Jonathan Adler Designs A Lively Yet Chic Palm Beach Retreat
In a ground-floor apartment steps from the beach, its white façade crisp against a manicured green lawn and ombre teal waters, Jonathan Adler is surrounded by a sparkling delight of cheery forms and extraordinary vistas. The glow is not just seen but also felt: Overwhelmingly outfitted with pieces of his own design, this client home conveys a sense of fate, he explains. “There’s a Yiddish word that means ‘meant to be,’ ” the acclaimed potter-turned-designer says. “This project was bashert .”
Before Adler and his husband, Simon Doonan, purchased their current house in Palm Beach, they lived in a unit at The Reef—a trio of landmarked 1970s condominiums by architect Gene Lawrence. “I’ve always been obsessed with the modernist architecture of these buildings,” the designer reflects, noting the structures’ sloping buttresses that gently curve. So, too, have Philip A. Nardone Jr. and Scott E. Peltier, Boston residents who purchased a winter retreat on the property. When the couple later acquired the unit next door to form one spacious residence, they envisioned a look that was fresh and glam with a sense of whimsy—a style they had admired in the home of a certain former resident. “We called Jonathan to say, ‘What you did in your unit is how we’d like to live in Palm Beach,’ ” Philip shares. “We wanted to dial ours up to 10 Jonathan Adler—full-on foot to the pedal.”
Home Details
Architecture
Scott E. Peltier, Scott E. Peltier
Interior Design
Jonathan Adler, Benjamin Brougham and Chaz Stewart, Jonathan Adler Interior Design
Home Builder
Shane Carroll, Carroll Carpentry Inc.
Go Behind The Design With Jonathan Adler
Adler understood the assignment. “Just as a designer wants to be a mirror, reflecting the client at their most glamorous,” he muses, “I wanted to curate my collection in a way that captures Philip and Scott without looking like a showroom.”
The project began with a renovation by builder Shane Carroll that nearly doubled the size of the home, granting the owners a primary suite and a den. A residential designer by trade, Peltier designed the layout and selected the hard finishes, with Jerome Baumoehl serving as architect of record.
What didn’t change, however, was the overwhelming floor-to-ceiling ocean vista that spans the dining and living areas, wrapping around a corner. “There’s almost a surreal quality to the setting, because it’s so magical,” Adler observes. “You can’t compete with it, but you can celebrate it.”
Jonathan Adler’s Maxime dining chairs and Bond table gather below the brand’s linear Milano chandelier. An acrylic shark by the designer injects a colorful note. Underfoot flows white glass flooring from Haifa Limestone.
Between the living and dining areas, the designer arranged his Maxime daybed and Canaan accent table atop a Sunburst rug. A column of Kravet’s Acid Palm draperies centers the window’s magnificent ocean view. The butterfly throw pillow is from the Muse collection.
Jonathan Adler kitchen counter stools pull up to Haifa Limestone’s Melody White marble countertop, lit by a Jacques pendant. Brizo’s Odin faucet is from Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery.
This is why he kept the walls and floors white, forging a connection with the exterior that makes the built environment practically disappear. From there, the designer sought to create opportunities for socializing in an environment he describes as “chic yet lively.” Partnering with designers Benjamin Brougham and Chaz Stewart, he formed islands of gathering spaces with clean, tailored furnishings. These include a corner games table beneath a multicolored pendant, a linear sofa along the window wall, angular wing chairs in a television area and a dining table that seats 10. Floating among them all is a piece Adler dubbed “the contemplation perch”: a sculptural daybed positioned strategically to take in the grand ocean view. To impart a sense of openness while reflecting the outdoors, “We used tons of acrylic,” he says, pointing to side tables and lamps. “I was cognizant of the taxonomy of elements.” Patterns appear sparingly, with a judicious mix of white and modern, vibrant blues weaving through the connected areas.
The palette departs in the hallway, a lengthy windowless corridor enlivened by a geometric black-and-gold wallpaper that culminates to a focal point: a bar cabinet in the same tones featuring a larger motif. “It’s as if the piece was designed for this space,” Adler observes. “This shows how you can use pattern on pattern if you vary the scale.” The den, too, shifts vibes with a graphic assortment of persimmon, beige, ivory and black, a distinction Philip says gives the space a special quality. “It wasn’t what I expected, but it immediately became my favorite room upon the final walk-through,” he recalls.
Coastal tones return in the couple’s bedroom but in soothing, softer variants for a relaxed atmosphere. Adler established a masculine feel through pieces like burl wood nightstands and a bed with nailhead details, then injected a jolt of his favorite accent color in the draperies. “Every room needs a bit of lemon yellow,” he notes. “It’s joyful—and hits my solar plexus just right.”
Each piece and space in the home is intentional, Adler says. “It has punctuations of humor and irreverence,” he muses. “The eclecticism of my collection is captured perfectly and rhymes with the clients’ personalities.” Echoing the sentiment, the owners say the partnership was a perfect match. “We’re a fun, creative, curious couple—and Jonathan is a fun, creative, curious designer,” Peltier reflects. “We told him, ‘Bring it on.’ And he did.”
The centerpiece of the hallway, lined with Cole & Son’s Hicks’ Hexagon wallcovering from Kravet, is Jonathan Adler’s Op Art bar. Topping the piece are the designer’s Globo lamp and pottery from the Versailles collection.
Beneath the designer’s Riviera mirror, his Talitha credenza in the dining area holds Monaco table lamps and Eden vases. Benjamin Moore’s Simply White offers a clean backdrop on the walls.
Jonathan Adler kitchen counter stools pull up to Haifa Limestone’s Melody White marble countertop, lit by a Jacques pendant. Brizo’s Odin faucet is from Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery.
A House of Troy sconce illuminates Jacques Barraband artwork in the television area, where the designer’s Milano wing chairs sit near a leather Moroccan pouf. In the corridor, a Jacques console complements the brand’s Petal mirror.
Baubles and accents by Jonathan Adler are artfully peppered throughout the unit. These include (clockwise from top left) the Muse Eyes pillow; porcelain pottery; the Cube urn and Puzzle and Hex vases; and a leather Moroccan pouf on a Sorrento rug.
A Paule Marrot textile commands attention in the den above the designer’s Claridge sofa, decorated with Pompidou Path and Pompidou Loops pillows and resting on a St. Germain rug. The draperies are made of Gastón y Daniela’s Plantation fabric from Kravet.
Cradling rectangular Op Art pillows, Jonathan Adler’s channeled Goldfinger lounge chairs face the den’s brass banana sculpture and Kidney tables. As a cheeky nod to Palm Beach, All Mine by Slim Aarons captures a nearby locale.
Beaded artwork in the primary suite oversees the designer’s Connery bed, which joins his Jacques bench. Draperies in a Gastón y Daniela textile meet Kravet Basics sheers that frame Jonathan Adler’s Doris chairs and Baxter ottoman.
Knoll’s 1966 dining chairs and table from Design Within Reach provide a breezy respite on the corner outdoor terrace. The designer’s pillows, towel and Charade vase add interest amid the ocean view.