How 23 Designers Reinterpreted Palm Beach Prep
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Palm Beach usually makes colors like kelly green and flamingo pink flash before your eyes, not to mention wicker and bamboo. And of course it wouldn't be Palm Beach without a few of those signature fronds. But the 23 designers tasked with creating the seventh iteration of the Kips Bay Showhouse Palm Beach, which is a fundraiser for the Kips Bay and Palm Beach Boys & Girls Clubs, found fun—and mellow—new ways to interpret the locale's iconic mix of tropical, preppy, Regency, and Hollywood glamour design styles. Nadia Watts, Betsy Wentz, Nicole Mizrahi Interiors and Lichten Architects, Megan Gorelick Interiors, and Tristan Harstan updated the classic pink-and-green color combination in their spaces, while McCann Design Group and Hive Designs, Charlie Collins of Melrose Interiors, and Cindy Rinfret and Taylor Stebbins devised fresh ways to use natural materials like palm fronds and seashells. DüVal, Phoebe Howard, and Ariel Okin put latticework to work in ways that might surprise you. And Helen Bergin created a fantastical cabana bath that's literally swimming in under-the-sea references.
Whether you live in Florida or love modern coastal decor, you'll find plenty of design inspiration below. If you'd like to experience the home for yourself, you can visit the show house in the SoSo district of West Palm Beach from February 23 to March 23. If a trip to the beach isn't in the cards, click through to see the space—and the ideas that got us excited.
Jewel Tones
Nadia Watts played up the scale of this entryway by swathing it in deep pinks and greens. The gem-like greens are enveloping, from the custom rug by Retorra (inspired by a brooch from the Tiffany Archives) to the Currey & Company chandeliers made of recycled wine bottles. Pink serves as a punchy accent in the form of a vintage Lucite chair and a painting by Gary Komarin from Singulart.
Modern Florals
Or you could choose pink as your hero and opt for green accents, as Betsy Wentz did here. From the Sanderson wallpaper to the custom home bar with turquoise-green quartzite stone from Primestones, this parlor embraces color and pattern, hinting at the classic color palette without being too on the nose.
Tonal Greens
To create a serene home office, Nicole Mizrahi Interiors and Lichten Architects chose soothing greens for the carpeting, sofas, and even a floating console. Benjamin Moore Norway Spruce covers the walls, which get their subtle texture from individually painted and applied rice-paper appliqués. The base of the coffee table—in a peachy-brown stone—brings just a hint of pink.
Monochromatic Pink
Small bathrooms are the places to experiment—so why not go all pink with a statement print? Megan Gorelick Interiors worked with Christopher Farr Cloth to create a vivid custom version of the Belle de Nuit pattern, applying it to the walls and using it for lampshades, curtains, and even the countertop (where it's encased in resin).
Subdued Scenery
Inspired by an immersive, hand-painted de Gournay wallcovering, Tristan Harstan's dining room casts Palm Beach in a new light. The tropical mural in traditional blue and white is refreshing and elegant, especially when paired with the Scalamandré fabric on the chair backs, Paul Ferrante palm chandelier, and shimmering Thibaut wallpaper on the ceiling.
Graphic Palm Prints
Master kitchen designer Jim Dove turned classic palm motifs and regency-style cabinetry on their head. Inspired by the iconic Dorothy Draper and the ocean just steps away, Dove pulled unexpected colors into the kitchen, painting the custom cabinetry in a subtle pale pink and covering the walls in a striking Gracie Studio wallcovering.
Plaster Patterns
McCann Design Group and Hive Designs melded the tropical essence of Palm Beach with the glamour of the 1930s in the family room, where hand-carved palmetto palms repeat on the facade of a plaster bar. Vintage rattan and bamboo accents bring even more natural texture.
Framed Fronds
Charlie Collins of Melrose Interiors went organic (and local) by incorporating palms in the stairway hall. Pressed plants and blooms foraged locally by Anne Blackwell line the space in a gallery installation. On the opposite wall (not pictured here), a wall mural by local artist Devin Noel features a native palm species.
Seashell Art
Mother-daughter duo Cindy Rinfret and Taylor Stebbins wanted this bedroom to feel "like stepping inside your own shell and finding the pearl." They worked with local artist Robin Grubman to embellish the bed canopy with shellwork and adorned the room with custom de Gournay panels of hand-embellished, hand-painted seashells.
Undersea Creatures
Helen Bergin unleashed an ocean fantasy in the indoor-outdoor cabana bath, where embellished jellyfish swim across the walls and a custom resin sink by Atta evokes the joy of the sea. A jellyfish-inspired window treatment by The Shade Store leads outside to an aquatic wonderland lounge complete with a tentacle Massimo light fixture and coral wall appliqués.
Tailored Trellises
Trellises and lattices—used indoors and out—are key elements of the Palm Beach design style. Inspired by a midnight garden rather than the usual Florida sun, Phoebe Howard let latticework sprawl across the 15-foot-high ceiling and door frames in the main bedroom, grounding the romantic wallpaper.
Luxe Latticework
The plaid-inspired lattice on the ceiling of this lounge is incredibly intricate, with individual pieces all painted in different colors. It was dreamed up by DüVal to echo the Colefax and Fowler–upholstered ottomans and created by Fuller Architectural Panels.
Nautical Nods
A Zimmer + Rohde fabric that reminded him of maritime flags inspired Jonathan Savage's library, where he covered a sofa and the windows in it. Custom flag art and a coat of Benjamin Moore Mount Saint Anne Blue set an ocean-esque backdrop.
Earthy Chintz
Chloe Warner of Redmond Aldrich Design tented this indoor-outdoor space in her own outdoor fabric, Peony Chintz, in a rich green. A game table for a round of cards and bar keep the good times flowing.
Nature-Inspired Neutrals
Ariel Okin tackled the 4,500-square-foot terrace with natural materials, mid-tone green, and white. Cozy vignettes of Brown Jordan furnishings are shaded by trellises draped in The Shade Store curtains trimmed with Samuel & Sons tassels.
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