When Kristin Joyce and Don Guy bought a 1960s ranch house three years ago, they enlarged it by a third, bringing it to 2,200 square feet for their family of four. But the interior is only half the renovation story. Having moved here from tony Marin County, Calif., the family was used to living outdoors as much as in. They quickly converted nearly all the rooms of their Sarasota home to connect with garden rooms, a swimming pool pavilion, terraces with fountains, patios, even an outdoor powder room.

"In California, I used a lot of white," says Joyce. "Here, I find I'm open to more color and more intense colors, too. I'm very fond of blue and white. I love Swedish design and those are the colors that predominate, along with gold and crystal trim. Our foyer reflects that Swedish influence, but it also shows how this house is totally connected to the outside. You walk in the front door and see directly out into the garden."

Various intensities of blue paint on the front door, walls and ceiling issue help make the outdoor and indoor spaces in this room-sized foyer seem like one harmonious whole. The ceiling color is Benjamin Moore China Blue.

The 72-inch round sandblasted glass-top table and chairs are treated with a tough white boat-paint finish. The set can be moved into the garden for parties. Bisque-colored weather-resistant fabric is by Donghia. Table is used to display shells and coral.

Floor cloth is actually a bedspread the family bought on vacation in Istanbul. Kristin Joyce collects textiles, a holdover from her days working for Esprit, Banana Republic and fashion designer Diane Von Furstenberg.

A yacht builder in San Francisco crafted the custom armoire, which was designed by the homeowners. It took two months and buckets of boat paint to achieve the high-gloss finish.

A vintage eight-foot classic Lutyens garden bench works inside and out. It received a coat of glossy white paint when it moved to the foyer.

The light and airy chandelier was designed by the homeowners and crafted by a California artist. It's 48 inches wide, made of wire and crystal beads and recalls the sophisticated Gustavian Swedish period of design (1772-1792).