perfect space to hold an event that truly 
demands attention. On its three levels 
of living space, there are multiple master 
suites and additional bedrooms, offering 
accommodations fi t for a king (or queen) 
along with an entire royal court. In such a 
home as this, it stands to reason that each 
master suite be given a name to fi t the 
theme; and so the Schneiders used priceless 
gemstones as an inspiration, from diamonds 
to rubies and sapphires to citrines and 
amethysts. To further refi ne their vision, 
each master suite claims its own unique 
fl ooring, the epoxied surfaces of the concrete 
fi nished to a shine that shows off the richly 
hued colors of these stones at their most 
fl awless level. “The house truly is the newest 
jewel on the coast, and we really wanted to 
highlight that fact in every way possible. It’s 
one-of-a-kind, just like each gem stone,” 
says Julie, who has spent more than three 

decades in the luxury development and 
design industry. 

Her experience undeniably shines through, 

refl ected in every facet of this priceless 
property. Aside from those stunningly 
colored fl oors, the house is a study in white, 
with curved white walls and surfaces from 
top to bottom that are pristine in their pure 
whiteness, neatly balancing sleek modernity 
with almost unspeakable luxury in a way 
that still allows a sense of comfort. It’s a 
triple-threat, to be sure; and for that reason 
alone it demands respect. But to stop there 
would do it a disservice, as the home stakes 
a claim to a piece of paradise, affording it 
panoramic views that are without parallel. 
Every curved wall, every window and 
balcony, every square inch of every square 
foot has been plotted and planned down to 
the fi nest detail to showcase the very feature 
that makes Destin Jewel worth setting in 
platinum: “Our vision here was to maximize 

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1/24/17   7:01 PM