From the feature

An Open Invitation

A 17-foot sofa tells you a lot about a person. In this case, what it’s saying is that Dawn McKenna, a Chicago-based real estate advisor who installed one in her Naples, Florida, house, loves to host a party.

The vintage sectional, now covered in crowd-friendly white performance fabric, did the trick. Her waterfront 1990s ranch house owes its new feminine, more-is-more look to designer Kelly Hurliman, a former stylist for Oprah who clearly has a knack for knowing what boss ladies want. Together they threw resale value caution to the wind and lacquered the front doors pink, gave the kitchen an island so big you’d need a Swiffer to clean it, and installed a massive pink marble bar in the living room.

McKenna didn’t waste any time breaking the place in. Days after the final install, she and her husband hosted a pre-wedding celebration for their son and his fiancée with 100-plus guests, a DJ, silver balls in the pool, and a taco bar. One down, many more to come.