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Jul 06, 2023

Kips Bay Decorator Show House Palm Beach 2023: See Every Room Inside the Waterfront Villa

By Alia Akkam Photography by Nickolas Sargent Situated directly on the atmospheric Intracoastal Waterway for the first time since the event’s launch, the sixth annual Kips Bay Decorator Show House

By Alia Akkam

Photography by Nickolas Sargent

Situated directly on the atmospheric Intracoastal Waterway for the first time since the event’s launch, the sixth annual Kips Bay Decorator Show House Palm Beach opens on February 24 in West Palm Beach’s tony Northwood Shores neighborhood.

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The sprawling abode, built in 2007 and open for ticketed tours through March 19, is expected to welcome some 15,000 visitors to see the splendid transformation of its rooms by 21 design and landscape pros. With an assist from such sponsors as Benjamin Moore, Brown Jordan, Cosentino, Currey & Company, Kohler, Soane Britain, and The Shade Store, some designers celebrated the classic Palm Beach aesthetic through a mix of saturated blues, greens, yellows, and pinks accented with materials like rattan and glass. Others steered away from the familiarly brazen elements for more subdued, moody colorways; pared-back shapes; and statement-making stone.

Below, step inside the designer showcase, which supports the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club and Boys & Girls Club of Palm Beach County after-school and enrichment activities for more than 21,000 youth in 30 locations across the Bronx and Palm Beach.

Entry by Studio Thomas James

Entry by Studio Thomas James

Entry by Studio Thomas James

Sparked by the sumptuous Sicilian aura captured in season two of The White Lotus, the entry, gallery, and foyer lure in guests with a setting that recalls a well-preserved, centuries-old palazzo. “We purposely infused personality and opulent materials and objects that the great Italian designers so deftly filled homes with,” says Studio Thomas James principal and founder Philip Thomas Vanderford. A Murano glass–bedecked ceiling, burgundy Kravet velvet-wrapped walls, and custom mirrors all meld with the curved Cassini chest from Mous, Charlap Hyman & Herrero’s playful Crocodilo rug for Patterson Flynn, and alabaster and antique brass pendants from Visual Comfort to conjure the notion of a fantastical Italian getaway.

Study by Lucy Doswell Interiors

Study by Lucy Doswell Interiors

Traditional English decor is juxtaposed with Floridian flamboyance in the study by Lucy Doswell Interiors. It gracefully pairs such treasures as the Philip and Kelvin LaVerne bronze coffee table that once belonged to Doswell’s grandmother with a custom lambrequin that calls to mind 16th-century palatial arches. But it’s the made-in-India wool kilim rug, based on Doswell’s sketch of a vintage Anatolian one, that has caused the designer the most anxiety throughout the tight schedule. “This is the first time we’ve custom-made a rug and not had time to have a strike-off made in advance for our approval or edits,” she admits. “We just crossed our fingers that it came out as beautifully as we had imagined it.”

Powder room by Lindley Arthur Interiors

Powder room by Lindley Arthur Interiors

Powder room by Lindley Arthur Interiors

Taking cues from the elegant Tom Scheerer–designed drawing room at the exclusive Lyford Cay Club in the Bahamas, Lindley Arthur Interiors set out to create a powder room that, at its core, is traditional, but because it is Palm Beach, it needed to be “something bold and glamorous that won’t fail to catch the eye,” Arthur shares. Along with Urban Electric Company and Charles Edwards lighting, Rosa Grecia tiles from Artistic Tile, and The Shade Store roman shades that fuse Namay Samay textiles with Samuel & Sons trim, Arthur layered in memorable vintage garden stools and contemporary artwork by Cate West Zahl. Her favorite aspect, however, is “without question, the Gracie wallpaper, specifically the peach ground, which set the tone for our overall scheme.”

Lounge by Danielle Rollins Interiors

Lounge by Danielle Rollins Interiors

As an ode to the iconic 1970s and ’80s designer Angelo Donghia, from Danielle Rollins Interiors’ Cocoa lounge is a neutral-toned assemblage of enthralling furniture and accessories, such as the custom Christopher Spitzmiller Sophie lamps with 23-karat-gold water gilt bases, the custom wire-brushed black palm wood Keith Fritz coffee table capped with Mayan sun clay tiles, and the Donghia Block Island armoire converted into a mirrored bar. “We are introducing a new fabric called Carlyle, inspired by batik prints, and it is used on a mammoth folding screen behind the ‘barmoire,’ on one of the Billy Baldwin slipper chairs, and on the accent pillows,” Rollins says. The vintage coconut husk console from Enrique Garcel, “hence the name of our room,” she adds, also commands attention. “A large oil abstract sits over it, with several pieces from my art collection for a personal touch, including works by Irving Penn, Helmut Newton, Robert Mapplethorpe, and Fernando Bengoechea.”

