Five Questions

Jack Jay Reese is president of Absolute Design. With offices in Naples, Delray Beach and Islamorada, his firm provides architectural design and illustration work for the building industry. The company performs general design work, but also has carved a niche in its market with a focus on home theater design. Their customer list is a who's who of celebrities and business leaders on both coasts of Florida. The company's most extravagant project was designing a 300-seat round home theater for boxer Evander Holyfield's 54,000-squarefoot residence on the east coast. Other work includes a 28,000-square-foot Delray Beach oceanfront home that recently sold for $39 million. In Naples, they have built home theaters ranging in price from the mid-$30,000s to "the-sky-is-the-limit." Commercially, Absolute Design is working on the Mission Square retail development on Pine Ridge Road in Naples.

What attracted your business to Southwest Florida?

We are an urban team. My business partner John Paul Crum is from Boston and I am from Chicago. We've found that Naples provides the opportunity to work in a resort atmosphere while providing expert design for an international clientele that resides here seasonally and year-round.

What is your opinion of architectural style in Southwest Florida?

The climate of architectural design in Southwest Florida is changing. The style we see leaving is the high Mediterranean "wedding cake" of architecture and interiors. Today, we focus on architectural and interior style that is more transitional, yet historically accurate--one that is representative of the way we work, live and play in the 21st century. Doing so, we accomplish the much-needed individuality missing in today's design, without sacrificing the project's marketability.

How important is architecture and design in elevating the status of our area?

No longer considered a seasonal outpost, Naples is experiencing tremendous growth with a full-time population. As full-time residents, we are conscientious about our work and its effect on the community. We take responsibility to create architectural design that is urbane and pleasing yet avoids following trendy ideas. Many cities look toward other areas for insight into architecture and design. Absolute Design looks within its own talents to create a unique signature that is exclusive to Naples.

What are your favorite types of architecture?

With a design education based in California, my tastes are drawn to the simplistic 1920s Hollywood Spanish architecture, with its romantic wrought iron work and clean lines. The other style I like is Santa Barbara's distinctive "Red Roof" district. The Naples train station and several small residences in Fort Myers are characteristic of this architectural period that was so popular during the Florida land boom of the '20s.

You build personal movie theaters in very high-end residential properties. Are you seeing any softening of this market due to the economic downturn?

Home theaters and media centers are increasingly becoming a standard feature in many new residences being built today. The trend, however, is for these dedicated spaces to be more multifunctional and a part of the overall design of the residence. Because of this demand, we've established offices in Delray Beach and Islamorada to handle this growing part of our business.

What is the economic outlook for your business in Southwest Florida?

Absolute Design has created a unique niche in Southwest Florida. Our work doesn't depend on the seasonal parameters and our firm is not established in one particular field of expertise. This enables us to work with many interior design firms in consulting and illustration and also with developers in architectural design and builders in interior management and home theater environments