Bold Hues And Tropical Prints Transform A Palm Beach Home

Brimming with lush patterns and bold hues, Danielle Rollins’ portfolio had caught the attention of a certain empty nester. The designer, the admirer realized, would be perfect to update her family’s new retreat in South Florida. That’s when her husband revealed a delightful surprise: He knew Rollins from his college days. “Out of the blue, he messaged me on Facebook,” the designer recalls. “We set up a time to meet and walked right back into that old friendship.” Their rekindled camaraderie sparked a design that is equal parts excitement and ease, the very stuff of which a Floridian retreat should be made.

Hailing from the mid-Atlantic, the clients desired a distinctly Palm Beach escape: tropical hues, relaxed living, a dose of sunshine—much like a particular residence the wife had spotted in a magazine. “She had brought pictures of my old condo for inspiration, but I didn’t want to make the exact same home,” Rollins emphasizes. With views of the ocean on one side and the heart of town on the other, their apartment is in one of the island’s quintessential 1960s structures. “These midcentury buildings are charming—they’re like stepping back into a different era,” the designer observes. “But they can also be like concrete bunkers, so you need to warm them up.” She formulated a plan to lighten and brighten the rooms with mirrors, glossy paint and lively wallpapers. “Wrapping the surfaces for visual interest was important, because there aren’t a lot of architectural details inside,” Rollins points out. Echoing the town’s effervescent character, she opted for a rich palette of coral, raspberry and variants of blue. “Color enriches your life, and this home feels happy the moment you walk in,” the designer says. “We used many different hues here, but it doesn’t read that way, because they’re harmoniously mixed.”

The color story unfolds from the first space encountered when entering the unit: the dining nook, an intimate area with a cozy banquette, pink-and-white pillows and walls clad in an iconic banana-leaf print. “We chose the navy version, which drove our color scheme and helped everything flow together,” Rollins notes. The pattern carries into the kitchen, where it surrounds soft blue cabinetry, and then, in fabric form, onto pillows in the living room. There, she employed clever tricks to visually expand the space, starting with mirrored wall panels and a ceiling painted a high-gloss watery white. “It gives the living room a luminous quality,” the designer says, “and the way it reflects the sunrises and sunsets is so pretty.”

Furniture selections and placement were also critical in maximizing the space, so Rollins gravitated toward a low, plush sectional and swivel chairs. “All the furniture is white for a modern feel,” she explains. Side tables with exposed shelves impart a sense of openness, a natural-fiber rug warms the terrazzo floors, and rattan and bamboo accents hark to the 1960s quality the owners were after.

The color palette deepens in the couple’s bedroom, where the husband selected the pattern for the 9-foot walls: a navy covering with a tan vertical underlay. “It reads as a stripe, which gives the space height,” Rollins says. “It’s textured and feels like a favorite pair of blue jeans.” Recalling the banana-leaf print used in the public spaces, dollops of raspberry and coral decorate the room’s pleated ikat lampshades and the fabric of the bed. “We created a low headboard to fit perfectly under the window,” she shares. “It makes the window feel like an extension of the bed.” Here, too, the designer created an illusion of more space by installing custom mirrored closet doors. “You get a wall of sparkle,” she observes.

Nearby, a whimsical mermaid-print wallpaper drives the decor of a bedroom for the couple’s two college-aged children. “The wife loved the design but worried the colors might not work,” Rollins says. “We were able to tie the celadon, persimmon and navy hues back to the other rooms.” Melon piping lines the navy fabric of the floating twin beds, and touches of rattan—as on the desk chair—offer additional moments of island style.

Outside, the terrace spans the length of the unit. “The clients use this spot more than any other,” the designer says. “By treating it as an indoor room, it doubles the living space.” She furnished the layout with sofas and chaises, using faux boxwood dividers to frame each end.

Now an inviting jewel box, the transformed residence demonstrates the power of a little thoughtful nurturing—in design and friendship. “There’s nothing fussy or frilly here,” Rollins says. “We maximized the vacation feel and kept the classic Palm Beach spin, with a little modernity.”