Great room by Amanda Lindroth

Great room by Amanda Lindroth

All those heady homes found on the French Riviera dazzled designer Amanda Lindroth, who evokes a similarly timeless, relaxed grandeur in the great room. Lindroth’s own wicker and rattan furniture is grounded by a striped coir rug and patinated-finished walls buoyed by Bungalow Classic lighting, a trove of Cedric DuPont antiques, and a striking array of palms and orchids. The highlight? According to Lindroth, it’s the fireplace: “It was previously a bit of an eyesore. We, at first, thought about faux marble, but then went mad and painted faux tortoiseshell for a slightly more ironic and lighthearted solution.”

Family room by Scott Sanders Interior Design

Family room by Scott Sanders Interior Design

The soaring Scott Sanders–designed family room is anchored by a jovial Pierre Frey upholstery fabric, but it brings together Karl Springer side tables, eye-catching fiber art, and a medley of alluring blue hues through elements like a Le Jeune upholstered sofa, custom Sacco carpet, and Benjamin Moore paint. Natural light streams through the space, accentuating the Phillip Jeffries grass cloth wall covering and jolts of rattan that nod to breezy indoor-outdoor living.

Kitchen by Christopher Peacock

Kitchen by Christopher Peacock

Christopher Peacock’s gleaming commodious kitchen is decidedly contemporary, weaving together Cosentino countertops and Artistic Tile's Stingray tile backsplash with expanses of animated blue and gray stripes from York Wallcoverings and a slew of Jenn-Air appliances. “The existing kitchen was dated and uninviting, so I wanted to change that, open the room, and bring some color and drama,” Peacock says. “I like the shelving that straddles the window openings. It’s bonus space where you really need it.”

Welcome bar by Errez Design Studio

Welcome bar by Errez Design Studio

Ruben and Katie Gutierrez, founders of Errez Design Studio, treat interiors as biographies. In the case of the welcome bar and guest staircase, it’s the Gilded Age life of industrialist Henry Flagler—a key figure in developing South Florida’s luxury travel market—that informed the duo’s design. Adorned with a coral and seashell mural by artist Grahame Menage and a landing wall of textured golden glass tiles by Ann Sacks, the stairs double as an art installation. Although the compact area is short on windows, Errez maximized its warmth with a dominant deep shade of berry and a vintage silk velvet settee so there’s “now an intimate place to pause, like a luxurious amenity space for the guests staying in the adjoining bedrooms,” Ruben says. By using numerous reflective materials, including glossy paint and Fktr Group’s Venetian plaster bar ceiling, “light bounces from almost every surface,” Katie adds. “It’s like being inside a jewel.”

Upstairs landing by Delia Kenza Interiors

Upstairs landing by Delia Kenza Interiors

“It is a space that feels intimate and very open simultaneously, so I wanted to tune into that,” says designer Delia Kenza, whose room, although cohesive, expresses “strong contrasts in color and concepts.” Julio Leitao’s bust of a woman, a reference to traditional Angolan sculptures, propels visitors up the staircase with its walls dressed in reinterpreted African drawings. Once they reach the landing, they are greeted by an imposing Luke Lamp Co. light fixture suspended from a medallion from Fuller Architectural Panels, as well as a pipe-shaped Dune bench cloaked in Kravet fabric that cleverly integrates mirrored side tables, Gucci wallpaper, and an abstract black-and-white artwork by Jason Trotter.

Bedroom by Megan Grehl

En suite bathroom by Megan Grehl

Bedroom and en suite by Megan Grehl

Rippled seashells and abundant marine life are synonymous with Palm Beach, but for Megan Grehl’s suite, the designer opted to showcase “the rough, textured yet ethereal, serene, and almost surrealist aspects of the ocean and coastal living,” she says. Cocooned in sheer linen drapes from The Shade Store, the Hästens bed is a showstopper, nestled in a Primestones Oyster White Select marble stone frame and backlit with custom LEDs. It’s complemented by pieces from Arca’s Nudo collection with Kelly Wearstler, such as the sculpted natural stone drinks table placed beside the sink in the travertine and plaster bathroom.

