Posted on October 8, 2026
Inside the First Buyer Walkthroughs at The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Sarasota Bay
For The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Sarasota Bay’s residents, the first walkthrough of their new waterfront home begins with a flight to Sarasota and ends with something they have been anticipating for months: standing inside the residence they selected from plans and renderings.
As the landmark property approaches the construction finish line, buyers are beginning to enter their residences with designers and make the final decisions that come before move-in. Among those guiding that process is Bob Martin of The Decorators Unlimited, the acclaimed interior designer selected by Kolter Urban to lead the residential interior design and create the interior finish selections offered to purchasers throughout the building.
Martin is also working privately with several homeowners to design and furnish their individual residences, placing him among the first designers to accompany buyers through their new homes.
“There’s a real sense of excitement when they first walk through the door,” Martin says. “They’ve been looking forward to this moment for a long time. But when they’re finally standing there and see the scale, the views and the way the rooms relate to one another, you can see their reaction. Suddenly, this is their home.”
The Scale Comes into Focus
One of the first impressions is the sheer volume of the residences. Nine-foot interior doors, soaring 12- and 13-foot ceilings and walls of glass reaching 11 and 12 feet create an immediate sense of height and openness. Large-format porcelain tile flooring adds to that expansive feeling, while generous room dimensions give owners and their designers considerable freedom in planning furniture and circulation.
“The scale is one of the first things buyers react to,” Martin says. “The nine-foot interior doors, the ceiling heights and all that glass create this wonderful sense of volume. You understand it on a floor plan, but standing inside it is completely different.”
That difference becomes especially clear during a walkthrough, when measurements turn into physical relationships. Buyers can see where a sofa will sit in relation to the windows, how a dining table will occupy the room and what the view looks like from the places where they will actually spend time. For Martin, the proportions also create the freedom to shape each residence around the owner, allowing furniture, art and personal collections to define the space in a way that feels distinctly their own.
Views, Terraces and Entertaining
The spacious living areas are designed to keep Sarasota Bay present while allowing the interiors themselves to remain refined and individual. The kitchen, dining area and great room flow easily from one to the next, creating a natural sense of continuity while keeping the view central to the experience. Expansive terraces extend that relationship outdoors, bringing another dimension to entertaining and waterfront living
For buyers seeing their residences in person for the first time, the relationship between interior space, terrace and Sarasota Bay becomes far more immediate than it could ever appear on a floor plan. “The great room, dining area and kitchen all work together,” Martin says. “You’re connected to the view, but you’re also connected to the people in the room. And because the spaces are so generous, we’re not trying to solve a space problem. We have choices in how we furnish them and how each owner wants to live.”
Martin says many of the interiors he is designing within the building lean toward organic neutrals and transitional contemporary furnishings rather than literal coastal themes. That restraint gives the architecture and Sarasota Bay room to speak for themselves, while allowing each owner’s art, collections and personal style to give the residence its own identity.
Buyers Are Coming to Sarasota from Across the Country
Martin’s client list reflects Sarasota’s increasingly broad geographic reach, with purchasers coming from Chicago and other parts of the Midwest, as well as the Northeast, Southern California, Arizona and the West Coast.
“Sarasota used to draw much more heavily from the Midwest,” Martin says. “Now I’m seeing buyers coming from all over the country. There’s a much broader audience discovering Sarasota and choosing to make it part of their lives.” For many of these buyers, the visit is no longer simply about checking construction progress. It is about understanding their own residence in a way that was not previously possible: experiencing its dimensions, studying its relationship to Sarasota Bay and making the decisions that precede occupancy.
“Kolter Urban did a very good job establishing the design framework,” Martin says. “The finish selections have been extremely well received, and the proportions of the residences give us tremendous flexibility. They’ve given the owners a beautiful starting point without dictating what the finished home has to look like. That leaves us room to make each residence very personal.”
Moving Closer to Home
The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Sarasota Bay is approaching anticipated year-end delivery, with first move-ins expected this season. The limited collection includes 78 grand residences, estate residences and penthouses ranging from approximately 3,500 to just under 6,000 square feet, with pricing from $4.1 million.
Set along Sarasota Bay within The Quay, the property combines expansive residences and terraces with sweeping water and city views, private resident amenities and the legendary service of The Ritz-Carlton. Owners will also enjoy access to The Harbor Club, a private harborside amenity experience offering wellness, fitness, social and recreational spaces.
Martin and The Decorators Unlimited are also designing three model residences, including two fully furnished penthouse models that will offer another look at the possibilities within the building. For Martin, however, the most revealing transformation is already happening in the conversations he is having with buyers.
“Before the walkthrough, we’re talking about a residence through plans, samples and drawings,” he says. “Once they’re standing inside it, the conversation becomes much more personal. They’re talking about where their art will go, where they’ll sit with friends and what they’ll see from the terrace. That’s when you begin to see the residence become distinctly theirs.”
Prospective purchasers can explore available residences at The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Sarasota Bay and arrange a private presentation through the Presentation Gallery at 475 Quay Commons in Sarasota or by calling 941-499-8704 or visiting TheResidencesSarasotaBay.com.
