A Traditional Neo-Georgian Palm Beach Home with Eclectic Interiors

Details

Eclectic Gray Bedroom with Ornate Chandelier

A chandelier from Carlos de la Puente Antiques and lamps from John Salibello illuminate the master bedroom. Kremer’s custom treatment extends to bedside tables from Panache Designs and a bed from Julia Gray, which has a custom TV cabinet from Telesca Heyman at its foot. Fabric from Cowtan & Tout wraps the upholstered walls by Paul Himber.

Contemporary White Bathroom with Glass-Enclosed Shower

Hints of blue and expanses of white continue into the master bathroom, which features a glass-enclosed shower. Its translucent walls allow for a direct view to the vistas beyond— a central theme in the house’s reimagining. Draperies in a white terry cloth from Paul Himber are a witty nod to the room’s function.

Eclectic Cream Dining Room with Lamp Shade Chandelier

Architect Richard Sammons and his team brought late Georgian-style detailing into the dining room, creating paneling that frames both a Milton Avery painting and a custom wallpaper from Gracie. Artistic Frame chairs in Hines & Company fabric cocoon guests, who dine by the light of sconces from Carlos de la Puente Antiques.

Traditional Cream Library with Fireplace

Kremer covered volumes in custom shagreen paper for the neoclassical-inspired library—overseen by a Fernando Botero painting. The John Lyle Design fire screen from Holly Hunt offers a subtle Art Deco flair to the proceedings, and custom seating from Paul Himber in a Brunschwig & Fils fabric provides comfortable, casual elegance hearthside.

Contemporary White Loggia with Geometric Detail

Crisp white and strong geometric details on the ceiling and cabinetry, not to mention fabric from Clarence House on the chairs, mark the loggia. The glass tiles in the bar area, from Artistic Tile, echo the spectrum of blues in the pool beyond. Another carpet from Stark underscores the space.

Transitional Neutral Poolside Exterior with Aqua Lounge Chairs

The pool area fosters a resort-like setting that reads as intimate despite its size—the pool itself, which was refinished, is about 50-feet long. New tiles pave the deck, and updated plantings adorn the beds to lend a sense of enclosure and retreat. The umbrellas are from Walters Wicker.

Contemporary White Kitchen with Green Accents

Bright zebra-print Roman shades from Paul Himber offer an unexpected treat in the kitchen, as do the black lacquer chairs from Holly Hunt with fabric from Osborne & Little. Kremer’s custom pendants from Remains Lighting hang above the sleek marble countertops.

Contemporary White Breakfast Area with Lantern Pendant

A breakfast area filled with pieces from the owners’ collection now boasts French doors leading to the gardens. The carpet, from Patterson, Flynn & Martin, and the mirror, from John Rosselli & Associates, bear Kremer’s custom designs.

Contemporary Outdoor Sitting Area with Water Feature

With the renovation, an emphasis was given to outdoor living, yielding a secluded dining area as part of the new garden space. Kremer outfitted the spot with a table and chairs from McKinnon and Harris.

Eclectic White Sitting Area with Patterned Wallpaper

Phillip Jeffries wallpaper from Holly Hunt sets a playful tone in a sitting area anchored by a Patterson, Flynn & Martin rug. The sofa, acquired through Edward Ferrell, in Osborne & Little fabric, brings a dash of retro charm alongside a chair from Lorin Marsh. The table from Jerry Pair adds an elegant touch.

Contemporary Aqua Living Room with Stone Fireplace

The John Lyle Design fireplace screen from Holly Hunt plays off the key motif found throughout the home. Custom sofas from Paul Himber, with pillows in Holland & Sherry fabrics, flank a coffee table from John Boone atop a Stark carpet. The lacquered walls are the work of Brooklyn-based AMHI Corporation.

Transitional Aqua Sitting Area with Geometric Table

An Alex Katz oil surveys a living room seating group, comprised of a custom sofa upholstered by Paul Himber and a lounge chair in a specially woven ikat from Brunschwig & Fils. Draperies in a Holland & Sherry fabric with a custom- embroidered edge dress the windows.

Transitional White Hall Detail with Aqua Accents

Interior designer Joseph Kremer arranged vintage Murano glass from The End of History in New York atop a lacquered-linen and bronze console, of his own design, from John Boone, in the foyer.