Bedroom by Mabley Handler Interior Design

En suite bathroom by Mabley Handler Interior Design

Bedroom and en suite by Mabley Handler Interior Design

When entering Mabley Handler Interior Design’s suite, visitors are met with “a wonderful little vignette featuring a modern teardrop chaise covered in a Deco-style fabric from Zoffany. It’s an unexpected marriage, which was one of our philosophies when designing the space,” shares principal Jennifer Mabley. Rounded out with a woven canopy Palacek bed and Ro Sham Beaux lighting, the room is centered on a custom tropical-print wallpaper from Gracie developed in partnership with Hive Trade Show Room, which “evokes a sophisticated nod to old Palm Beach design,” principal Austin Handler adds. “We then modernized it with a metallic melon background.” This whimsical sprit carries on to the bathroom, with its handmade shell mirror by artist Wexler Robichaux, and the California Closets walk-in wardrobe vivified by a cheeky custom bar.

Outdoor hideaway by Honey Collins Interiors

Outdoor hideaway by Honey Collins Interiors

Overlooking the pool and gardens, this hideaway from Honey Collins Interiors is crowned with a 50-foot-long awning. “I channeled my mother and her love for the color turquoise, which, given my space’s incredible view of the Intracoastal Waterway, just felt right. When I discovered the Miramar fabric from Raoul Textiles, I knew this was going to be the pattern that shaped my whole design process,” Collins explains. That decision organically led to a custom upholstered sectional, a Currey & Company chandelier, Porter Teleo slipper chairs, and Iatesta Studio planters. The designer’s biggest surprise is the custom painted geometric rug: “The balcony is so long and narrow that it ended up being the graphic feature I needed to counteract the organic, beachy vibe,” Collins shares.

Bedroom by Katie Ridder

Primary bedroom by Katie Ridder

In Katie Ridder’s brightly hued retreat, a botanical deGournay wallpaper naturally transports visitors to green spaces “filled with birds and flowers,” as she puts it. Versatility was top of mind for Ridder, who demarcated the bedroom into three different areas. Zooms, for example, can take place at the desk while settled into a Bielecky Brothers rattan chair, but the fern tinted Le Jeune sofa is the ideal comfortable perch for reading. To Ridder, the centerpiece is the Charles H. Beckley bed, with its custom Leontine linens, Penn & Fletcher–embroidered Schumacher headboard, boxspring decorated in Alice Sergeant textiles, and Kathryn Ireland bed hangings. “Everything came together seamlessly,” the designer says. “I love how beautiful this bed is.”

Primary suite morning bar and dressing room by Katherine Shenaman Interiors

Primary suite morning bar and dressing room by Katherine Shenaman Interiors

Last December, designer Katherine Shenaman visited several stunning Paris boutiques that were “luxurious yet livable,” as she recalls. “This was the feeling that we wanted to bring to Palm Beach.” A restless pattern from Lee Jofa papers the ceiling, while a set of chairs upholstered in velvets by Pierre Frey and Loro Piana sit in front of floor-to-ceiling mirrored California Closets wardrobes. The vestibule, points out Shenaman, was an “opportunity to connect something more public with the intimacy that one should feel when in a private dressing room.”

Primary bathroom by Paladino Rudd Design

Primary bathroom by Paladino Rudd Interior Design

In Paladino Rudd Design’s meditative bath haven, “the palette is soft on the eyes with vanillas, browns, and blues,” says principal Allison Paladino. Kitted out with handprinted Ricci Studio wallpaper, Ochre glass drop lighting, and all-new titanium-finished Kohler fixtures, it offers moments of tranquility, from the banquette upholstered in a Perennials velvet cantilevering off a bleached walnut wall to natural slabs of Cosentino’s Dekton Rem. “Tactile finishes envelop you within the space,” points out Paladino, but the impact is perhaps most noticeable in the sequin floral artwork from painter Stanley Casselman and fashion designer Naeem Kahn’s Kace collective.

