Tej Ram and Sunita Sharma say their home is a simple one, yet it is full of the things they love and perfectly fits the lifestyle they enjoy. Their home is peaceful yet colorful, elegant yet comfortable. It combines their Indian heritage with a more modern look.
Right from the front door, the view is stunning. About 95 feet of sliding glass doors lead to a patio and infinity edge pool that seems to flow right into the Caloosahatchee River. The couple designed the entire house to take advantage of the gorgeous views. The bright living room with its white couches and pillows in a palate of colors provide a comfortable place to sit and admire the water. A comfortable red couch just beyond the kitchen counter facing the water is a favorite spot to sit.
Amanda Inscore
The home along the Caloosahatchee River in Fort Myers has a balcony in the front that overlooks the long driveway and the greenery that surrounds it.
“That is where we have tea in the morning,” Tej says. “We also have tea outside by the pool. Daytime is when we work, and then in the evening we gather there again.”
“We enjoy our morning tea on the patio,” Sunita adds. “There is fresh air and the peaceful sound of the waves and the birds chirping.”
Inside, the spacious area features a mixture of modern and traditional. Long gold curtains hang beneath red draping valances on the windows. Photos of their daughters in traditional dress adorn the walls. A shiny black piano provides a centerpiece. The adjacent family room, kitchen and dining area have more modern décor. There’s also a lot of open space where Sunita and Tej enjoy practicing dance moves, especially the tango, cha-cha, swing and modern dances.
“It is the perfect place for dancing,” Tej says.
The family room soars two stories with another set of windows above spraying more natural light into the home. A wood staircase leads to a loft that gives a picturesque overlook of the downstairs.
“This is the best view of the house,” Sunita says. “I love this view.”
The loft also leads to a front outside balcony.
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Amanda Inscore
The view from this balcony that is part of the upstairs loft shows a panoramic view of the downstairs and the patio and Caloosahatchee River.
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Amanda Inscore
Family photos like this one of Sunita Sharma, center right, and Tej Ram flanked by their two daughters are seen through the house.
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Amanda Inscore
The master bathroom displays its elegance with a chandelier of crystals that adheres to the same style as many of the other chandeliers in the home. Columns that frame the bathtub also give a look of classic style.
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Amanda Inscore
The master bathroom displays its elegance with a chandelier of crystals that adheres to the same style as many of the other chandeliers in the home. Columns that frame the bathtub also give a look of classic style.
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Amanda Inscore
Tej Ram and Sunita Sharma wanted their daughter’s rooms to also have the splendid view of the Caloosahatchee River so they designed all the bedrooms to face the water. Both of the girls upstairs rooms have screened-in balconies.
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Amanda Inscore
The family enjoys spending time on their patio that overlooks the Caloosahatchee River. From the inside of the home, the infinity edge pool looks like it is spilling into the river.
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Amanda Inscore
In the prayer room of the home of Tej Ram and Sunita Sharma is a shelf with little statuettes of many of the Gods they pray to. The sprawling home along the Caloosahatchee River blends the modern with the family’s traditional Indian style.
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Amanda Inscore
While the home has many modern attributes, one of the most interesting and unique parts of the house are the decorations and memorabilia from India.
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Amanda Inscore
While the home has many modern attributes, one of the most interesting and unique parts of the house are the decorations and memorabilia from India.
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Amanda Inscore
The family room soars two stories high. On the first level are sliding glass doors. Above that are many windows that give extra light to the room and also offer views from the upstairs loft that overlooks the family room.
“We love the front balcony,” Sunita says. “It gives us a view of the front yard. This spot reminds me of my mom’s house. It reminds us of the special feeling of home in India.”
Upstairs, the master bedroom provides the couple with another place to enjoy the views.
“We enjoy the balcony,” Sunita says. “It is special for us. We never get tired of the view. It looks different every day. This house is mostly about the view and taking advantage of the view.”
The bedroom also gives them a homey feel with its traditional Indian red colors on the bed and sitting area. Sparkling crystal chandeliers are found throughout the house, even in the master bathroom.
Their grown daughters’ bedrooms also have terraces that overlook the river.
“Many of the houses we have seen, the views were from the master bedroom and the living room. We have two daughters, and we wanted their rooms to have that view, too,” Tej says.
Their oldest daughter is in medical school and their youngest starts medical school in the fall. The young women enjoy visiting their home in Fort Myers during holidays and school breaks.
“This is an incentive for the college kids to come back home and enjoy the break here,” Sunita says.
Sunita and Tej love natural light in the home, so when their youngest daughter’s bathroom was designed as an inside room with no windows, they asked the builder to create a way to let the light in. A solar tube was installed there and in a half bathroom that was also windowless. The tube is a bowl-like structure on top of the roof that collects sunlight and shoots it down a tube where it spreads out in the room.
“Otherwise it would have been the darkest room in the house, and I like rooms lit up,” Sunita says.
Sunita and Tej are both very active and enjoy their home gym. Tej has run a full marathon, and both Tej and Sunita have run half marathons. Tej is a golfer and the entire family loves to dance.
“As we grow older, we realize that health is very important,” Sunita says. “It is good to have a gym in the house. There is no set time to go. He loves to do pull-ups. My favorite is the elliptical.”
Throughout the bedrooms, the loft family room and even in the laundry room are family photos. Many of them depict the couple and their children in colorful traditional Indian clothing.
“When I am folding laundry, I can look at photos of the children,” Sunita says.
Downstairs, a spacious guest bedroom has a couch with colorful Indian patterned pillows. The queen-size bed has a bookcase headboard full of children’s books that belonged to their daughters. This room also has sliding glass doors that lead to the patio overlooking the river.
“This is our future bedroom someday when we can’t climb upstairs,” Sunita says.
Amanda Inscore
In the prayer room of the home of Tej Ram and Sunita Sharma is a shelf with little statuettes of many of the Gods they pray to. The sprawling home along the Caloosahatchee River blends the modern with the family’s traditional Indian style.
Downstairs they also enjoy the movie room. A large red comfy couch faces a 135-inch screen. Two lounger chairs also provide comfortable places to sit. Sunita and Tej say they don’t watch television much, instead they love watching movies in the evenings. One of their favorites is “Mamma Mia.” But they also really love watching Bollywood films.
“Bollywood movies take preference,” Sunita says. “We love watching movies on the big screen.”
“Bollywood is not in theaters, so we watch it in here,” Tej adds. “Netflix has a lot of Bollywood movies.”
On the other side of the home is the most special room in the house: The prayer room. Bells hang from the ceiling. A small alter is set with offerings.
“This is very traditional for us,” Sunita says. “This is our most special, peaceful room.”
A shelf on the wall holds figurines of the gods. Bananas sit beside the alter as an offering. A chandelier gives the room elegance. It’s a simple room with all the special things they need for family prayers.
David Gydosh, president of Tundra Homes, says it was one of the most elaborate homes he has built.
“The size for one thing and all the high ceilings,” he says about what makes the home and lanai, which span about 7,000 square feet, so special. “It’s just the openness of the big entry room and the tall sliders that open up the view to the river. They have that big kitchen that is open to the rest of the house. The big lanai going out to the pool deck area is nice. The media room is pretty neat and the prayer room.”
The home of Sunita and Tej is elegant and has many special rooms, sweeping views and traditional Indian décor mixed with a modern look, but the couple say their home is really a simple house in its design. For them it’s not about luxury, it’s about enjoying their time at home.
“It’s a simple design,” Tej says.
“It kind of reflects our open hearts,” Sunita adds. “We embrace the simple life. Beauty lies in simplicity. Happiness lies in simplicity.”