Every marina has a front door. At Cape Harbour, in southwest Cape Coral, it is a tall arch in warm stucco and terracotta, crowned with the compass rose and the words "The Marina at Cape Harbour, Open to the Public". Since 13 October 2024, the first thing you see under those words is a picture made of glass: a boat cutting through turquoise water, dolphins leaping beside it and a palm leaning over the scene.

The Marina at Cape Harbour entrance arch with the new glass mural of a boat, dolphins and a palm under the sign — The entrance to the Marina at Cape Harbour, Cape Coral, Florida

A marina at the heart of a community

Cape Harbour is built around its marina. The harbor is the centerpiece of the community, with waterfront restaurants and shops along the docks and a short run by boat to the open water of the Gulf. The marina itself, today Safe Harbor Cape Harbour, offers wet slips, dry storage, fuel and service. The arch on the walkway marks the way in for everyone, residents, boaters and visitors coming for dinner by the water.

When Cape Harbour asked us for a glass mural for this arch, the brief was simple: the first thing people see should feel like Cape Coral. Blue water, a fast boat, a palm in the sun and the dolphins that every boater here knows.

Made by hand in the studio

Mila Apperlo setting hand cut glass in the Cape Harbour glass mural on the studio table — Mila Apperlo at work on the mural

The mural was made in our studio, piece by piece. Mila Apperlo cut the glass by hand and set it into the design: long strips of turquoise and aqua for the water, layered greens and golds for the palm fronds, soft pinks, peaches and blues for the clouds of a Florida afternoon. Each piece is chosen for its color and for the way it catches the light, so the water seems to move as you walk past.

Around the scene runs a border of small square glass tiles in amber, gold and orange, like a frame of warm sunlight that ties the mural to the terracotta of the arch. The materials were chosen for life outdoors, to keep their color and clarity in the sun, rain and salt air of the Gulf coast.

The Cape Harbour glass mural of a boat, dolphins and a palm laid out on the workshop table at the Apperlo Art studio — The glass mural laid out on the workshop table

Up on the arch

The installation was done on site by Stevan Stanisic and Janko Bujila, working from a rolling scaffold and a ladder high up on the face of the arch, under the letters of the marina sign. The work was completed on 13 October 2024.

Stevan Stanisic and Janko Bujila installing the glass mural on the entrance arch of the Marina at Cape Harbour — Stevan Stanisic on the scaffold and Janko Bujila on the ladder

Stevan Stanisic on the scaffold beside the finished glass mural at the Marina at Cape Harbour — Stevan Stanisic beside the finished mural

A welcome for everyone

Walk under the arch today and the mural hangs above you like a window onto the water, with the gardens, palms and benches of the walkway framed below it. For residents it says welcome home. For visitors it is a first look at what the day on the water will feel like.

Client: Cape Harbour, Cape Coral, Florida
Design and fabrication: Apperlo Art
Glass cut and set by: Mila Apperlo
Installation: Stevan Stanisic and Janko Bujila
Material: hand cut glass with a border of glass tiles
Completed: 13 October 2024
Location: entrance arch, the Marina at Cape Harbour, Cape Coral, Florida

A Welcome in Glass: The Marina at Cape Harbour Glass Mural

A marina at the heart of a community

Made by hand in the studio

Up on the arch

A welcome for everyone

Announcing the Completion of Glass Mural at the BRT Station in Cutler Bay

Let's create something extraordinary.