Naples has decades of condominium towers along the Gulf and the bays behind it, and much of that stock is being reworked one unit at a time. It is careful work. The building sets more of the terms than the client does, and the difference between a good renovation and a frustrating one is usually decided before anything is demolished.
What the building decides
Shear walls, columns and post-tensioned slabs are fixed. Plumbing stacks and mechanical chases are usually fixed too, which means a kitchen or a bathroom can move only so far before the cost stops being about finishes. Window and slider openings are set by the facade, and in most towers cannot change. A careful survey of existing conditions comes first, because as-built drawings for buildings of this age are frequently wrong.
Within those constraints there is more room than people expect. Removing one non-structural wall can change how light crosses a unit. Reworking an entry so the view is not given away at the front door makes a small apartment feel considered. Ceilings, lighting and the alignment of openings do a great deal of work in rooms this size.
Association approvals and construction rules
Nearly every association requires architect’s drawings before approving work, and many restrict construction to certain months, certain hours, and specific elevator and loading arrangements. Those rules are a design input, not an afterthought: they affect what can be delivered, how material is staged, and how long the job takes. Building them into the programme at the start is what keeps a renovation on its dates.
Completed condominium work
Two units at St. Laurent on Grenadier Boulevard, 1,900 square feet each, completed in 2025 with Naples Kitchen and Bath and CGU Studio. A 2,100 square foot unit on Pelican Bay Boulevard, also 2025. A 1,250 square foot interior remodel on Gulf Shore Boulevard North completed in 2024, with a new kitchen and bath, new flooring and new finishes throughout.
Interior work is not a lesser version of building work. At close range, proportion, daylight, joinery and the way a handle feels are all more noticeable than they are in a whole house, and they get the same attention here.
How the practice works
Mali Torriero has practised architecture for 25 years, is licensed in Florida, Pennsylvania and South Carolina, and became a certified Passive House Designer in 2016. She visits the construction site regularly and works directly with the contractors, which on a condominium renovation, where access is limited and the schedule is tight, saves both time and argument.
Condominium and interior projects
Common questions
Do I need an architect for a condo remodel in Naples?
Most Collier County interior alterations involving walls, plumbing or electrical work require permitted drawings, and nearly every association requires an architect’s drawings before it will approve the work. Structural walls and post-tensioned slabs in particular cannot be touched without engineering.
How long does association approval take?
It varies by building and is set by the association’s own governing documents and meeting calendar, not by the design. Allowing for it in the programme from the outset is what keeps a renovation on schedule.
Can walls be moved in a high-rise condominium?
Some can, some cannot. Shear walls, columns and post-tensioned slabs are fixed. Plumbing stacks and mechanical chases are usually fixed too. The plan works around them, which is why a survey of existing conditions comes before any design.
Which buildings have you worked in?
Completed units include two at St. Laurent on Grenadier Boulevard, one on Pelican Bay Boulevard, and a kitchen and bath remodel on Gulf Shore Boulevard North.