Bedroom by Eneia White Interiors

En suite bathroom by Eneia White Interiors

Bedroom and en suite by Eneia White Interiors

Surrounded by shutters and enlivened by Benjamin Moore’s powdery Prescott Green, the custom cabana bed in this joyful suite by Eneia White Interiors proves that guest rooms need not be afterthoughts. “We always design in a storyline format, and this would be an ideal setting for an afternoon of laying across the bed while reading a classic romance,” White muses. “Pulling from childhood memories, it feels somewhat fortlike [but] in a mature and modern way.” A floral Stark rug, distinctly different Sanderson and Maresca wallpapers, and custom lilac ceruse Aronson Woodworks nightstands add to the dreamy ambiance, as does the dressing room that pops with a brand-new House of Hackney wall covering. The adjoining bathroom marries floret Rosa Volakas tiles from Artistic Tile, a café curtain from The Shade Store, and Kohler’s frothy Pink Champagne pedestal sink, soaking tub, and toilet rereleased from the archives for the brand’s 150th anniversary.

Bedroom by Amy Studebaker Design

Bedroom by Amy Studebaker Design

While selecting textiles for the bedroom, “we instantly fell in love with the Lisieux Rose fabric from Soane Britain,” says Amy Studebaker, who balanced the fresh floret print with Coleen & Co lighting and a custom Annie Selke sisal rug. “It makes you feel like you’ve been transported to a garden oasis in 19th-century England or France.” The romantic theme continues with the delicate green treillage ceiling from Fuller Architectural Panels and the Serena and Lily bed bolstered by a sweeping canopy that unites Cowtan & Tout and Schumacher fabrics.

Study by Stephen Mooney Interiors

Study by Stephen Mooney Interiors

Numerous jubilant vignettes await in the parlor-esque study by Stephen Mooney Interiors. An antique French fruitwood chair, for instance, sits in dialogue with the ceruse oak cabinet teeming with objects and artwork, while an acrylic table is planted on a vintage Khotan rug. Socializing unfolds in one of two French Art Deco–style chairs or the Brunschwig & Fils club chair and sofa, backdropped by a soft, peachy Linda’s Garden wallpaper from Gracie. Clarence House, Colefax and Fowler, and Le Gracieux fabrics provide punches of color.

Family entry by David Frazier

Laundry room by David Frazier.

Laundry room, family entry, and powder room by David Frazier

Each of the three rooms that David Frazier designed are remarkably different. Illuminated by floor lamps from The Urban Electric Company, the family entry mingles a plaster console by John Dickinson for Sutherland Furniture with an Alvar Aalto screen and custom mirror by J.M. Szymanski against soothing chocolate brown walls. Then there is the laundry room, awash in scrolling blue-and-white acanthus fabric from Soane Britain, and the powder room, where “Rose Tarlow ticking stripe frames our newly reimagined shower with tile from Waterworks,” Frazier notes. A Frida Kahlo painting by Butch Anthony and a lattice grid ceiling that mimics the Sacco rug in the elevated laundry area are other standouts.

Landscape design by Lang Design Group

Landscape design by Lang Design Group

Lang Design Group’s lush, artful landscaping incorporating native plants, an Alexander Krivosheiw sculpture, and stone obelisks elevates the property. “The limited square footage led us to begin playing with verticality, to get as much drama out of the site as possible,” explains founder John Lang. One hundred royal blue orchids affixed to palms make a confident statement, as do the silver and green buttonwood hedges that “give the feel of living striped wallpaper,” he adds.

Pool terrace by Billy Ceglia Designs

Pool terrace by Billy Ceglia Designs

For the restorative loggia and pool terrace, Billy Ceglia Designs took an understated approach, embracing a crisp, snowy palette that doesn’t detract from the Lake Worth Lagoon and Palm Beach Island views. Initially, Ceglia recalls, he envisioned something akin to The Great Gatsby, an “East Egg/West Egg idea that shifted into a new-look Palm Beach scheme.” To implement his more contemporary vision, Ceglia sought out a kitchen island outfitted with seashell white cabinets and Currey & Company lanterns that flicker against the ceiling painted in Benjamin Moore’s gray-tinged Sweet Bluette. Taking center stage are the trellis folding screen from Fuller Architectural Panels, Brown Jordan’s bamboo-patterned Calcutta outdoor furniture, and Cosentino Dekton surfaces. The central table, with its “classic ottomans tucked underneath,” Ceglia adds, is “the perfect welcome.”