Traditional White Exterior with Extensive Landscaping

Landscape architect Mario Nievera, along with Keith Williams, used new stone to give the motor court’s grid pattern a face lift, and added lush, leafy plants and flowers to create an informal dimension that balances the architecture. The immaculately pruned ficus tree remains a focal point from the previous owners.

Traditional White Exterior Detail with White Columns

Asked by his longtime clients to reimagine their newly acquired Neo-Georgian in Palm Beach, New York-based interior designer Joseph Kremer needed only to look outside and glean inspiration from the sparking hues of their swimming pool and beautiful blue shades of the sky. “The house had a lovely neutral palette, but my clients wanted to bring in colors evocative of their surroundings,” says Kremer.

Transitional Blue Living Room Detail

South Florida’s glistening azure waters and soft natural light serve as the catalysts for a palm beach home’s thoughtful renovation.

“The house didn’t seem like Florida to me,” says Joseph Kremer. “It was a little too neutral.” Asked by his longtime clients to revamp their newly-acquired Neo-Georgian, the New York-based designer knew he wanted to make it match up with its Palm Beach surroundings and imbue it with a sense of place. To find inspiration, Kremer looked outside and discovered it in the sparkling hues of the swimming pool.

Kremer devised  “a progression of aquas and turquoises like the water in Florida,” he says, and took advantage of the home’s axial plan, using the colors to create a subtle rhythm and lead the eye out toward the pool and garden. In the foyer, the first hints of the watery shades appear in the consoles—decorated with vintage Murano glass pieces—set against the brilliant white of the hand-troweled walls. Beyond lies the living room, where he flipped the palette, opting for white on the furnishings and a brilliant aqua lacquered on the walls. “It has a depth and a richness,” notes Kremer. “The wham of color and the quality of the finish is quite luscious.” With the adjacent loggia, the designer opted again for white walls, this time choosing a silk-screened grass cloth that lends a shimmery touch. The color “softens the pool beyond and makes a nice transition from the living room,” he points out.

Besides the thoughtful use of color, the interiors bear the mark of a seasoned professional down to the smallest details. Kremer custom-designed many of the furnishings, including the foyer’s lacquered-linen consoles with their nifty midcentury vibe, not to mention the showstopping chrome-and-lacquer console in the dining room. Fabrics even benefited from his hand. There’s an ikat on a living room chair “that was specially woven for us in Uzbekistan,” he says, while the space’s draperies have an added key-pattern border in the first panel. Throughout, there are surprising touches such as the juxtaposing of more traditional Georgian-style cabinets and tables with elements that bring in splashes of gold and silver along with works from the clients’ contemporary art collection.

The home’s bones were solid, but Kremer knew it needed a more architectonic presence to line up with the other interior developments. He called on architect Richard Sammons, whose dab hand with classicism suited the project to a T. “They know detailing,” Kremer says of the firm. In the dining room, for example, Sammons and his team added a fireplace and extensive paneling. However, “We didn’t want it to look like plan B, but to flow,” says Kremer, so the additions are seamless and in keeping with the original tone of the house. To execute those changes and the rest of the program, builder Paul Luc Courchene came aboard. The clients and the designer “knew what they wanted and were able to articulate it, so we could create a one-of-a-kind, beautiful home,” he says.

Outside, much of landscape designer Mario Nievera’s brief involved connecting the exterior spaces with interiors (Kremer had focused substantial energy on orienting views to the outside). Revisiting this, a property he had designed for previous owners, offered Nievera the chance to add an entirely new garden on the house’s south side and grade a lawn there, bringing it in line with other elements. Nievera even carried Kremer’s interior palette outside as he fulfilled the clients’ request for plenty of flowering plants, gracing the property with white hibiscus, blue plumbago and bougainvillea. “The clients gave us carte blanche,” he says. “They were enthusiastic about the opportunities and possibilities.”

And thanks to the home’s environment, the possibilities set quite the scene. “Their New York apartment is more modern, neutral and dressier, and the Southampton one is more casual,” says Kremer, in keeping with their locations. In contrast, the Palm Beach residence is “all about the light, the colors and the climate—what makes spending time in Florida so special.”